OPECA defies govt warning; conducts CET

Bhubaneswar: Paying deaf ears to the warning of the state government, the Orissa Private Engineering Colleges’ Association (OPECA) on Sunday conducted the Common Entrance Test (CET) to fill up the vacancies in various engineering colleges.

However, only 464 students appeared for the examination.

As the Basic Science College of Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) refused to conduct the examination citing law and order problem, the examination venue was later shifted to Unit-1 Mother’s High School.

After the state government made it clear that the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) would not be held responsible for the future of the students, most of the students backtracked at the last time.

Nearly 1200 students applied to appear the examination of which only one-third of them turned up.

Challenging the government’s directive, OPECA secretary Binod Das said that they had conducted the examination basing on the order of the High Court.

But citing the Supreme Court order, the state government had refused to give any legal status to the examination.

It also issued advertisements in various papers stating that it could not ignore the authority of BPUT’s status itself.

However, without caring for the students’ future, the OPECA decided to challenge the government’s authority to fill up their seats.

As per the plan, they conducted the examination.

Sources said most of the students might not take the examination.

About 12,500 seats are likely to fall vacant vacant in various colleges across the state.