SRINAGAR: A group of Basic Agriculture Training (BAT) and Basic Horticulture Training (BHT) aspirants from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) have appealed for urgent intervention, citing prolonged delays in the final round of counselling that is critical for their admissions.
The aspirants said that despite repeated assurances from university authorities, no official notification has been issued for the last round of counselling, which was promised after the previous session concluded on 3 October 2025. Around fifty seats across BAT and BHT courses remain vacant, they said, leaving them in a state of uncertainty and mental stress.
In letters addressed to university officials and shared with local media, the students claimed that their requests for counselling and seat enhancements have not received adequate attention. They noted that while the university increased seats for undergraduate courses in October, no similar adjustment was made for diploma programmes, despite earlier commitments. “Was this new reservation policy not applicable for diploma courses as well?” one aspirant questioned.
The aspirants emphasised that many among them will be ineligible for next year’s admission due to age restrictions set by the university. They urged authorities to convert remaining category seats into merit-based allocations and conduct counselling without further delay, citing past practices where similar adjustments had been made for previous BHT batches.
The students also requested procedural changes, including the inclusion of a character/provisional certificate in the document verification process to prevent dual admissions, ensuring that vacant seats are properly filled. They stressed that they have been waiting for months, are not enrolled in any other institution, and are now facing severe anxiety and mental health concerns due to the uncertainty.
The aspirants have placed their hopes on the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar of SKUAST-K, appealing for immediate action to fill the vacant seats and save their academic year.
When contacted, SKUAST-K authorities had not issued any statement regarding the pending counselling or the aspirants’ concerns.
