PG medical, dental aspirants ask Maharashtra CET cell to accept fees online

After weeks of delay, the state common entrance test (CET) cell released the second seat allotment list for postgraduate medical and dental students late on Monday

After weeks of delay, the state common entrance test (CET) cell released the second seat allotment list for postgraduate medical and dental students late on Monday night. Many students, however, are facing admission-related challenges owing to the Covid-19 outbreak and are urging the state to permit them to complete the admission procedure, including payment of fee, online. The deadline for completing the admission confirmation process is July 14.

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State CET cell commissioner Sandeep Kadam did not answer HT’s calls or messages to clarify on the issue.

While the admission rules state that students have to submit documents and their fees by physically being present at the allotted college in order to confirm their seat, in a circular released in the third week of April, the state CET cell requested the medical and dental institutes to share contact details of staffers handling admissions. It further requested colleges to make arrangements for a payment portal, so that students can pay the fees and confirm admissions once the seat allotment list is released. However, there’s been no update on the same as yet.

Since Tuesday, a host of students approached the common entrance test (CET) cell, stating that they cannot report to their allotted colleges to confirm their admissions as many are either tested positive for Covid-19, or have a family member who is coronavirus-positive and is therefore under quarantine.

“My father and I tested positive for Covid-19 in the last week of June and are currently at a quarantine facility. As per rules, aspirants need to visit the allotted college to submit all the required documents along with fees to confirm admissions. But we are helpless in the current situation,” said a student.

He added that many aspirants, most of them being final-year MBBS students who have been working at civic hospitals across the state for the past three months and contracted the virus in the line of duty, requested the state CET cell to allow the completion of the process online instead of being physically present at colleges.

Students who are allotted a seat in another city are more worried.

“The day the list was released [Monday] I was feeling unwell. On Wednesday, my test result came positive for Covid-19. Now my parents’ test results are also positive, and all of us are home quarantined. None of us can go to the college to complete the admission process, and the CET cell should allow us to do so online,” said a student who is allotted a college in Pune.

Students claim that they would have to spend huge amounts to complete the admission procedure by going to the college.

“My allotted college is closer to Mumbai, and I reside in Jalna, where the authorities imposed a complete lockdown from June. To confirm my seat, I’ll have to hire a private vehicle and the entire journey will cost me at least ₹25,000-30,000. The CET cell needs to take all of these factors into consideration and allow the acceptance of fees online,” said another student.