The city hit the headlines in recent times for illegal mining. But Bellary is gaining fame for becoming of a hub of chartered accountants. With over 100 practising CAs, the city boasts of a vibrant branch of the South India Regional Council, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

While coaching classes to crack the chartered accountancy exams have mushroomed here, they're so much in demand that fees have been hiked so much that middle class students are finding it difficult. The Bellary institute has now started coaching classes too.

Classes commenced on February 15 for the Common Profeciency Test (CPT) on June 17 with 25 students in the first batch. While private coaching courses costs vary between Rs 30000 and Rs 35,000, the institute is offering it for Rs 6,000. The institute has also started coaching for Integrated Professional Competency Course (IPCC) with 23 students. While private coaching for this costs almost Rs 60,000, the institute offers the course at Rs 11,000.

Y Ramesh, chairman of the branch, told TOI that young chartered accountants were much in demand. He added that the institute is equipped with a state-of-the-art library which would be upgraded to a digital library soon. The institute would soon start coaching for final CA exams too.