Nearly 9,500 attend engg counselling

There is some improvement in engineering counselling process on Thursday as 9,493 rankers attended for verification of certificates in the state. But the situation in Seemandhra region offers no improvement as 20 out of the 37 Helpline centres continued to be dysfunctional for the fourth consecutive day.

As many as 4,791 rankers turned up in the remaining 17 centres in 13 districts of Seemandhra where as in Telangana region in which 22 Helpline centres have been functioning, 4,702 students got their certificates verified. To speed up the process, the Higher Education Council has decided to increase the number of students to 20,000 more every day from Friday. VS Krishna College in Vizag has been added as another centre since the process has not yet started in the port city till date.

“We want to improve further although the lecturers of polytechnic colleges have not acceded to our request to resume the duties” Raghunath, Camp officer of Engineering Counselling told media. Out of 60,000 who are supposed to get their certificates by Thursday, only 29,000 could do it. Developments in Rayalaseema districts dampened the spirit of officials who are desperate to finish off the process at the earliest.

Observers criticise the officials for not adopting a different strategy for smooth conduct of counselling. “Helpline centres are set up mostly in government polytechnic colleges. If they are arranged in aided colleges, things would have been smooth. If you see the process in five aided centres where it has been going on peacefully you would agree that there is no proper strategy. Knowing that counseling cannot be done in government-run institutions, the senior officials, however, chose to set up the centres there itself. They should be blamed for not adopting an alternative strategy” a senior official of Council told The Hans India.