As many as 117 seats allotted for persons with disabilities remained vacant on Thursday, the first day of single-window counselling for government quota seats in MBBS and BDS this academic year.
Although 58 applications had been received, only 20 were found eligible with NEET marks. Only five candidates were allotted seats, because they satisfied the disability norms prescribed. Officials said the rest of them did not qualify under the norms set for disability.
Similarly, 31 candidates who appeared under the ex-servicemen category for counselling, opted out. Officials said they had ascertained that their chances were better in general counselling that begins on Friday.
Karthikeyan G. of Coimbatore, with congenital club foot, was allotted the Madras Medical College. Ramanathapuram resident V. Sathyapriya, who had scored 134 in NEET and was certified as suffering from 55% deformity, was admitted to MMC. Her father runs a grocery shop.
S. Yukesh said “I skipped engineering counselling because I was sure to get a seat in medicine.” In class 12, he has scored 1087 and secured 149 in NEET. Yukesh has haemophilia and wants to pursue research in genetics. “But it is a faraway goal and I could change my mind,” said the candidate from Oddanchathiram in Dindigul district.