Parents ‘pay’ hefty fee at Mullana medical college

Sushil Manav

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 11

Parents of students seeking admission to the MM Institute of Medical Sciences, Mullana, said they were asked to pay exorbitant fee during combined counselling in September. This, they said, disregarded the fee fixed by the Haryana Government.

The college affiliated to Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana, charged Rs15.43 lakh an annum for the five-and-a-half year MBBS course, the parents claimed.

The Director of Medical Education and Research (DMER), however, fixed Rs7 lakh as fee for private colleges.

The university’s chancellor, Tarsem Garg, said his institute was justified in charging the fee. “By virtue of being a deemed university constituted by a notification of the UGC, the institute is not bound by the fee fixed for private colleges.”

“The prospectus for the combined counselling mentioned Rs7 lakh as the annual tuition fee. But we were asked to pay Rs13.5 lakh at the MMU. We had to deposit Rs15.43 lakh (including Rs13.5 lakh towards tuition fee) on the last day of counselling to save our children’s future,” the parents alleged in their representation to Health Minister Anil Vij.

The two private medical colleges in the state — NC Medical College, Jind; and World Medical College, Jhajjar — charged Rs7 lakh, the parents claimed.

They requested the minister to look into the matter and fix the fee for MMU under the Private Universities Act, 2006.

Garg said the MMU, being a deemed university, was not covered under the Act.

“The fee is mentioned on the institute’s website. Parents opted for our college after knowing it well. We receive fee and dues through cheques. Nothing is hidden from the law,” he added.