The Hindu : Front Page : Engineering counselling: ‘bonus’ for the reserved category

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Wednesday, Jul 09, 2008
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Engineering counselling: ‘bonus’ for the reserved category

Same category eligible for a seat vacated by reserved category student

HYDERABAD: Reserved category candidates attending engineering counselling this year can opt for seats both under the open category and their respective categories in the first counselling itself. This facility is likely to drastically cut down the counselling time resulting in early beginning of the classes.

As per the new software designed by the counselling authorities, reserved candidates can first block a seat under the open category as per his rank and then move onto another counter exclusively showing seats available under that particular reserved category. Once they opt for a seat in the reserved category it would be allotted to them immediately. At the same time, the seat blocked in the open category would automatically be deleted from there and fall in that particular category where the seat was claimed.

As per G.O. 550, the seat vacated by a particular reserved category candidate in the open category has to be necessarily allotted to the candidate from the same category irrespective of the rank. For example, if a BC candidate with a rank of 100 claims a seat in open category and then shifts to a better college in the seats reserved for BCs, the seat vacated in the open category will not go to the 101st ranker but to the next BC candidate irrespective of the rank.

“We have re-designed the software to implement the G.O. to help reserved category candidates attend two counsellings at one go,” says Dr. K. Raghunath, Camp Officer, Engineering Counselling. Earlier, counselling for reserved category candidates used to be held separately leading to considerable delay with the entire process being repeated. Another change in the counselling is the offer of free seats and double fee seats to candidates at the same time. Last year, colleges alleged that they did not benefit as the double fee seats were included at the last by which time students were in no mood to change their course and college.

Offering double fee seats along with regular seats will expand choice to candidates apart from helping colleges to fill the seats.

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