Jadavpur University engineering dept wants 90 pc seats for Bengal students, varsity to take final call

Engineering courses under the Jadavpur University could soon reserve 90 per cent of its seats for home students with 12 of the 16 engineering departments in the varsity backing the quota. Jadavpur University is an autonomous varsity under the West Bengal government.

“Most of the engineering departments of JU gave consent to the domicile policy with 90 per cent reservation for state students. The resolution will now be forwarded to the executive council, the higher decision-making body of the varsity,” said Chiranjib Bhattacharya, Dean of the engineering faculty.

Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das said the executive council will take a decision as per varsity’s rules and regulations.

Bhattacharya said the resolution was the result of the long-standing demand of faculty members and students and was taken “keeping in view facilities granted by various state universities to the home students”. The Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology in Shibpur, the Anna University in Chennai and other state varsities also follow the domicile policy, Bhattacharya clarified.

An official from the state Higher Education Department told indianexpress.com that the government could not interfere in the decision taken by the Jadavpur University as it is an autonomous institution. “It can only suggest. The varsity is an autonomous state institution, the decision on the admission process, administrative matter solely depends on varsity itself,” he said. Education Minister Partha Chatterjee refused to comment on the same.

Bhattacharya, however, agreed that the resolution, if implemented by 2020, will be a compromise with merit. “At Rs 2,000 per year, the tuition fee is the cheapest in the country and the students of the state should enjoy the facility provided by the state government.”