Hyderabad: Scores of students belonging to Telangana state have been denied an opportunity to participate in the second phase of counselling for admission into the first year MBBS by the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS).
These students were allotted seats under the convener quota in the first phase but were barred from the second phase as they had joined Siddhartha Medical College (SMC), Vijayawada, a ‘statewide institution’ in which students from the three regions of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh were allotted seats as per the quota fixed in the Presidential Order.
The KNRUHS hurriedly gave notification for the second phase and scheduled it on Saturday and Sunday, preventing the students from questioning the decision in the Telangana High Court.
“Wrong application of rules by the KNRUHS is preventing students from Telangana state who joined Siddhartha College to ‘slide’ to a better college in Telangana. But students from Andhra and Rayalaseema who also took admission in the same college are extended the privilege by their health university. This is creating a class within class, which is illegal,” said a student.
SMC and the Hyderabad-based Government Dental College were declared as “statewide institutes’ in undivided AP and the status is being continued after bifurcation. Students from Telangana state get admission in SMC by virtue of their Osmania University local status. After the first phase of counselling in Telangana state which ended on December 10, the NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) of Andhra Pradesh held the first-phase counselling for colleges in AP along with SMC.
“We had submitted our original certificates in the colleges allotted to us in the first phase in Telangana state. When we got allotment in Siddhartha, the NTRUHS insisted that we produce the original certificates. The KNRUHS and the respective colleges in Telangana state forced us to give an undertaking that we are surrendering the seat to give certificates. This is clear injustice,” a parent pointed out.
Normally, when sliding takes place, the students need not submit certificates in the second college which directly obtains certificates from the first college. “Except for the location of the college Siddhartha is equivalent to any college in Telangana state and those who joined there should be allowed for second phase of counselling,” said another parent.
Ironically, the university also misrepresented in its notification that these students did not join colleges allotted to them in the first phase of counselling. “The fact is that they paid fee in the college and secured admission only to be forced to give it up. None of the rules governing admission into MBBS or the prospectus and guidelines have a mention about giving up a seat to join Siddhartha,” the parent pointed out.
When contacted, Vice Chancellor Karunakar Reddy said the decision was taken to prevent blocking of seats by students. However, blocking of seats are done in the private colleges but in case of Siddhartha Medical College the students were allotted seat by the convener under the OU quota. Even if they are allowed in the second phase of counselling and move to another college, students next in the merit order from Telangana state would get the seat in Siddhartha Medical College.
