With counselling for government quota postgraduate medical and dental seats not having started yet, seat aspirants who attended the first round of counselling by the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK) on Monday found themselves in a catch-22 situation.
As many as 208 seats were taken by students during the counselling held for 234 seats in 19 dental colleges. Of the 3,711 candidates scheduled to attend, 339 attended.
At the end of the first round of counselling, none of the general merit seats was remaining.
Remaining seatsThe seats remaining included 18 reserved under the Hyderabad Karnataka Region Quota (for Karnataka candidates), three for Telugu minority and five seats reserved for Tulu minority.
Like every year, more students from outside Karnataka took the seats. A release from COMEDK said that of the 208 seats, only 42 were taken by Karnataka students.
Seats in R.V. Dental College, M.S. Ramaiah Dental College, SDM College of Dental Sciences Dharwad and Bapuji Dental College were the ones that were filled first. Similarly, specialisations such as Orthodontics and Dentofacial as well as Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics were the ones that were picked by candidates first.
Meanwhile, students were left wondering if they should grab the available COMEDK quota seats or wait to see their chances at getting a government quota seat.
DifferenceWhile in the last academic year, COMEDK counselling for private undergraduate professional seats was held before counselling for the government seats and government quota seats, this year, counselling for COMEDK PG seats is being held before that for government quota seats.
‘No pressure’Anisha Yaji, a graduate from Government Dental College, Bangalore, said there was mounting pressure on students as the Supreme Court was yet to give its verdict on the domicile issue for government quota seats. “It feels like a gamble as we do not know what our next step should be.
Moreover, there are a limited number of PG seats, making matters worse for us,” she said.
Another student, who took a provisional seat at Krishnadevaraya College of Dental Sciences, Bangalore, during COMEDK counselling, said: “Although I have a decent rank in the Postgraduate Entrance Test (PGET conducted for the government quota seats), I am confused if I should take this seat or wait for KCET. The government and the judiciary should resolve the issue at the earliest so that the stress on students is reduced.”
A.S. Srikanth, Chief Executive, COMEDK, said that if students surrendered their seats within the stipulated time, they would get their fees refunded with Rs. 5,000 deduction.
To a question on when the last date for seat surrender was, he said it would be in the third week of May.
He also added that around 20 to 30 dental seats would be added after the colleges received approval from the Dental Council of India.
The counselling for PG medical seats under COMEDK will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.
As many as 7,587 candidates are eligible to take part in the selection process and 387 seats are available for PG medical counselling.
