200 PG seats in govt med, dental colleges may go vacant: Experts

MUMBAI: After months of delay, the state common entrance test (CET) cell on Sunday night, released the second and final mop-up round seat allotment list for postgraduate (PG) medical and dental students. However, the experts are now worried that at least 200 seats in the state government colleges are likely to go vacant due to the delay.

The experts believe that many applicants confirmed their seats in colleges in other states because of the delay in conducting admissions for PG seats in Maharashtra. “This year, of the total 1,170 seats in the government colleges, around 200 seats are likely to go vacant in the state. While the private institutes can allot these seats after common admission process ends, the government colleges are left with vacant seats. At a time when we need doctors, the least CET cell could have done was tweak the rules,” said Muzaffar Khan, a medical education counsellor.

Moreover, these students were not allowed to withdraw their applications through Maharashtra common admission rounds, therefore, names of many students that appeared in the final mop-up round, were of students whose admissions have already been confirmed elsewhere.

“Registrations for PG medical and dental admissions in state started in March, but the seat allotment started only in May. By then many students opted for seats through the all India quota (AIQ) in different states. Now towards the end of the process, the CET cell has not allowed any student’s request to withdraw from the admissions process and our names have again appeared on the list,” said an applicant.

State CET cell commissioner Sandeep Kadam said. “As per rules, applicants cannot withdraw their names from the admissions process before the mop-up round begins.”

ALONG MOLLEM-NETRAVALI CORRIDOR, GOA