Eamcet counselling hits hard in Seemandhra

Counselling for admissions to engineering colleges in Rayalaseema and Andhra regions of Andhra Pradesh was hit for the second consecutive day on Tuesday due to the ongoing strike against the central government's decision to bifurcate the state.

The certificate verification at the counselling centres in Seemandhra, as the two regions are collectively known, was affected as officials boycotted their duties.

Majority of the 34 centres in Seemandhra were shut due to the strike by government employees. Polytechnic college teachers posted at the centres boycotted their duties in response to the call given by their association.

EAMCET officials said counselling could not be held at 16 centres in Seemandhra on the second day. They said the students could get their certificates verified at any centre in the state.

The problems of students were compounded due to a strike by workers of state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC). All APSRTC buses remained off the roads for the eighth consecutive day.

According to officials, only 5,500 out of 15,000 students turned up Monday, the first day for verification of their certificates. They said 3,400 students in Telangana and 2,100 students in Seemandhra verified their certificates.

The counselling was smooth in all 22 centres in Telangana, including six in Hyderabad. Over 200 students from Seemandhra also got their certificates verified at centres in Telangana.

State council for higher education said students who could not get their certificates verified due to ongoing protests in Seemandhra can do so on any day till Sep 1 . The council is going ahead with the counselling on the directions of the high court and despite appeals from some sections in Seemandhra to postpone it in view of the political turmoil.

A little over two lakh students, including 75,000 in Seemandhra, had qualified for admission to engineering colleges in the state.

However, due to the ongoing protests over state's bifurcation, about 40,000 are believed to have left to neighbouring states for pursuing engineering courses. Every year, many top rankers usually opt for institutes like Indian Institutes of Information Technology and deemed universities in other states but their numbers this year has gone up because of the ongoing turmoil, which has delayed the counselling.

Lok Satta President Jayaprakash Narayan Tuesday appealed to all political parties to ensure smooth conduct of counselling as it involves students' future. He found fault with the strike by the government employees, saying this has affected the citizen services.