Doctor alleges arbitrary reduction of MBBS seats

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 14

A local resident today accused the authorities of the Government Medical College (GMC), Patiala, for reducing sports quota seats in an arbitrary manner. He said his daughter, a national level player, could not get admission in the MBBS due to reduction in the sports quota seats.

Dr Sushmainder Kumar alleged that there were one per cent seats under the sports quota. He said due to reduction of seats his daughter could not get admission in the MBBS course at the GMC in Patiala. “My daughter has secured fifth position in the sports quota,” he added.

He said the GMC, Patiala, with 200 MBBS seats, had shown two seats under the sports quota in prospectus, whose status was same till September 11. No college had the authority to reduce seats on its own, he added.

He alleged that a few days before counselling the seats under the sports quota as well as in other categories were reduced in an illegal and arbitrary manner, which was against notification of the Punjab government.

He said the prospectus of the college stated that distribution of seats would be as per the Punjab government notification. It further stated that the list of eligible colleges/seats may increase or decrease subject to orders of honorable courts/ MCI/DCI/ governments.

He said the GMC, Patiala, had played with careers of students by changing the seat distribution a few days before the counselling began. He alleged that after reducing seats from several quotas the college increased seats in the general category.

“Decrease in the number of seats in certain reserved categories, including sports, after issuing prospectus, holding the PMET and declaration of results and after the notification is illegal, arbitrary and unsustainable according to the law,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor, Baba Farid University of Medical Sciences and Research, Dr Raj Bahadur, said, “The university has conducted counselling for seats as per the roster provided by the GMC, Patiala.”

He said there was nothing wrong as the GMC, Patiala, had provided roster after calculating the number of seats and percentage of quota seats under various categories.

Principal, Government Medical College, Patiala, Dr BL Bhardwaj, said the proportion of one per cent quota of seats has to be distributed over a span of period. He said, “This year we have one seat of the sports quota available with us as per the proportion. The number of seats under the sports quota has been reduced to four out of the total 500 seats in all government medical colleges in Punjab.”

He said seats were reduced as per norms and calculations and there was nothing wrong in it.