Varsity justifies counselling suspension

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 4. The suspension of counselling for admission to MBBS and BDS courses yesterday, which sparked off a noisy protest by candidates and their parents, was justified by the NTR University of Health Sciences today.

The university interrupted the counselling process on the third day, exclusively meant for re-allotment of seats to reserved category students who figured in higher ranks in open competition, because a large number of students belonging to Backward Classes did not turn up to claim seats.

Prof. G. Sham Sunder, Vice-Chancellor, said the suspension was ordered when it was observed that several candidates below 817 rank had not taken any seat in Open Competition (OC) and chose, instead, to come on the allotted day for a seat in their respective reserved category. At the same time, some other candidates of lesser rank who had taken a seat under OC category turned up for re-allotment of a reserved seat.

Several gaps were left in between since nearly 20 candidates did not turn up although they had attended counselling on the first two days and signed in a register. ``We did not anticipate that some students won't take a seat on Saturday though we followed the same system as last year when every candidate in the reserved category turned up on the day of re- allotment,'' the Vice- Chancellor said in reply to a volley of questions.

He said the admission regulations clearly stated that the re- allotment of a candidate selected under OC to a seat under the reserved category was based on the candidate's rank in the respective category and eligibility. Thus, re-allotting a seat in the reserved category to a less meritorious candidate, bypassing a student with higher rank, would be in violation of rules and result in injustice to the latter.

It was, therefore, decided to resume allotment strictly in the order of merit on the days when all candidates of the respective category would be present, that is BC-A and BC-D on Sept. 4, BC-B and BC-C on Sept. 5 and SCs on Sept. 6 and 7.

The candidates were told to come back on the day of their category but they started shouting slogans demanding that re- allotment must be continued then and there.

Prof. Sham Sunder described as baseless the allegations that counselling was suspended to favour the candidate with Rank No. 817 as none of the Selection Committee members was aware of the candidate's identity. Counselling resumed today and students upto 1800 ranks were asked to give their choice till 5.00 p.m.

Answering a question, he said about 220 students belonging to reserved categories had figured in the OC. The seats in the OC vacated by them in preference to a seat in the reserved category would be declared `reserved' for the category to which the student belonged.

In all, 47.75 per cent seats were reserved in the following break-up: BCs 25 per cent, SCs 15 per cent, STs six per cent and special categories and Army 1.75 per cent.

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