Hopeful of getting govt seats, candidates reluctantly attend COMEDK counselling

Aspirants for postgraduate medical courses from Karnataka, who took part in the COMEDK PGET 2014 counselling on Monday, are still pinning their hopes on government seats.

The Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK) began counselling on April 21. While admissions to dental courses were facilitated on the first day, the consortium will hold counselling for medical courses on April 22 and 23.

COMEDK had to go ahead with counselling for PG medical courses (private managements’ share of seats) even before the Karnataka Examin- ations Authority (KEA) conducted the counselling for government quota seats.

Usually, COMEDK conducts its counselling after the counselling by the Karnataka Examinations Authority is over.

Due to a case pending before the Supreme Court with regard to PG admissions, the government is unable to conduct the counselling.

Meanwhile, students had no choice but to attend COMEDK counselling, for which the admission fee is much higher than for government seats. However, the situation is not completely grim. COMEDK has given an option for students to surrender their seats in case they get a government seat, once the KEA begins counselling. The fee paid will be returned by withholding Rs 5,000 deposit amount.

Students will have to surrender the seats before COMEDK begins the second round of counselling. COMEDK officials said the schedule for the second round was yet to be decided.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Liji, a student of A B Shetty Institute of Dental Sciences who has secured Rank 315 in COMEDK and Rank 71 in the Karnataka PG entrance, hoped that the government would begin its counselling process before the COMEDK takes up the second round. “I would obviously opt for a government seat. COMEDK has assured us that we would be able to surrender our seats. We will have to wait and watch how the KEA counselling goes.”

In the first-round counselling, out of a total 208 seats, 42 were taken by Karnataka students. Of the 339 candidates who attended the counselling only 46 were from Karnataka. The total number of candidates scheduled for the interview for the first round of dental counselling were 3,711. Under general merit, 177 seats were available and all of them were taken by the end of the day.

Out of the 18 Tulu minority seats, five are remaining; of the nine Telugu minority seats three are remaining after the first round.

Out of 30 seats reserved for the candidates from Hyderabad-Karnataka,this year, eight are vacant.