25 February,2011 07:06 AM IST | | Sudeshna Chowdhury
With Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MH-CET) for business schools to be held on February 27, students with domicile certificates have better prospects getting into the best colleges. Confusion and chaos makes getting this certificate a harrowing experience
It is that time of the year when business school (also known as B-school) aspirants will be giving it their best shot to get into their dream colleges.
Students preparing for CET exams
In most cases, the coveted seats can assure them a job and a bright future. But only hard work and burning the midnight oil is not enough to get them into reputed colleges.
From this year, students in Maharashtra, armed with a domicile certificate, will stand a better chance of getting into various B-schools in the state.
The MH-CET, conducted by the Department of Technical Education (DTE) is an entrance examination to get admission into various B-schools in the state.
The test will be held on February 27 at various centres in the state. Last year, the DTE had made it compulsory for students of Maharashtra to submit their domicile certificates for preference at admission time.
This mandate by the DTE had caused inconvenience to many students. Students complained that they did not have enough time to get domicile certificates made. Finally, the DTE gave in to their demand.
But this year domicile certificates are a must. "Last year, in December we had declared that domicile certificates would be compulsory for admission. Students had complained that they had very little time to arrange for the certificates.
We withdrew our decision, but this year we have given them enough time to arrange for their certificates," says Dr SK Mahajan, Director, DTE. "This year we will consider certificates issued only by the tehsildars (revenue administrative officers) valid. Hence it is their job to thoroughly check the documents," says Mahajan.
Complaints
Like many B-school aspirants, Pranoti Manikeri is determined to get 99.9 percentile at the MH-CET examinations. But exams are not the only thing on her mind right now; Manikeri is also worried about her domicile certificate. Manikeri (21), a final year pharmacy student, was born and raised in Mumbai.
And yet she was refused a domicile certificate, as her father did not have one. Says Manikeri, "When I went to submit the form, I was first asked to get my father's domicile certificate. My father doesn't have one.
So through our family lawyer, my dad will first get a domicile certificate and then only I will be eligible for it." Obtaining a domicile certificate is not easy.
Confusion prevails in tehsildars' offices. That's why Namrata Patil (21) has decided to apply for the certificate through her lawyer.
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"Since there are so many documents, I will get the domicile certificate done through my family lawyer." Students complain that there is no clarity over domicile rules, even amongst government officials.
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Anupa Nadkarni (22) who will also be writing the MH-CET says, "I have heard that people are made to run around a lot. So I will get it done through a lawyer."u00a0 "I was told that rules for those who were born and brought up in the state are different from those who migrated to the state.
And these rules are not clear," says Rina Vinayak Joglekar, a working professional. Joglekar , who studied in Mumbai, finally abandoned the idea of getting a domicile certificate as she says, "the process is too cumbersome and confusing."
Hiren Agola (20), a final year B.Com student and Rohan Kumar Salekar, a B-school aspirant, have run out of patience.
They say they have given up on it now. "I was told that the forms are not available. First I was told to come after three days, then I was told to come after five days, then 10 days and now I have been asked to come after 15 days.
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I have been going to the tehsildar's office at Borivli for weeks now," says Agola, who will be writing the MH-CET exams this year.
Middlemen
Many who find the whole procedure a Herculean task, resort to taking help from middlemen. Says Dinesh Kumar Singh, who was born in Uttar Pradesh but has been living in the city since 1993, "I was harassed so much by the officials that I approached a dalal (tout) to get my domicile certificate.
He demanded Rs 1,500." Singh didn't use his services as he considered getting a domicile certificate his 'right'. "I had applied for the domicile certificate last September.
I finally got it in December. It took me more than three months to obtain it. Every week, I would go and ask the officers to consider my request. I had all my documents too but they wouldn't accept it because I was born some where else."
Singh who needed the certificate to apply for the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) flats would go to the tehsildar's office in Borivli thrice every week to submit his form along with the documents.
Laments Singh, "They would ask me to go from one counter to another. I was even asked to pay Rs 200-Rs 300 to the officials to get the certificate, which I did not."
Singh says that he is so traumatised by this experience that he doesn't want to go anywhere near the tehsildar's office in Borivli. "I prefer to take a different route. I get depressed even when I think of passing by the tehsildar's office," he says.
Different Official Versions
Confusion prevails over the length of stay in the state to claim the certificate. R C Pandey, a lawyer who makes domicile certificates for his clients, says residential proof of 15 years is a must for getting a domicile certificate.
Says Pandey, "If somebody is below 28, it is compulsory to produce the domicile certificate of the father." The government clearly mentions a stay of 10 years in the state is required and not 15 years, but Pandey insists it's 15 years. "What I'm saying is the rule and that is how it is," he concludes.
The students' complaints and frustrations are not without a reason. According to S M Shinde, resident naib tehsildar (deputy to a tehsildar) at Borivli, living in the state for 10 years is not enough.
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"They have to prove that they are not staying here just for employment or education. Only then will we give them the certificate," he says.
Aspirants appearing for CET exams
Here's another concrete example of confusion. The tehsildar's office in Andheri says the father's document is not required.
"The domicile certificate is issued to somebody who can prove that he/she has been living in the state continuously for 10 years. And if the girl or the boy is above 18, then the father's domicile certificate is not required at all. He/she is entitled to a domicile certificate," says an official at the tehsildar's office at Andheri.
Facing harassment from the officials, an applicant put up a post on a website. The post reads was born in Maharashtra, I am 24 years old. I need to apply for domicile for my MBA admission.
I went to a local court where they say that I am a minor and I need to procure my father's certificate before I can apply for mine. For father's domicile, they are asking for 15 different documents.
Official versions contradict each other, which often cause confusion. As a result, many seek help from touts. But it seems government officials are not aware of the problems faced by applicants.
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Says Rupali Bhalke, tehsildar, Andheri office, "If the applicants fulfill requirements, why will the office deny them the certificates?"
Pending Applications
People also complain of delays in obtaining the certificate. The procedure should actually take about 15 days,u00a0 but takes more than a month here. The tehsildars, however, say that since their offices have been asked to look after the domicile certificates from this year, the workload has increased, and hence the delay.
"To dispatch the certificates quickly, we have setu offices, which are computerised," says Bhalke. "Since June 11 we have received 550 applications, out of which 200 have been cleared. So there are 350 applications pending," says an official at the Andheri tehsildar's office.
The Borivli tehsildar's office gets 150-250 applications a week.
Getting a domicile form: A first person report
In view of numerous problems expressed by the applicants of domicile certificates I decided to test the system myself. I reached the Andheri (W) tehsildar's office at 11:30 am.
I didn't have to wait long to see the chaos prevailing there. I noticed that fierce arguments were going on between applicants and babus. Like any other government office, the desks were full of files bulging with papers. I decided to try my luck and walked up to the official who was issuing forms. She mumbled something in Marathi.
I told her politely, "I don't know Marathi." The official asked my last name and noted it down. "Rs 50 for the form," she said.
On getting the form I noticed the instructions, which clearly stated that the forms were available only on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I realised that it was a Friday but I was still given the form. Then began the ordeal. There were far too many instructions on the form in Marathi.
While I was looking for somebody who could help me with the instructions, a passer by said, "Go and speak to two lawyers who are sitting outside. They will help you."
I went outside and noticed two lawyers sitting under beach umbrellas. "Madam pehlau00a0 98.3 ke paas jane ka," said one. I looked puzzled but soon realised that one of the umbrellas had 98.3 FM written on it; hence he was referred as 98.3.u00a0 I went to 98.3 and asked him for help.
"Rs 200 for affidavit," said advocate Sanjay A. Vedak (the real name of 98.3). "You need to have residential proof of the last ten years. Domicile of father and mother is not required," he explained.
Somebody then directed me to the lawyer sitting just a few metres from him. "Give him Rs 60 and he will fill up the form for you," he said. I calculated -Rs 50+Rs 200+Rs 60=Rs 310 for a domicile form was a bit too much.
I left quietly. To check if the rates were same everywhere, I called R C Pandey, a lawyer in Bandra, to find out how much he was charging for a domicile form. "Rs 500 for affidavit and Rs 100 for other formalities," he said. Hearing these lawyers quoting so much, I was just left amazed.
Some business schools
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studiesu00a0u00a0
Sydenham Institute of Management Studiesu00a0
K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studiesu00a0
Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Mgmt Development Researchu00a0
Department of Management Sciences(PUMBA)u00a0
S.I.E.S. College of Management Studies
Forms available on Tue, Wed, Thu, (10:30 to 1pm) s specified by the officials at the tehsildars' office
