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First phase of counselling ends

PUDUCHERRY: As the first phase of counselling for admission to engineering courses came to an end on Tuesday, around 60 seats remain vacant in two government engineering colleges and six private engineering colleges.

The schedule for the second phase of counselling is likely to begin on August 26.

The Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC) has started counselling for admission to engineering courses on August 4.

A total of 1,725 engineering seats are available in the Union Territory.

The vacancy for engineering courses at the end of the counselling on August 12 at the two government colleges are four seats at Pondicherry Engineering College and three at Perunthalaivar Kamarajar College of Engineering and Technology, Karaikal.

Among private engineering colleges, Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering has 6 seats; Sri Manakula Vinayakar Engineering College, 6; Christ College of Engineering and Technology, 3; Manakula Vinayagar Institute of Technology, 3; Bharathiar College of Engineering, 9; and Regency Institute of Technology, Yanam, 26 seats.

CENTAC officials said that around 90 medical seats had been surrendered and the students had opted for engineering courses.

This was due to various reasons including high fees, doubts on the continuation of Perunthalaivar Kamaraj Financial Assistance Scheme this year and quicker job opportunities, official sources said. Of the total 233 medical seats, only three or four were vacant.

However, there have been complaints that a few private medical colleges were demanding higher amount of fees than what was stipulated by the government. The fee committee had fixed the following fee amounts: Rs. 1.75 lakh at Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Aarupadai Veedu Medical College and Vinayaka Missions Medical College and Rs. 1.50 lakh at Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Manakula Vinayakar Medical College and Sri Venkateswara Medical College.

“Several private medical colleges were demanding over Rs. 3 lakh, violating the Government Order. Many students have surrendered medical seats and opted for engineering owing to this,” A. Gabriel, president of Parents’ Association of Medical Colleges, said.

In the meantime, Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences had agreed to allot 20 seats out of its total 150. However, the government was holding talks with the college to allocate 30 seats following 20 per cent reservation, official sources said.

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