Mumbai, Nov. 26 -- When Sachin Kamble (name changed), a 19-year-old medical aspirant from Repanpalli, a remote village in Gadchiroli district in eastern Maharashtra, failed to secure admission in a government medical college in early November, he was dejected. "Since I come from a poor, Scheduled Caste (SC) household, I would have got a full fee waiver had I secured admission in a government college," Kamble told HT. "But my score in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) was slightly lower than the cut-off, which forced me to consider private colleges." Kamble's family was too poor to afford the steep fees charged by private medical colleges near big cities like Nagpur, Mumbai and Pune. So he zeroed in on the Sindhudurg Shikshan Prasarak Mandal's medical college in Sindhudurg district, where the tuition fees was Rs.50,000 per year, as per details mentioned on its website. Kamble arranged for Rs.50,000 by borrowing from relatives and made a demand draft in favour of the college. But when he visited the institution to get enrolled, officials allegedly demanded an additional Rs.9 lakh towards hostel and mess facilities. "I did not even opt for hostel and mess facilities while seeking admission, but the authorities were insistent. They said I would be given a seat only if I paid the full fees," he said. "When I refused, I was pressured to send an email claiming I had no complaint against the college before I was allowed to leave the campus." The dean of the Sindhudurg college, Dr Vandana Gaopande, told HT that they only charge fees approved by the Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA) under the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS). "We follow all rules notified by the FRA, ARA (admission regulatory authority), the Directorate of Medical Education (DMER), and the CET (common entrance test) cell. No applicant is forced to send any emails," she said. Kamble, however, filed a complaint with the ARA, which oversees admission to MUHS-affiliated colleges. The ARA allowed him to participate in the stray vacancy round, which is conducted after candidates chosen via regular counselling rounds do not report for admission or withdraw their enrolment from allotted colleges. On Monday, Kamble was relieved as he was granted admission at the Topiwala National Medical College & BYL Nair Charitable Hospital in Mumbai. Activists welcomed the development, but decried the lack of any punitive action against the Sindhudurg college. Kamble's case, they said, is emblematic of how private medical colleges charge exorbitant amounts towards hostel and mess fees and other charges that are outside the purview of the FRA, which only regulates tuition fees and development charges. Colleges affiliated with private deemed universities are worse, as the annual fee in such institutions often touches Rs.1 crore. "Even middle class families are finding it impossible to afford private medical education as fees have increased by nearly 50% in the past five years," said Dr Ketan Deshmukh, a Pune-based doctor and activist who guides students from poor backgrounds seeking admission in medical colleges. "There should be a CET cell representative present in every private college during admissions. Only then will fee-related practices be transparent," he said. This year, the FRA received 31 complaints about private overcharging and rule violations at roivate colleges. Tuition fees at 30 private colleges under the MUHS have increased substantially in recent years despite the FRA's interventions, several medical aspirants, doctors and officials told HT. But hostel and mess fees, which are decided by individual colleges, have shot up far more sharply, taking the annual fee to Rs.12-14 lakh and the total fee for a five-year MBBS course to Rs.60-70 lakh, which is outside the reach of most aspirants, they said. The situation is more grim at the 14 medical colleges affiliated with nine deemed universities in the state. These colleges do not come under the purview of the FRA and are free to charge any amount they deem fit. The total cost of education at such colleges is often more than Rs.1.25 crore for the five year period. The problem is not just limited to students pursuing MBBS courses, but also affects those enrolled in courses such as BAMS (ayurveda), BHMS (homeopathy), and BUMS (unani) as well as those selected for government scholarships. For instance, when Kandivali resident Sanjana Kori secured admission to the BAMS course in an Alibag college during the first round of counselling, she was asked to submit a cheque of Rs.1.08 lakh to "secure her seat" even though she had a full government scholarship. "When I refused, they said they couldn't confirm my admission," Kori said. "Finally, I gave in when they said I might lose the seat in later rounds." Later, Kori wanted to opt for a college in Virar, which too demanded the full fees upfront to confirm her admission. The college granted her admission after she filed complaints with the CET cell, ARA, and the Ayush commissioner. "Though the college did not charge any fees, they made her sign an undertaking saying if the government failed to release the scholarship sum, I would have to pay the fees myself," Kori said. Delays in releasing scholarship money for female students and those under the social justice department cause further suffering, several parents told HT. Nagpada resident Mohammed Yunus Shaikh, parent of a BAMS aspirant, said he was asked to pay Rs.4.5 lakh as tuition fee although his daughter had secured full scholarship. When he questioned authorities at the college, they claimed they hadn't received the scholarship amount from the state. Kamal Kishore Kadam, president of the Association of Management of Unaided Private Medical and Dental Colleges, was unavailable for a comment on the fee hikes and violations while a DMER offical said they carefully scrutinise every complaint. Dr Praveen Shingare, former DMER director, said though the number of seats at government medical colleges had increased from 4,000 in 2018 to 7,000 now, there was stiff competition even in private colleges that charged steep fees. "When the state government spends Rs.30 lakh per year per student, how does the FRA expect private colleges to charge only Rs.12 lakh," he said, criticising the "major gap" between the FRA mandated fee and what colleges actually need. To run a medical college with 100 seats, a college must appoint at least 100 teachers as per National Medical Commission rules. "To maintain facilities, colleges try to collect funds from other sources," Shingare reasoned....