MUMBAI, June 15: All degree colleges affiliated to the University of Mumbai have been asked to reserve three per cent seats for sportspersons, handicapped, and children of defence personnel and those in transferable jobs.

The university issued a fresh circular on Sunday in this regard. With this three per cent quota, the total reservation in colleges will go up to 53 per cent. Currently, 50 per cent seats are reserved in institutes belonging to various linguistic and religious minorities.

Talking to Express Newsline on Sunday, the Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Naresh Chandra stated: ``The state government has directed us to reserve three per cent seats. The government will soon approach the HC to seek instructions for implementation of this quota.''

The new university circular is expected to reach all the concerned colleges by Monday morning -- when the admission for in-house students are scheduled to begin all over again. However, the Forum For Fairness In Education, which has been instrumental in bringing about the new changes in the admission procedure, has expressed its dissatisfaction for not being included in the flying squad.

``We feel that the varsity has deliberately excluded us from their squads although the government circular (June 2) clearly states that the forum should be a part of the squad,'' said a forum member Professor Jeetendra Shah.

However, the pro-vice chancellor said that there was no specific reason for this exclusion. ``In the flying squad we already have retired principals, senate members, and well-known activists like Pushpa Bhave, and we will try our best to check irregularities in the colleges.''

Meanwhile, the Vice President of Association of Non-Governmental Colleges, Principal D B Kadam said no more changes should be made in the new admission scheme to avoid further delay. ``On Monday we are meeting the Minister of State for Education Anil Deshmukh to chalk out plans for FYJC admissions; but we have already wasted enough time and labour in the degree college admissions. The minority colleges have simply used their privileged status as a pretext to move court and disrupt the merit-based admission procedure,'' said Kadam.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.