The Hyderabad High Court has directed the Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University, Hyderabad (JNTUH) to inspect all the Pharmacy PG colleges in Telangana and submit a report within one month.
Earlier, the Telengana state government had inspected 146 Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) colleges and found that more than 50 per cent of them were flaunting the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) norms. During that time JNTUH had allowed only 61 colleges for B.Pharm admission counselling and barred the remaining colleges.
Now as the Pharmacy PG admissions are going on, the High Court has directed the JNTUH to inspect all the 40 Pharmacy PG colleges to ascertain whether these colleges are abiding by the stipulated AICTE norms in the state. During their earlier inspection, JNTUH inspectors found majority of colleges in the state were not having adequate qualified faculty, no proper lab facilities, no toilets, no staff rooms, no proper books in the library, no conference halls, etc.
Having learnt this, the HC has ordered the JNTUH to complete the inspections as early as possible and submit a report to the court by 17th of November. The order was passed by Justice C V Nagarjuna Reddy while disposing of petitions filed regarding admissions into various private pharmacy colleges offering PG courses.
Appearing for JNTUH, Telangana Advocate-General K. Ramakrishna Reddy told the court that the JNTUH has already sent notices to 40 pharmacy colleges seeking particulars about the facilities.
Earlier in September, the Professional Colleges Association had approached the HC to direct JNTUH to allow them participate in the PG admission process. On this a single judge had directed the state government and JNTUH to include the petitioner engineering colleges in the PG counselling process for 2014-15 provided they complied with all the norms and regulations prescribed by it as well as AICTE. Countering this, the university moved the division bench challenging the single judge’s order.
On September 9, the division bench directed the JNTUH to issue notices to private engineering colleges notifying their deficiencies found during inspection. It also directed inclusion of these colleges in counselling and that the university shall inform the students that the PG Pharmacy admissions were subject to the final outcome of the petitions.