Alumni of the government arts college in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu have complained that the department's head, who supervises tourism administration, misused the tour money from each student during the previous year's Karnataka tour, which was at least Rs 3,000.
On Monday, January 23 a group of alumni held protests outside the main building on campus and demanded that the money be returned to the students. A former student, K Deva (name changed), who recently completed a postgraduate course in tourism administration, told TNIE, "Tourism administration took as many as 68 students from the undergraduate and postgraduate courses to seven-day tour of Karnataka last year in June through a private agent who is also alumni of the same department. For this, students paid Rs 18,200 to the agent through the department."
"However, the tour agent did not take us to important places including Tipu Sultan's Palace and the tour arrangements were bad. When we calculated tour expenses, it was under 14,000. When we inquired about this with the tour agent, he said that the department has given Rs 16,500 (for each student) instead of Rs 18,200. We felt that we had been cheated, at least of Rs 3,000, by the department," he alleged, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Other alumni told TNIE, "When we approached the department head to seek the fare, they did not respond to us. We staged a protest on the campus. However, the college administration handled us through police. Then the department head assured us that they would look into this issue within a few days." He said that if the college did not take steps regarding this matter, "we would protest and lodge a police complaint."
When contacted, Head of the Department, SP Sangeetha, denied their allegation, she said that they gave Rs 17,800 to the travel agent. "We used the remaining amount for the student's medical expenses and other arrangements such as transport and so on."
"We have called the alumni and travel agent too to show the accounts expenses of the tour in the coming week. If they spread false news against the department, we will take legal steps through college," she said. Repeated attempts to reach the tour agent were in vain. When asked about it, college Principal R Ulagi told TNIE, "No written complaint about this matter was given. Due to someone's wrong guidance, alumni are creating unwanted issues intending to diminish the college's reputation," stated The New Indian Express report.
