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NT Bureau
Chennai, May 22:

        Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today hit back at AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa who had wanted counselling for engineering courses at four centres in the State and said the idea behind holding counselling in Chennai alone was based on ensuring transparency in view of the scrapping of the common entrance test (CET).

        In a statement here, Karunanidhi said as the CET was scrapped, students with same cut-off marks would be in large numbers through out Tamilnadu.

        'Hence, when selecting students having similar marks, a candid atmosphere has to be in place and only to ensure transperancey, counselling is being arranged in a single place this year,' he said and added that the fee for counselling has also been reduced to Rs 200 from Rs 300 considering the travel from distant places to Chennai.

        'However, the government would not hesitate to hold counselling sessions in four centres as was the practice during the previous year, if representations were received from the student community,' the Chief Minister said.

        Pat for UPA

        Answering a question on the completion of three years by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre, the Chief Minister said, 'The UPA governemnt has done a very satisfying job and i extend my hearty greetings to them.' Karunanidhi also listed the works undertaken during the last three years by the UPA in Tamilnadu. 'Sethu Samudiram scheme, classical language status for Tamil, motor vehicle inspection centre on par with modern standards, Salem railway division, broad guage rail routes, Koodankulam Nuclear power plant, 4 lane roads in national highways and Siddha research institute,' he pointed out.

        On the Supreme Court's refusal to ban dredging work for Sethu Samudram Ship Canal Project, Karunanidhi said to label the sand shoal in the Palk bay region as man made was 'excessively imaginary.'