SHILLONG/GUWAHATI: The confusion over quota for Meghalaya in Assam-based medical colleges continues with the Assam government claiming that it had informed about the amended rules to the North East Council (NEC) that allots the seats to four states in the region.
A senior official in the Directorate of Medical Education in Assam said on Wednesday the practice of providing 13 medical seats under NEC quota – 10 seats to Meghalaya and one each to Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh – had to be discontinued from this year after the Assam government enacted a new set of admission rules following a Supreme Court directive for mandatory reservation of 27 per cent seats for OBC candidates.
Earlier the OBC quota was 15 per cent.
The official said the new rules were adopted on July 1 this year and NEC was informed by July 3.
“Since it is the NEC that distributes those 13 seats the matter was informed to the council and no other concerned states were informed separately by the Assam government,” the official added.
However, NEC said it recently received a letter from the Assam government saying the admissions for Meghalaya students were allotted in their institutions.
Devajit Khound, the in-charge adviser (Health) at NEC, said on Wednesday that the council received a letter from the Assam government on August 29 which stated that the admissions have been allotted and the Meghalaya government was asked to submit the list of students before August 31.
“On the same day, NEC had informed the Meghalaya government about the communication from the Assam government,” he said.
Parents of the concerned students recently met the officials of NEC and were happy about the decision of the Assam government.
But later, it seems that the neighbouring state again changed its position on the matter.
The state government has moved the Supreme Court after students were denied admissions in Assam and the matter will be heard on September 11.
Meghalaya has for the past many years been sending students to Assam for medical studies and this year, the state was scheduled to get 10 seats in Assam.
When pointed out that Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma spoke with his Assam counterpart Sarbananda Sonowal for an early resolution in the interest of the students, the senior official in Assam said it was up to the governments to find a way out at the highest level.
Meanwhile, the affected students have said they would wait for the order of the Supreme Court on September 11.
One of the medical aspirants, Iaisanbha Khyllep, said the 10 candidates have not decided on any further action.
Meanwhile, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma contended that the government had no knowledge that candidates from Meghalaya were denied seats.
