Pankaj Arora (in blue t-shirt) from Karnal

Tajammul Hussain (light coloured shirt) from Moradabad

NEW DELHI: Delhi University's maiden effort at moving the entire admission process online got an inauspicious start with the website shutting down practically as soon as the process began. Applicants had to first study cut-offs, then select course and college on the admission portal for an admission slip and then taken the admission slip to the college with the other required documents. When efforts at home failed, some parents grabbed their laptops and arrived at the arrived at the colleges expecting help. Although the turnout was low at most colleges, panicked parents rushed in and out of colleges.A large number of applicants was either unaware they had to get any slip or under the impression that the colleges are supposed to furnish them.Some, including Gargi and Shri Ram College of Commerce opened their own computer laboratories and made their printers available; Lady Shri Ram College's students union sent batches to internet cafes in Amar Colony and Nehru Place with volunteers."Parents are getting nervous and they feel we can help them. But our hands are tied. It's 11:40 am already and I have just received the second valid form this morning," says Rita Malhotra, principal, Kamala Nehru College. Many applicants didn't even know an admission slip was required and had brought just the registration one. Gargi College principal Shashi Tyagi estimates only about 50% parents knew they were supposed to download and print admission slips. "We didn't know and are now going back," says Ayushi Batra who made the cut for BCom at KNC. "We first opened it at 9:30 am but the site was down. We decided to come here," says another parent, Pankaj Arora who brought his laptop along to KNC for his daughter's admission. He's from Karnal."There's complete chaos,' says Shambhavi Diggi, managing the student volunteers running the show at LSR. "There are 100-200 students who have met the cut-off but are not getting admission. We have people from Cooch Behar (West Bengal) and Andamans saying they have to take the evening train out. Tajammul Hussain's came with son, Ailak and daughter Farah Bi -- the applicant -- from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. "We came to Delhi by bus and came here directly.But the DU portal crashed and they are not getting the slips. Parents don't know what to do." She sent two batches with volunteers to cyber cafes. If any of them managed to obtain the slip, they returned. Here, too, there were several sets of parents with laptops. Poonam Bhagat and her son accompanied her daughter, Hindi applicant, to LSR from Faridabad. "We tried the link in the morning. When we couldn't open it, we set out because we didn't want to get caught in traffic," she says. Pooja Rawal, also at LSR for her daughters admission into journalism, was able to download the slip on phone and iPad but not take prints as the printers available couldn't be connected through bluetooth. They also complained about the format in which the cut-offs were uploaded."Four students out o about 180 managed screenshots. But college is not accepting them or they don't know how to use the online system. We have kids from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh coming in. They have are certificates and they are eligible. The only thing standing in their way is DU's admission system," says Diggi. The DU Teachers' Association boycott of the admission process over promotions — there hasn't been any for about eight years — isn't helping. Diggi says there are only five teacher convenors helping with admissions at LSR; the ad hocs were summoned but haven't shown.