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Tamil Nadu
Confusion over engineering counselling
Special Correspondent
| Ex-servicemen gherao Ponmudy on being told there will be no counselling for wards on Wednesday |
CLARIFYING OFFICIAL STAND: Higher Education Minister K.Ponmudy explaining to ex-servicemen the procedure for special quota admissions during the first day of engineering admissions at Anna University in Chennai on Wednesday.
Chennai: After having spent all of Wednesday along with his daughter camping outside Anna University, where counselling for engineering admissions is being held, K. Selva Kumar will now return to his hometown Vellore a frustrated man.
He was one of the 100-strong group of ex-servicemen who gheraoed Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy after university officials told them there would be no counselling for their wards on Wednesday.
“There is no information whatsoever on when our wards will be counselled. Some newspapers carried reports saying counselling will be held on Wednesday along with those for other special quotas such as physically handicapped and sportspersons. Despite several telephone calls, no one at the university gave us a clear picture,” Mr. Kumar, a private security guard, lamented.
A total of 81 seats are available under the ex-servicemen quota this year and counselling will be held along with those from the general stream, university officials said. “The idea is to let them avail the option of applying under their own quota and, if they do not get a college or course of their choice, allow them to switch over to community-wise allocation under general counselling. This way, we can avoid the predicament we faced last year, when several ex-servicemen’s wards availed of special quota seats and then dumped them for better options under the general quota, leaving the quota seats vacant.”
Mr. Ponmudy assured the ex-servicemen their interests would be protected. There was no provision for special quota counselling. “It has never been the practice in engineering admissions to put ex-servicemen under special quota. Please come for counselling only after you have received your call letters as per cut-off marks. If you still feel shortchanged, the Government will certainly look into it,” he told them. The ex-servicemen were not pacified. “We have even paid a special application fee. The authorities are indifferent to our plight,” they alleged.
“Ex-servicemen’s wards will be called for counselling along with general candidates on the day fixed for their particular cut-off mark. Call letters are being sent to them. On the day of counselling, they can make their choice either under their quota or the general stream,” Vice Chancellor D. Viswanathan clarified.
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