Telangana, Andhra Pradesh aspirants ask health ministry to end seat-blocking

Hyderabad: Though the Supreme Court has directed the health ministry to penalise and debar students who block seats, super speciality aspirants from the Telugu-speaking states still suffer as some of them did not get NEET-SS seats due to blocking by other aspirants. 

They demanded an additional round of counselling to fill these blocked seats and to prevent seat-blocking.

The aspirants, who could not get the seats in the third phase of counselling due to blocking of seats, have asked the health ministry to take strong remedial  measures to prevent seat-blocking in the forthcoming round of counselling.

The NEET-SS aspirants alleged that 111 seats have been blocked by students and 250 super-specialty seats are still lying vacant even after the third phase of counselling due to the long bond in a few states and the huge fee hike in private medical colleges.

Dr Moturu Dharanindra, M.D anaesthesiology who secured 21 rank in NEET-SS, said, “In the presence of a vacant super specialty seat in a government college, a candidate, who is eligible, is forced to join a private college with hefty fees of '22 lakh per annum.”

He further added, “These 111 blocked seats take away the chances of others. I missed a seat in Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, in the third round of counselling because a student who opted for it and did not join the course. I will file a petition in the Supreme Court to provide seats to the deserving candidates.”

G Srinivas from Health Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA), said, '“Students have been negligent even after the SC direction to debar them for next two years. Deserving candidates are suffering as negligent students do not report to colleges even after getting the seats.”

Dr B Karunakar Reddy, vice-chancellor Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, said, “Many students think that the SC directions will not be implemented even if they miss joining the course.”

Row over seats

111 seats have been blocked by students and 250 super-specialty seats are still lying vacant even after the third phase of counselling, allege NEET aspirants.

The aspirants, who could not get the seats in the third phase of counselling due to blocking of seats, have asked the health ministry to take strong remedial  measures to prevent seat-blocking in the forthcoming round of counselling.