Colleges oppose proposal, cite ₹10,000 crore pending dues; HC hears plea on delayed payments

Hyderabad: The state government on Thursday informed the High Court that fee reimbursement for the current academic year will be cleared by August 15. It also assured that dues for second, third, and fourth-year students would be paid. The submission was made during the hearing of petitions filed by several engineering colleges alleging non-payment of fee reimbursement by the government. However, counsel for the petitioners opposed the government’s proposal, arguing that fee reimbursements have not been cleared for several years. The counsel told the court that pending dues have mounted to nearly ₹10,000 crore and demanded immediate clearance of arrears from 2023. The colleges urged the High Court to direct the government to clear pending dues at the earliest and allow a timeline for settling the remaining amounts. During the hearing, the government also requested the court to lift the stay imposed on certain clauses of G.O. 9, stating that the restrictions were causing difficulties for newly admitted students.