As more than 74,688 engineering seats have remained vacant under the convener's quota across the state.

While big engineering colleges have managed to fill up the existing seats in various streams, colleges established in the last five years are the worst-hit. A similar number of seats under the management quota have found no takers.

The date set for completion of the admission procedure is October 24 and students opting for the management quota have to do so before October 15. Given the short time span, private engineering college managements are in a fix.

'The deadline is short and whatever planning we do has to be for the next year,' said KVK Rao, general secretary of the Consortium of Engineering and Professional College Management Associations.

Due to the ongoing strike, some students missed the deadline of September 25 and could not report on time for fresh allotments in the final phase of counselling.

The seats can not be filled by the college managements. Nearly 15,028 fresh allotments were made in the second phase of counselling, which concluded on September 10.

As the AICTE lists the course of action over 2012-13, a fresh crop of private engineering colleges is likely to come up in the state, adding to the dismal situation.

'We would request AICTE within a week's time to refrain from approving the establishment of new engineering colleges as it will compound our woes,' said Rao. As of now, about half of the 3.1 lakh engineering seats in the state are vacant.