To fill Medical seats, Engg seats left vacant: Mgmt colleges to KEA

On 17th Sept 2013, Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), Bangalore, had conducted the extended online option entry process, to fill vacant Medical seats across the state.

Now, students who are opted for Engineering seats have taken Medical seats in extended online option entry process.

Around 80 medical seats are filled out of 100 in the extended round.

This led the management colleges to fight against KEA, also created confusion over whether vacant seats can be filled under management quota or government quota by the colleges.

Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) had received the complaints from the colleges, where the engineering seats were left vacant.

"Colleges have been calling us to find out what they can do with the seats that are lying vacant due to students taking medical seats," said a DTE official.

"They want to know if they can go ahead and fill these seats under management quota. We are directing these queries to the KEA," he added.

KEA administrative officer S P Kulkarni confirmed that 80 engineering students took the medical seats in the extended round.

Kulkarni said, "Those seats will remain vacant. There is no question of colleges filling them up. Such admissions won't be approved."

As per the Clause 8 of the consensual agreement, vacant seats have to be filled up under the management quota, and all unfilled seats would be handed over to respective colleges.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Unaided Private Engineering Colleges Association (KUPECA) President, M K Panduranga Setty said, "Not a single admission has been approved and we don't know why the government is taking so long to clarify."

He did not rule out moving court if the government decides not to approve admissions.

On the sidelines of a programme, Minister for Higher Education R V Deshpande told reporters that the issue would be sorted soon.