Chennai: More than 2,000 MBBS seats, including more than 1,000 in govt colleges across India and 100 state-run colleges, will go to the stray round because counselling rules let students block seats they never intended to take. Students who secure a new allotment are allowed to decline it and retain their existing seat.
Experts say this keeps govt seats out of reach of higher-scoring students during regular counselling. By the time those seats reach the stray round, students already enrolled in costly private institutions, which charge around ₹30 lakh a year, cannot upgrade.
Medical counselling committee, which allocates 15% of seats in govt medical colleges and all seats in central institutions and deemed universities, released a 272-page list of MBBS, BDS and nursing candidates who did not report after the third round. Those who missed the Oct 9 deadline to report in person can no longer claim their seats, it said. The vacancy compilation lists 106 MBBS seats in Tamil Nadu — two at Madras Medical College, seven each at Madurai Medical College and Government Medical College and ESIC Hospital, Coimbatore, and 10 at AIIMS Madurai.
Students, parents and counsellors called the system unfair and urged counselling authorities at state and centre to bring in tighter regulations that stop candidates from blocking seats. One student who joined Stanley Medical College through state counselling secured a seat at Madras Medical College in the third All India Quota round but chose to stay at Stanley.
Another, enrolled in a private institution in Coimbatore, secured a seat at Government Tiruvallur Medical College but did not join. “These two seats have moved to the stray round because counselling agencies have failed to fix gaps in the system. They need a common dashboard, at least from the third round,” said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. “The Stanley seat should have been cancelled as soon as the student received his MMC allotment. The same should apply to the student in Coimbatore. Candidates who decline the new seat should have to wait until next year’s counselling. Strict rules, including a ban for a year, will ensure students choose only seats they intend to take,” he said. The penalty of ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 for students who don’t take govt seats allotted to them is a weak discouraging factor, he said.
Parents said the process penalises higher-ranked students who have already joined expensive colleges. “Lower-ranked candidates still eligible for the stray round may get government seats. While we continue to pay a higher fee in a private college despite having a higher rank,” said M Senthilkumar, whose niece is admitted to a private institution, where the annual fee is ₹23 lakh. “Central and state selection committees must allow upgrades in the stray round to address this injustice,” he said.
Teachers say the remedy must go beyond piecemeal changes. “MCC and the states need to overhaul counselling, with synchronised schedules, allotments and admission lists. The two committees should be able to co-ordinate with each other to conduct counselling. In true spirit of NEET, higher-ranked students should not lose the chance to move to government colleges because the two systems fail to coordinate,” said Naveen R, a NEET coach.
