CHENNAI: Only 39 of the 80 candidates called in the physically handicapped category were found eligible for seats as medical counselling began on Tuesday.
Counselling for sports and ex-servicemen quota was also conducted on day one while general counselling will begin on Wednesday.
Medical education officials said 61 seats were allotted for the physically handicapped category and 80 applications were received. Students are chosen following a medical test based on their disability between 40 and 70 per cent. Out of the 80 who applied, three were absent and 38 candidates were found ineligible as officials said they were either handicapped above the waist or they were less than 10 per cent or over 70 per cent handicapped.
“We follow MCI norms in selecting candidates for counselling. A candidate who is physically handicapped below waist up to the knee is categorised as 70 per cent handicapped. They will not be selected if they have problems in their upper limbs as arms are important to study medicine,” a medical education official said.
A seven-member doctor team conducted medical tests on all the candidates as parents patiently awaited the results. After spending almost the whole day, 38 candidates were informed that they were ineligible. While some of them left without a word, a few parents complained that the doctor team was reducing the disability percentage.
“I have a certificate from Dharmapuri medical college that my son has 50 per cent disability but doctors here said he has only 20 per cent. How can there be such a vast difference,” asked a Dharmapuri farmer, who came along with his son Chellakannu.
A total of 39 candidates appeared for counselling while the remaining vacant seats will be added to the general counselling.
Counselling for sports quota too had its own issues with six candidates called in for three seats. Suchitra Srinivasan from Teynampet came along with her parents, who complained that she was not listed in the sports quota despite applying for it. “My daughter got 510 sports points when she applied for engineering counselling, which means she could have been easily chosen as the sixth candidate in the list. But, officials here said they sent all the applications to Anna University, which prepared the final list. Officials at the University are telling us that they never received our application. Now it is all over,” said Sundari Srinivasan, Suchitra’s mother.
Two MBBS seats for ex-servicemen quota were also allotted on the first day with one BDS seat lying vacant.
Of the 2023 seats, 3 per cent is allocated for the physically handicapped. Three were filled in the sports category and another two in the ex-servicemen category, taking the total seats filled on Tuesday to 42.