Hyderabad: No new private engineering college will come up in Telangana if the government has its way. The Telangana government is urging the Centre not to give permission for new private engineering and other technical colleges in the state. Interestingly, the government is also asking the Centre to relax norms for new government engineering colleges.

The government is cracking the whip on private engineering colleges with 143 colleges disaffiliated this year. This was done after a prolonged battle between JNTU Hyderabad and the government. But, as the academic year is nearing its end, the AICTE has invited applications for setting up new colleges. Online applications can be sent to the AICTE till February 27.

But now the Telangana government is pressing the AICTE and the Centre not to grant fresh permissions for setting up new engineering and other technical colleges. The government says the state has already witnessed proliferation of engineering colleges with the number standing currently at 337. Sources said that government is also citing the disaffiliation of the 143 engineering colleges. “Existing colleges are unable to meet norms and had to be disaffiliated. The number of seats still exceed students. So what is the use of new colleges”, an education department official said.

Interestingly, the government is also urging the AICTE to relax norms for setting up new government engineering colleges. The government is asking the AICTE not to see government colleges on the same footing as private colleges. “New government colleges should be allowed to begin from temporary accommodations and modest faculty like IITs,” a official said.