Admission in private engineering colleges through the management quota has come under a cloud following complaints by students and guardians.

Management quota seats, available for higher fees than other seats, were introduced in the 50-odd private engineering colleges in the state this year and were snapped up fast.

There are now complaints that a section of the colleges offered more than the government-stipulated 10 per cent seats under the quota.

The West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) started to investigate the charges on Monday.

“The state government’s guideline on management seats in private engineering colleges is clear. Action will be taken against institutions if they have violated the government order,” said Syed Rafiqul Islam, the WBUT registrar.

Private engineering colleges can charge a maximum of Rs 43,000 per year from general students. There is no specific directive from the government on the fees for management students, though the Supreme Court has ruled that the management quota fees cannot be more than four times the fees for general students.

Most colleges have charged between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.75 lakh per year for the management quota seats.

According to students and guardians, colleges with 200 seats have taken about 35 students under the management quota, exceeding the limit of 20 set by the government.

The colleges adopted various strategies to bend the rules, alleged the students.

The joint entrance board sends a list of selected candidates to every college. “Some students on the list do not report for admission. The colleges do not inform the board if there is a dropout and offer the seats to students of their choice for management quota fees,” said a student.

If someone on the merit list does not show up for admission, the colleges should keep the board posted so that the vacant seat can be offered to the next student on the list, said Sudip Banerjee, president of the state committee of the Students Federation of India. The CPM’s students’ wing has submitted a memorandum to the WBUT, demanding steps to stop the malpractice.

Registrar Rafiqul Islam said: “We will seek the details of students from the authorities of all the colleges. We will seek an explanation from errant colleges and then take appropriate steps.”