A raise in electricity tariffs had rattled educational institutes in May 2008. For the past seven months, the institutions are paying twice the electricity charges they paid till April 2008.

“This burden is going to be reflected in the fees next academic year. In addition to it, if the PMC increases water tariff, we will be left with no choice but to increase the fees further,” said Gajanan Ekbote, executive president of the Progressive Education Society.

At present, most of the educational institutions pay water tariff on residential rates, which is Rs 3 per 10,000 litres. The PMC commissioner has proposed to increase the rates by 70 per cent and make it Rs 5 per 10,000 litres. And that means the monthly bill will be almost double the present bill

The proposal was discussed at the civic standing committee meeting on Tuesday. “We have decided to put the issue before a special general body meeting, to be held within ten days,” chairman Shyam Deshpande said. He, however, said that his party — the Shiv Sena — would oppose the proposal at the special meeting.

A P Kulkarni, executive vice-president of Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Sanstha, said the increase in water tariff would result in an increase in fees. “The Fee Regulatory Committee decides the cost-based fee structure of professional colleges. As the water bill falls into the expenditure column, it will be a reason to raise the fees. And that means students will suffer in the end,” he said.

Higher reading
Rs 60,000
Present annual fee for an MBA or engineering course in Pune

Rs 75,000
Expected fee after electricity charges are hiked