AICTE withdraws approval of GTB Polytechnic

Syed Ali Ahmed

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 15

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has withdrawn its approval to the Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) Polytechnic Institute at Vasant Vihar.

In an order, the AICTE said, “Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee is running one polytechnic college and another institute of technology. It is claimed that the committee has obtained land from Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The SAC (Standing Appeal Committee) found that there is no perpetual lease executed by the DDA for the said land in favour of the committee. It is further claimed that the premium amount has also been paid to DDA in the year 1997-98. Non availability of perpetual lease of the land in front of the committee is fatal and it goes to the root and as per norms of AICTE, the institution is not entitled to get approval. In such circumstances, the SAC has no option but to recommend withdrawal of approval to this institution.”

The order said after examining the entire matter in facts and circumstances mentioned in the order, it has been decided that Guru Tegh Bahadur Polytechnic Institute, Vasant Vihar be placed under “withdrawal of approval”, the order said.

The order said that GTB Polytechnic Institute was approved in 1994-95 for running the Engineering and Technology programme. Its extension was approved upto 2015-2016. In 2016-17 and 2017-18, the institute was under “No Admission Category”. A visit of the expert committee was conducted to the institute in March this year which noted many deficiencies. Following this, the institute was intimated through web portal to appear before the Standing Hearing Committee on March 28 at AICTE office but the institute failed to appear.

Thereafter, the AICTE said that the land documents submitted did not pertain to the GTB Institute. When the institute applied to change the site, the expert committee rejected that on technical ground, the order said.