like previous years, more than 30,000 seats in BTech streams are likely to remain vacant this academic session too in 93 engineering colleges in the State.
There are about 4,000 BTech seats in six Government engineering colleges and about 42,000 seats in 87 private engineering colleges running in the State. So far, only 12,600 students have opted for taking admissions against a total of 46,000 seats.
The down trend in BTech admissions had persisted consecutively for the last four years, according to the reports. Out of 46,000 seats, 18,041 students had taken admission in 2011, 22,570 in 2012, 20,800 in 2013 and 15,600 in 2014.
Engineering college authorities are expecting that the number of admissions would increase this year as nearly 45,000 students have obtained ranks in the JEE Main examinations.
There was an improvement in the number of admissions in the first five days of the choice locking, which began on July 3, with 12,000 students opted for choice locking.
By Friday, the last day for choice filling, about 20,000 students had gone for choice locking in the nodal centres out of which only 12,600 students opted for taking admissions.
This indicates that about 34,000 seats in BTech streams would fall vacant this year.
As per the directive of the Odisha High Court, a Special OJEE test would be held on July 19 for which about 11,000 students have registered their names.
However, educationists have estimated that only 4,000 students would qualify this Special OJEE test. If it so happens, then over 30,000 seats would fall vacant.
According to OJEE chairman Tushar Kant Nath, students who have done the choice locking in the first phase counselling would be allotted temporary seats on July 20, and the final allotment of seats would be made on July 25. The students would later take admission in the first week of August after downloading their allotment cards from the OJEE website.
However, Odisha Private Engineering College Association (OPECA) Secretary Binod Das has hoped that the number of vacant seats would be less this year in comparison to the last year.
“While 12,600 students, who had qualified the JEE Main examination, have done the choice locking, about 11,000 students have applied for the Special OJEE test. After these students take admissions, the number of filled up seats would raise to about 20,000,” according to Das.