MRTPC spares B-schools due to staff crunch

Shortage of staff is preventing the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) from summoning over 140 B-schools to furnish details about their fee structure, faculty payments and tie-ups.

The body issued notices to around 100 "defaulter" B-schools last week. However, there are a total of over 240 such institutes on the defaulters' list of AICTE "" from where the MRTPC picked up the 100 institutes at random.

Renowned technical education institutes "" like the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad; Kirloskar Institute of Advance Management, Karnataka; Federation of Hotel and Restaurants Association of India Institute of Hospitality Management (FHRAI), Noida; Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai; ICFAI Business School, Gurgaon and Chandigarh; Sikkim Manipal University, Bangalore and TASMAC Institute, Pune "" currently figure on the defaulters list of AICTE.

While the commission maintains it would like to issue notices to the other institutes as well, an MRTPC official on condition of anonymity, said: "We will not be able to do so for the next two years till the government appoints more staff members."

Currently, the commission has only four officers under its investigation wing as compared to 19 officers earlier.

Moreover, the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) has recommended to the Centre that both the AICTE and Universal Grants Commission (UGC) should be replaced with an independent regulatory authority on higher education. If this recommendation is implemented, there could be a further delay in the process.

"If the institute needs more time, we will provide them with it. We will send them reminders too but if they fail to comply, we will have to take necessary action. If the institute is found guilty of overcharging the student, it will be ordered to refund the extra money," said the official.

In August this year, the MRTPC had asked its investigation wing to scrutinise the cases and file a preliminary investigation report against the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) which offers free international study tours and free laptops to students of MBA/BBA courses.