MOHALI: Tension prevailed at CGC University, Jhanjeri, in Mohali district as a large number of students staged a protest on campus against what they alleged to be an “exorbitant and unjustified” fee structure, disrupting normal academic activities.
The protest, which continued for several days, saw students gathering outside the administrative block, raising slogans against the management and demanding an immediate rollback of fees. Many students boycotted classes and warned of intensifying the agitation if their grievances were not addressed.
The agitating students alleged that the university was charging fees significantly higher than those prescribed by IK Gujral Punjab Technical University (IKGPTU), to which several of its courses are affiliated. They claimed that for courses such as B.Tech, MBA and MCA, the annual fee at CGC Jhanjeri was nearly 70 to 80 per cent higher than the fee structure approved by the technical university.
“We have been forced to pay excessive fees which are not in line with the norms of the affiliating university. This is unjustified and puts an undue financial burden on students and their families, ” said one of the protesting students.
Students further alleged that they had initially tried to resolve the issue through dialogue with the university authorities but were not given a satisfactory response. Some protesters also claimed they were warned against raising the issue publicly, prompting them to launch a full-scale agitation.
The protest led to heated exchanges between students and the administrative staff, while academic work was affected as several classes remained disrupted during the agitation.
The students demanded transparency in the fee structure and urged the authorities to bring it in line with the norms of IKGPTU. They also called for intervention by higher authorities to ensure fairness.
Meanwhile, the university administration denied the allegations of any arbitrary fee hike. In its clarification, the management stated that there had been no increase in tuition or academic charges and termed the claims of overcharging as “misleading”. Officials said that confusion may have arisen due to a technical or display issue, which has since been rectified.
The management also maintained that classes were being conducted as per schedule and appealed to students to resolve the matter through dialogue.
However, the protesting students have asserted that they will continue their agitation until their demands for fee rationalisation and greater transparency are met.
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