Cuttack: The Odisha Private Engineering Colleges' Association (Opeca) has submitted a proposal to the state government to allow all non-JEE candidates for admission into vacant seats in first-year BTech in the 2018-19 academic session.

The association expected the state government should have no problem in allowing the proposal as the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in its Approval Process Handbook 2018-19 has empowered state governments and Union territories to decide the modalities for the admissions in their respective areas.

In its memorandum to commissioner-cum-secretary of skill development and technical education department Sanjay Singh, Opeca proposed that after two rounds of OJEE counselling all vacant seats be handed over to the colleges to be filled up through college level counselling for JEE (Main) rank holders, other state JEE rank holders, state deemed university rank holders and non-JEE candidates with 45 per cent marks as per eligibility criteria fixed by the government.

"If this modality is implemented/allowed, then there shall be no requirement for conduct of the special OJEE," Opeca secretary Binod Dash contended in the memorandum submitted last week.

Until 2013, admissions into BTech courses in engineering colleges of the state were done through the OJEE. However, with the state government joining the JEE (Main), a common all-India engineering entrance test, from 2014 students aspiring for B.Tech seats appeared the JEE (Main) conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

However, Opeca had since been seeking intervention of the high court for filling up vacant seats in the private engineering colleges after admissions on the basis of JEE (Main).