MCC to monitor nexus blocking MD/MS seats

Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service
Faridkot, April 20

To ensure management quota post-graduate medical (MD/MS) seats in private medical colleges are not blocked, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and Director General of Health Services (DGHS) have warned all colleges and aspiring students to desist from the practice.

The MCC has decided to take strict action against such colleges and students who are found indulging in seat blocking with a malicious intent, reads the MCC’s notice to all medical colleges.

The letter reads that MCC and DGHS have come to know that some candidates and colleges are trying to block them and are not joining the allotted seats. The MCC and DGHS are closely monitoring such candidates and colleges, reads the notice.

It is alleged that some NEET-qualified candidates opt for management quota seats during round-1 and round-2 of counselling, in collusion with agents in exchange of money, and give up after the final phase of counselling so that the seat remains vacant.

This practice allegedly mars the chances of many genuine aspirants and provides enough scope to some private medical colleges to bargain for these vacant seats in subsequent mop up and stray rounds of counselling.

A candidate who appears in the 2nd round of physical counselling of PG courses should opt for the seat very carefully as the seat opted at that time would be treated as joined and these candidates would not be eligible for further mop up and stray vacancy rounds of counselling, said Dr Arvind Sharma, registrar, BFUHS.

If any candidate wants to surrender the seat of first counselling, he/she can do so up to April 23, a day before the start of the second round of counselling. While a candidate can shift or upgrade the seat, he/she would not be allowed to surrender it in-between the second and final phase of counselling.

If any candidate, after opting a seat in the second physical counseling, surrenders the seat, he/she would be liable to pay a penalty, also rendering him/ her ineligible for any subsequent rounds of state counseling, the registrar said.

“In collusion with agents, there are chances of some candidates leaving the seats vacant at last stage, even after their certificates are withheld and they pay fine. We are mulling strict action against such students who are blocking medical PG seats,” said a senior functionary of the MCC.

How the nexus works

• Some NEET-qualified candidates opt for management quota seats during round-1 and round-2 of counselling, in collusion with agents in exchange of money, and give up after the final phase of counselling so that the seat remains vacant
• This practice allegedly mars the chances of many genuine aspirants and provides enough scope to some private medical colleges to bargain for these vacant seats in subsequent mop up and stray rounds of counselling. 
• Now, a candidate who appears in the 2nd round of physical counselling of PG courses should opt for the seat very carefully as the seat opted at that time would be treated as joined and these candidates will not be eligible for further mop up and stray vacancy rounds of counselling
• If any candidate wants to surrender the seat of first counselling, he/she can do so up to April 23, a day before the start of the second round of counselling. While a candidate can shift or upgrade the seat, he/she would not be allowed to surrender it in-between the second and final phase of counselling