56 all-India medical seats go to state quota

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, July 27

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has declared 56 out of total 87 All-India Quota (AIQ) MBBS and BDS seats in three government medical and two dental colleges in Punjab as vacant today.

After two rounds of the AIQ counselling for admission to these 87 seats (75 MBBS and 12 BDS), the MCC has reverted 56 (45 MBBS and 11 BDS) seats back to the state. Now all these vacant seats will merge with the state quota seats, said a senior functionary in Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS).

While 15 of these MBBS vacant AIQ seats are at government medical colleges Patiala, 17 and 13 seats have been declared vacant at Amritsar and Faridkot government colleges, respectively. The seats fell vacant due to non-joining and resignation by allotted candidates after the conclusion of the second round of the all-India counseling on July 25.

Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot medical colleges offer 30, 30 and 15 AIQ seats each. The AIQ vacant BDS seats at Government Dental College Patiala and Amritsar are six and five, respectively.

Demand to reject candidature

Alleging submitting of fake self-declaration by some candidates for MBBS counselling, in a complaint to the BFUHS, the parents of aspirants have demanded the rejection of candidature of these candidates.

Submitting the list of 39 candidates who have allegedly applied for state quota seats in Punjab and also in other neighbouring states, including Rajasthan, J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, the complainant alleged that it was violation of law as no candidate can take benefit of being resident of two states.

Despite the candidates submitting an undertaking that they were not obtaining benefit of residence in any other state, there were over 100 such violations. The complainant also submitted details of candidates whose names are figuring in the merit list of three-four states’ merit list as a bona fide residence of all these states.

Dr Raj Bahadur, Vice Chancellor, BFUHS, gave an assurance to look into the complaint. It is alleged that many candidates were seeking residency benefits in two additional states even after submitting their affidavits that they have not applied anywhere else under the state quota.