BENGALURU: Students, who have opted for engineering seats through the Consortium of Medical Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK), and their parents are demanding a second extended round of counselling.
Many who opted for engineering seats under COMEDK are also waiting to get medical seats through NEET. If they get medical seats, the engineering seats will be surrendered. In case COMEDK does not conduct the extended round, then those surrendered engineering seats will go back to colleges and converted as management seats.
“There are many students who have blocked their seats in top engineering colleges and unless those seats are released, we cannot expect to get admission in those colleges. Our request with COMEDK is to conduct extended round of counselling for the surrendered engineering seats after medical seat allotment,” said a parent.
Parents are worried that in case these seats are given back to colleges after the medical seat allotment, then the colleges will charge exorbitantly. “When these seats are surrendered, then colleges will sell them for high fees,” said another parent.
Meanwhile, the Admission Overseeing Committee constituted by the state government to look into such matters has directed COMEDK to conduct a second extended round counselling. But COMEDK authorities said they have not yet taken any decisions in this regard.
“Even if we have to conduct the extended round, that has to be before July 30. As the medical counselling itself is not over, it would be difficult for us to do the extended round,” said a COMEDK official.
A Matter of seats
10,000
Total seats allotted
4,895
Total seats allotted and accepted
KEA’s strategy
From the last year, the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has been following a strategy wherein if a student gets a medical seat, then the engineering seat selected by the same student will automatically be cancelled. Candidates and parents are demanding that even COMEDK adopt this.