Long wait for third phase irks students

Hyderabad: Medicine aspirants are anxious in view of unexpected brakes on MBBS counselling due to the reservation quota row.

It is almost two weeks since second counselling was completed after which legal issues cropped up as some students and parents knocked on court doors expressing doubt over filling of seats sticking to reservation quota.

A final decision is awaited as the court is hearing arguments of petitioners and the government.

In all 2,487 seats were filled in the two phases of counselling. The third phase of counselling is due to fill leftover seats. At the same time the EWS quota is being implemented for the first time in the country from this year in government medical colleges.

Economical Weaker Sections JAC Forum State president TP Guptha alleged that parents and 440 merit OC students were heartbroken as they lost seats in the MBBS counselling.

He urged the State government to ensure that the successful OC students in the NEET examination were rendered justice with admissions in medical colleges.

Meanwhile, National BC Welfare Association vice president Gujja Krishna alleged that the cut-off marks of NEET examination were not properly fixed rendering injustice to BC, SC and ST students.

He said nearly 263 BC students lost an opportunity to get admission into MBBS first-year because of the attitude of the authorities.

However, Kaloji Narayana Health University officials tried to allay fears of students and parents by stating that they have time till August end to wrap up the MBBS counselling.

Once the court pronounces its verdict, the varsity would follow it and resume the counselling process that was halted after the stay was imposed.

While parents and students had their doubts if Kaloji University fills seats sticking to the reservation quota without deviating from rules, the health varsity earlier issued a clarification in this regard.

In the first phase of counselling, a total of 2,047 seats were filled and in the second phase the number went up to 2,487 seats.

In the first phase, around 180 students from different reserved categories were able to get seats in the open quota on the basis of their good ranks.

For instance, a reserved student got a seat in KMC (Warangal) in open quota, but there was a seat vacant for him in Gandhi Medical College under the reservation category.

All the open category seats that reserved candidates had the option of joining were filled in the second phase after the student ignored the open quota and joined other college through the reservation quota, officials said.