HC moved against single-window engg admission counselling

The Madras High Court today sought the stand of Anna University on a plea to stay the single- window counselling for admission to engineering courses in Tamil Nadu's self-financing engineering colleges.
Justice M M Sundresh directed the university's counsel to reply to the petition filed by Anna University Self-Financing Engineering Colleges Management Association, Tirunelveli, which has sought the stay on single-window counselling on the ground that a large number of seats have remained unfilled in the last few years.
The bench after issuing notice to the university, posted the matter for further hearing on June 27. The counselling too begins on June 27.

The petitioner wanted various colleges to be allowed to fill up the seats on their own.
The petitioner contended that Tamil Nadu Engineering Admission (TNEA) process conducted by the university had lost its purpose and become impractical in view of large number of seats remaining unfilled in the past few years.
As much as 65 per cent of the total seats available in the unaided engineering institutions and 50 per cent of the seats in minority unaided institutions are surrendered to the state government for allotment through TNEA, they said.

However, the objective of filling up all seats surrendered to the state had almost become impractical since the introduction of the concept, the petitioners said.

In 2007, the total seats available for counselling were 1,09,784 and out of this only 94,346 were filled. In the last three years, the situation has only worsened, they claimed.
The petitioners further submitted that the TNEA process gives no time to the educational institutions to fill the lapsed seats which are returned to colleges and that every vacant seat casts an irreconcilable financial burden upon the institute.
When college admits lesser number of students, there was a considerable loss in terms of unused resources, they added.
Apprehending vacancy of over one lakh seats this year, the petitioner had made a representation to the state government on June 7 seeking to permit the private colleges to fill up seats on their own.