New Delhi: Around 300 aspiring engineers belonging to the scheduled tribe (ST) category seem to witness an endless wait. Delhi government has put on hold the counselling for Bachelor of Engineering (BE) and Bachelor of Technology (BTech) courses, resulting in a delay in admissions, as it is awaiting the Centre's nod regarding the same.
On the days of counselling for ST-category BE candidates at Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) and B Tech candidates at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), the authorities first postponed the process and then put it on hold indefinitely. Due to the fact that Delhi does not have any tribal population, the government had contemplated doing away with the ST quota or bringing it down to 1 per cent, but there has been no final decision as yet.
Rakesh Mehta, Delhi Chief Secretary, said that the Supreme Court, in its decision on August 4, has asked not to go ahead with it (admissions under this category), as they do not have the Presidential orders for the same. He also mentioned that a proposal regarding the same has been sent to the Centre and the decision is awaited.
The most affected due to this ambiguity are wards of those ST category parents, originally from other states, who are employed here in various government establishments and also in private jobs. These students had cleared the entrance examinations for the 2009-10 session. Many had cleared All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and other such exams too. But they did not go outside, because they had cleared the Delhi exam.
