Bhubaneswar, July 25: The second round of counselling to fill up vacant seats in technical colleges across the state began today at 11 nodal centres — eight in the city and three in Cuttack — and will continue till July 28.

The students can register online and visit the centres for verification of their documents and lock their choice.

The decision to conduct a second round of OJEE counselling was taken to fill over 30,000 vacancies across all technical and professional courses, including engineering, MBA, MCA, PGDM and PGCM, at colleges across the state.

Of the 45,677 seats at various engineering colleges in the state, around 17,000 students have locked their choices.

In another development, medical counselling for 850 MBBS seats, including 100 seats approved for Sardar Raja Medical College at Jirang near Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district and 150 BDS seats, concluded today.

All state quota MBBS seats at the three government-run medical colleges were filled up on the second day of the centralised counselling.

As many as 212 undergraduate medical seats at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, besides 128 each in MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur and VSS Medical College and Hospital, Burla have been filled up, nodal officer Sitaram Mohapatra said.

The state government takes students for 85 per cent of the seats, while the rest 15 per cent are admitted from all-India quota through national-level counselling.

But, some seats at the three private medical colleges have been left vacant, said an official.