BOPEE blunder costs JK 50 engineering berths Aspirants Seek Fixing Responsibility;Will Take Up Matter With The Centre:Cong, PDP Srinagar, Aug 19: Delay caused by cancellation and re-examination of Common Entrance Test (CET) conducted by Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) has cost the State dearly as at least 50 seats that fell vacant at the National Institute of Technology Srinagar will remain unfilled for next four years. The seats fell vacant when students selected in NIT under State’s reserved quota withdrew admissions after being selected in CET. As the CET got delayed this year, the admission process at the NIT hadbeen closed by the time BOPEE declared results. In the past, the vacated seats used to get allocated to other candidates in the waiting list. The seats will now remain unfilled for next four years, depriving the local students from availing the benefit. “Around fifty seats in JEE (Mains) have fallen vacant accruing out of those who left it after getting admissions in CET. The seats will remain unfulfilled for next four yearsresulting in loss to State share as admissions have been declared closed,” said an official at NIT Srinagar. Blaming BOPEE for the mess, the official said: “Loss to the State share at NIT occurred due to the blunders committed by BOPEE which first cancelled two papers due to paper leak and subsequently postponed other two resulting in delay in selection process, meantime admissions were closed at NIT.” Pertinently, on June 22, following leakage of CET question paper at some centers in Srinagar, the BOPEE postponed the Biology and cancelled Chemistry papers. It fixed July 5 as fresh date for conduct of these two papers but only to postpone them again. In 2006, around 50 seats in AIEEE had fallen vacant after candidates vacated them but the seats were filled after the intervention of politicians including Dr. Farooq Abdullah and others. “It is very unfortunate that more than 50 seats at NIT will remain vacant while students are running from pillar to post to have such opportunities,” said an aspirant, adding, “I could have got admission had BOPEE not committed the paper leak blunder. I hold BOPEE responsible for making me suffer and closing my option to get admission in engineering.” Another aspirant who lost a chance to avail vacant seat in JEE said: “Evenafter paper mess, BOPEE didn’t show seriousness to save the career of students and conduct exams quickly.State government is equally responsible for not taking negligent officials to task.” “It was BOPEE’s fault as it had not kept back-up of alternative papers ready for any emergency. Had it done that, injustice to students couldhave been avoided,” said a parent. Though ministers including Muhammad Akbar Lone and Ali Muhammad Sagar had assured that the loss of time of students due to paper mess would be compensated by declaring results within shortest period of time, BOPEE Chairman RD Sharma termed their assurances a political gimmick. “Politicians want to become cheap heroes before media. Media should ask them how it is possible to declare results within 3 days,” Sharma had said. Showing indifference towards lost time of students, he had said: “We don’t have any control over time. Aspirants’ lost time is now a past story and we cannot reverse the clock. We should ignore all that and move ahead.” Taking suo-moto cognizance of news reports in Greater Kashmir on leakage and cancellation of papers, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had treated the report as Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and initiatedproceedings. “The failure of State government to provide conducive educational and career opportunities lays extra burden on Union government to correct State government’s mistakes. Government should look into options to not repeatedly harm students,” said a senior officer of Union government, requesting anonymity. “We will take up the vacant seats issue with Central Counseling and State Allocation Board (CCSAB),” Additional Secretary, Technical Education, in the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD), Amita Sharma told Greater Kashmir over phone. Union HRD Minister Pallam Raju was unavailable to comment over the issue. State Congress Chief Prof. Saifuddin Soz told Greater Kashmir that he would take up the issue with Centralgovernment to seek justice for affected candidates. “I urge the students to give me in writing their grievance and demand. I promise to plead their case before the Centre. Congress will not allow these engineering seats to go waste,” Soz said. Committing that the seats have to be utilized in the interest of nation at large, senior Cabinet Minister Taj Mohiuddin said: “We are worried about the issue. Though the matter doesn’t fall within my portfolio but I’ll surely take it with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Technical Education Minister to ensure filling up of the vacant seats.” “I’ll talk to CM over the issue,” Political Secretary to Chief Minister, Tanvir Sadiq, said. PDP chief spokesperson Naeem Akhtar said: “Government should tryto follow some good things. They can do as previous government did in year 2006 so that local students are benefited. It is the matter of will of the government and their ability to pursue the issue. Otherwise it willbe difficult for local students to avail these vacant seats.” He said that PDPwould also use its offices to get vacant seats filled to benefit local students.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 02:22:10 +0000
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