Shocking: Mutual transfer of medical seats advertisement fill KEA walls

Bengaluru: Miscreant touts made a mockery of the Karnataka Examination Authority(KEA) on Monday, by pasting "Mutual transfer" advertisements on its walls, beckoning parents to contact if interested in swapping seats for choice colleges, for their wards. The advertisements displayed mobile numbers that could be dialed to reach people, who could turn dreams into reality by making the mutual transfer of medical seats possible.

The KEA officials who went about their job of seat allotments declared the pin ups on the walls as illegal.The officials alerted the parents by revealing that the NEET 2017 rules did not entertain mutual swapping of seats

"Mutual transfers are completely banned. It is not allowed directly, nor through any authority. If there are any ads put up, they are illegal and parents should not consider them," said S Sacchidanand, Director Medical Education, Karnataka, while speaking to TOI.

The advertisements are quite blatant and direct in nature. One of them read, "MBBS students looking for a transfer to Srinivasa Medical College, Mangalore, from any Bangalore/Dharwad medical college can contact the number given below. Seat fee Rs 6.33 lakh."

Another called out, "Anyone interested in mutual transfer from Subbiah Dental College, Shimoga, to any dental colleges in Bangalore, Tumkur, and Hassan. Fees Rs 4.29 lakh."

A Senior KEA officials told TOI: "They are fake and middlemen are involved. We have been announcing this during our counseling announcements regularly. If they are offering mutual transfer in more than one city at once, they are dealers and will seek some commission. Parents should be wary of them."

When attempts were made to establish contact on the displayed numbers the voices on the other end expressed reluctance to talk over the phone and in some other cases, the commission agents were not reachable.