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DTE has taken strict action against unauthorized Interior Design courses run at Baliram Hire College premises in Bandra. It ordered refund of fees collected from 131 students within 30 days, imposed ₹5 lakh penalties on key officials, and directed criminal proceedings for operating unapproved programmes that misled and financially exploited students.

Mumbai: The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) has initiated stringent action against unauthorized Interior Design courses being conducted at the Baliram Hire College of Architecture premises in Bandra. The department has ordered the institution to refund fees collected from 131 students within 30 days and has directed the initiation of criminal proceedings against the management and officials responsible.

The action follows an inquiry into B.Sc. and B.Voc. Interior Design courses allegedly conducted under the banner of "Hire School of Design" without the requisite approvals from competent authorities. The courses were being offered from the college premises, leading to concerns over their legitimacy and the academic future of enrolled students.

The issue came to light after students staged protests outside the institution, alleging that they had been misled into enrolling in unauthorized programmes. A complaint filed by Adv. Santosh Gangurde, State General Secretary of the Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS), prompted the DTE to launch an investigation.

According to the inquiry report, the unauthorized courses resulted in both academic and financial exploitation of students. Based on the findings, the DTE ordered the immediate discontinuation of the programmes.