Chennai: The Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE) has deployed 20 inspection teams to engineering colleges accused of collecting excess fees from students admitted under government quota, after receiving more than 500 complaints in the past four months.The complaints, received through the CM’s Special Cell and forwarded to Anna University, allege that several colleges collected fees under various heads, including special fees, sports fees and placement-training charges.Some colleges have also allegedly been collecting INR 25,000 per semester from students admitted under the 7.5% special reservation, despite the state government reimbursing the full fee for students admitted under the quota.The complaints include allegations of capitation fee demands for management-quota seats, delays in issuing certificates, and problems related to exams. Anna University resolved some cases by directing colleges to refund excess fee and issue certificates. However, some institutions have been reluctant to comply, sources said.“DOTE formed 20 teams comprising officials from the directorate and university professors to inspect the colleges. Action will be taken based on their reports,” Higher Education Secretary Dheeraj Kumar said.The fee for government-quota seats is INR 50,000 for non-accredited courses and INR 55,000 for accredited courses. The fee was last revised nine years ago. Colleges say the prescribed fee is too low to provide quality education, and that they are forced to collect additional amounts to meet salary and other operational expenses.