TNN, Pune Edition, 19th Aug 2008

Pune: The cut-off date for admissions to engineering, management and polytechnic courses has been extended by periods ranging from a week to a fortnight by the state director for technical education (DTE) following a plea by various institutions from the city.

Speaking to TOI on Monday, DTE S.K Mahajan said a section of students, especially from the rural areas, and some institutions from Pune had sought the extension in view of delayed results for degree courses like BCA and BCS.

Similarly, permissions to new diploma institutions are to be announced later this week. “Instead of favouring any one particular course, we decided to extend the admission cut-offs for all courses with suitable periods,” he said.

Admissions to first-year engineering degree courses got over on August 15, while those for second-year engineering lateral entry for the diploma-holders are approaching its final stages.

Similarly, the government is expected to clear new polytechnics, besides announcing new second-shift polytechnics. The second-shift polytechnics — which will be a first-of-its-kind in the state, enabling the institutions to run polytechnics in two shifts from the same premises — forms part of the All India Council of Technical Education’s scheme to cater to the growing demand for technical skill-sets by the industry.
According to a DTE notification issued on August 16, the fresh admission cut-offs for MBA and MMS courses is August 30, instead of August 22; for MCA it is August 20, instead of August 10; for second-year engineering lateral entries it is September 9, instead of August 30 and for diploma courses in engineering, pharmacy, architecture, hotel management and catering technology it is August 30, instead of August 16.

In Pune, a majority of engineering colleges are resuming their classes for 2008-09 academic year from the last week of August.