Slow affiliation process, future tense for students

BHUBANESWAR: Utkal University is yet to process affiliation applications of 81 colleges for the last academic year (2013-14) though the current academic year is almost halfway through. Without affiliation, a legal form of relationship between the institution and the university, passouts of the institutes can't get original certificates from Utkal.
Official sources said Utkal has 366 affiliated colleges, the highest for any university in the state.Of them, 165 colleges have temporary affiliations and need yearly review to get affiliation.
Colleges, which don't have permanent building, get temporary affiliation. They need to apply every year and get their infrastructure such as laboratory, library and classrooms scrutinized by the varsity's affiliation committee. The College Development Council (CDC) of the varsity oversees the process.
Principal of a college, preferring anonymity, said the varsity is ill-equipped to process the applications as the affiliation section has only three employees, who always find excuses to defer the procedure. "We are running from pillar to post for months," he said. Without affiliation, the colleges have to take special permission from the varsity for their students to take examinations.
University authorities faulted the colleges. "Since there is no last date to apply, the colleges approach for affiliation at their own will," said, director, CDC, Santosh Tripathy, who took charge last month.
Tripathy said all the applications would be processed by November. "There was a huge backlog. We will clear it at the earliest. We will also set a deadline for applying for affiliation," he said.