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| Thursday, July 19, 2007
Confusion over engineering counselling
Ex-servicemen gherao Ponmudy on being told there will be no
counselling for wards 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.
Courtesy: The Hindu
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