No physical verification for college admissions in West Bengal

Students seeking admission in colleges will be able to skip the physical verification process from the next academic session as the entire exercise will be carried out online, West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee has said. Going by reports of irregularities in the admission process last year, all vice-chancellors (VC) and registrars of universities have been asked to take e-route for filling up forms, document verification, and fee payments, the minister told reporters Tuesday.

"Some stray incidents of irregularities in certain colleges have caused concern among the students and the parents. The government does not want a repeat of last year's experience," Chatterjee asserted. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader also said that the VCs have been asked to ensure that the process passes of smoothly, with each educational institution choosing a specific bank for its transactions.

"The students will pay admission fee online and not at the college office counter," he maintained.The minister also explained that the physical verification process could be carried out during the freshers' welcome programme or on the first day of the session. "What we mean is that, there will be no need to come to college during and before admission," he added.

Vexed over reports of malpractices in undergraduate course admissions, Chatterjee had said last year that the government will take "exemplary" action against those found guilty.The minister also asked Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad, the students' wing of the ruling party, to check illegal practices in the admission process and urged the students and guardians to lodge a complaint with the police if they were subjected to harassment by touts.