The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Solution to medical seats row soon: Dharam Singh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 06, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Solution to medical seats row soon: Dharam Singh

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JUNE 5. The Chief Minister, Dharam Singh, has assured medical and dental students that his Government will take steps to solve the post-graduate seats imbroglio and the crisis facing these students, according to representatives of the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO).

A delegation of AIDSO members and medical and dental students today met the Chief Minister and presented a memorandum demanding Central legislation to ensure that all seats in professional colleges were allotted on the basis of merit. The AIDSO State secretary, V.N. Rajashekhar, said that the Chief Minister told them that he had already spoken to the Union Law Minister on this issue.

On the fee structure, Mr. Singh said that a decision would be taken at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for June 8, Mr. Rajashekhar said.

The organisation, along with the Medical Students Action Committee (MSAC) and the Dental Students Action Committee (DSAC) organised a march to the Vidhana Soudha from Chiklalbagh to protest the hike in fees for post-graduate medical and dental courses. The rally culminated in a public meeting at the old Central Jail premises. Medical and dental students from all over the State participated in the rally.

Representatives from the organisations earlier met the Deputy Chief Minister, Siddharamaiah, to present him a memorandum of their demands. The AIDSO activists said that Mr. Siddharamaiah assured them that the State Government would try to pressure the Centre to bring in legislation. He said that the Government was not favouring the college managements and the issue would be solved sympathetically for the benefit of students, they said.

PG students in a fix

Junior doctors are in a fix regarding the hike in fees for post-graduate medical and dental courses fixed by the A.B. Murgod Fee Committee for seven colleges and by the Karnataka High Court for the rest of the institutions offering these courses.

With the Murgod Committee fixing a fee of Rs. 3.6 lakh and Rs. 3.85 lakh for post-graduate medical courses and the High Court fixing a tentative fees of Rs. 3 lakh and Rs.2 lakh for post-graduate dental and medical courses respectively, the post-graduate and under-graduate students fear that the fees for undergraduate courses would also be hiked. "Hundreds of meritorious students who were admitted to post-graduate courses surrendered their seats as they could not pay the fee. The same might happen with regard to undergraduate medical and dental seats. At this rate, only those who can afford to pay will be able to join medical and dental courses," members of the MSAC and the DSAC said.

"Now colleges are sending away dental students who have got admission under government quota saying that seats had been filled in the 80:20 (management: government) ratio, even though the High Court had asked them to fill seats in a 50:50 ratio. The State Government should take action against colleges that are refusing to give admission to government quota students," they said.

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