Engg counselling on schedule

• Police security at centres and for rankers
• Private colleges propose alternatives
• NG Ranga varsity counselling deferred

Hyderabad: State government is determined to go ahead with the engineering counselling scheduled to commence from August 19 despite strong statements from employee leaders of Seemandhra region saying that they would stall the process at any cost.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy directed the officials to commence the process as the career of students shall not be put to trouble any further. The officials belonging to Higher Education Ministry, Higher Education Council, Technical Education met him on Saturday and briefed him about the situation. The refusal by Revenue staff to issue certificates, the strike notice by Polytechnic college lecturers and the warning of Seemandhra JAC to stall the process were reportedly discussed.

According to official sources, the security at the counselling centres will be beefed up and all rankers and parents will be provided security to participate in the counselling. As the government does not see any trouble in Telangana region and the option of participating at any centre is allowed, students are advised to reach a ‘safe’ area. The Chief Minister has also learnt to have given his nod for additional police security at the counselling centres.

The Higher Education Council has issued a request to all the concerned to cooperate with the authorities for the commencement and smooth conduct of counselling in view of the High Court order. We have to abide by the court order and hence this appeal, P Sathi Reddy, Secretary of the Council said.

Earlier, management representatives of nearly 30 private engineering colleges have met the Deputy Chief Minister, Damodara Rajanarasimha and urged him not to defer the process and also ensure smooth conduct of counselling. They have also suggested some other alternatives to the government in this regard. “We suggested increase in number of helpline centres. We told the government to extend the time for completion of process if need be. Another point we made to the government is that if the revenue staff rejects to issue certificates, then there shall be an option of allowing a student to exercise of giving his options “pending verification of certificates”.

That is, if scratch card option is not feasible, then students can be given a password basing on their ranks, upon which the students can exercise putting their options”, Rajeswara Reddy, Managing Director of Anurag Group of Institutions (formerly CVSR college) told The Hans India.

“We also made an appeal to the revenue staff and polytechnic college lecturers in Seemandhra region to extend cooperation. We reminded them of the deadline being given by the Supreme Court and the High Court to complete the process. As we saw, the counselling of PGECET has been over a bit smoothly in the past six weeks. Same spirit can be applied to engineering admissions as well” Rajeswara Reddy said. Once the counselling is over, they can resume the agitation and if they want they can make their children too participate on and off, he added. The managements have also submitted a representation to Prof P Jayaprakasha Rao, Chairman of the Higher Education Council to see that counselling is taken up without any delay.

Meanwhile, the counselling for admission into agricultural degree courses, veterinary sciences and agricultural polytechnic courses, scheduled to commence from August 19, was deferred. The decision was taken in view of the agitations and bandh in Seemandhra region, sources in NG Ranga Agricultural University said.