EAMCET verification may have to wait

HYDERABAD: In all likelihood, certificate verification of Telangana students may not begin Saturday as the State government has apparently adopted a wait and watch attitude in respect of EAMCET-2014 counselling for admission to engineering colleges in the State.

According to sources, the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) which was expected to announce the date for certificate verification Friday did not do so as it remained undecided.

The sources said the Telangana government and TSCHE want to wait for the final order of the Supreme Court on Aug 11. In fact, it was not the Telangana government but the AP State Council of Higher Education which announced that verification for Telangana students will begin on Aug 9.

On its part, the TSCHE said it may take a decision, leaving the door for itself slightly ajar to wriggle out if it does not take any decision.

The Telangana government filed a petition in the apex court sometime ago seeking time till October 31 since inspection of the colleges for which admissions have to be made was not over and that it was a time consuming process.

The government had made its intent clear that unless it satisfies itself that the colleges which would be cleared for admission of students are genuine, it would not include them in the list of colleges for counselling purpose.

Though the TSCHE met on Friday as scheduled it could not arrive at any decision. After a prolonged meeting, the council decided to request Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to take a call on it according to his convenience. The TSCHE officials said that the Chief Minister would take a decision only after the final order from the apex court is issued.

The AP government wanted to start counsellng process right away and impleaded itself in the case. In an interim direction the Supreme Court said that admissions process should be over by the end of this month while reserving the final order to August 11.

Accordingly, APSCHE began the process of certificate verification which is a precursor to commencement of admission of students to colleges and asked the Telangana government to join. But Telananga government has not yet taken a decision.

As counselling has to be made for the colleges in both the states simultaneously, either AP government would have to wait or Telangana government would have to advance the dates for counselling. Officials say that the Supreme Court alone would be able to clear the muddle.