Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, July 23:

With only 11,838 students going for choice locking in the first phase of counseling for a total of 48,687 seats available in 111 government and private engineering colleges in Odisha, nearly three quarters of the seats are likely to fall vacant this year.

Odisha JEE OJEE

In a release on Tuesday evening, secretary of Odisha Private Engineering College Association (OPECA) Binod Das has alleged that several students were debarred from counseling due to faults in the rank card.

Stating that the counseling was specifically meant for students who were not eligible for admission to the IITs and NITs, he said the situation was the outcome of the gross inaction on the part of the OJEE authorities and the Technical Education department in not taking adequate steps to create awareness among the students.

“The Association has discussed the matter today and apprised the minister of the concerned department, who will issue a statement in this regard on Wednesday,” Das told reporters here after the meeting.

He, however, hoped that most seats would be filled up in the second phase counseling.

Meanwhile, students who went for choice locking in the first phase counseling, would be allotted seats on July 24 after which they will have to report to the concerned college authorities for admission.

The students can withdraw from the admission process if they are not allotted the colleges and subjects of their choice, OJEE authorities said.

The second phase counseling for the vacant seats would be held in the first week of August while counseling process would be complete by August 15.