The Phase II counselling process for the Telangana State Engineering, Agriculture and Medical (TS EAMCET) exam has been postponed to October 11. The Telangana State Council of Higher Education on Monday, September 26, announced a revised schedule for the counselling process which has been postponed from its earlier date, that is, September 28.
According to the revised timetable, candidates can fill an online form, pay processing fees and book slots for selection of helpline centers on October 11 and 12, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express. Certificate verification for candidates who already booked their slot will take place on October 12. Exercising options will be available on October 12 and October 13. Provisional allotment of seats are scheduled on October 16.
More on the fee issue
The decision to postpone the counselling has been taken amid the issue of fee fixation for the engineering colleges across the state. Last week, Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) reviewed the audit reports on the request of a few colleges and found discrepancies in it compared to what was submitted by them before. Notably, the committee reduced the fees for a few colleges while for a few others, the earlier fee was retained, as per The New Indian Express.
As a part of regular practice, TAFRC in July had given permission for the engineering colleges to increase their fee. Accordingly, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology had the highest fee structure of Rs 1.73 lakh per annum. Later, considering the situation created by COVID pandemic and criticisms from all sections of the society, the committee decided to retain the fee decided previously in 2019.
Seventy-nine colleges then approached the High Court in an August order which allowed them to collect an increased fee, asking them to refund the differential amount if they have collected more fees from the students than what was earlier notified by the TAFRC.
To decide the fee issue and to present the new fee structure, the committee has been holding the meetings since Saturday, September 24. No decision has been announced so far from the committee.
The results of the TS EAMCET were released on August 12. The exam was conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) on behalf of the Telangana State Council of Higher Education.