Southern States - Kerala   

Govt. firm on 50 p.c. merit quota: Antony

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM FEB. 11. The Kerala Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, has indicated that unaided medical colleges unwilling to admit 50 per cent of the students on general merit were not welcome to the State.

Referring to the refusal of a college to admit 50 per cent students on merit, the Chief Minister said that they better shift to other States.

Talking to press persons on his return from Delhi after attending the meeting of Cauvery River Authority (CRA), Mr. Antony expressed his resentment that a few colleges had disregarded the Government's suggestions in this regard. They had betrayed both the Government and the public. Though there was no written undertaking, the no-objection certificates were issued by the Government on the basis of talks with the managements. He felt betrayed now.

The Chief Minister indicated that the Government would take action, if the colleges insisted on a higher management quota. The Pushpagire College management was trying to disturb communal amity and peace, he noted.

On the Cauvery issue, the Chief Minister said that the State would wait for the Award of the Cauvery Tribunal. It hoped to get a fair award from the tribunal. The State did not wish to be a party to the dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Mr Antony said.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Minister for Irrigation and Power, Paneerselvam, and the Kerala Minister for Water Resources, Mr. T. M. Jacob, will meet here on Thursday for discussing inter-State river water issues. Higher officials and chief engineers from both the States will attend the talks to be held at the Government Guest House here.

Mr. Antony had written to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J. Jayalalitha, recently suggesting Ministerial-level discussions covering all Inter-State river water issues.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Govt. firm on 50 p.c. merit quota: Antony
• Rajagopal to keep off NSS College meet
• Karunakaran's ADB attack signals new line of thinking
• BJYM for case-by-case approach to `overstaying'
• CM must clarify stand on DGP's views: CPI
• Land grab by tribals a dangerous trend
• HC directive on formation of Malabar Devaswom Board
• Abkari arrears: House panel raps Taxes dept.
• Discord over delay in KSU revamp

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu