Huge rush at bus depots, railway stations as UP PET 2022 aspirants struggle to get home from exam centres

The exam is happening amid the major flood situation in Uttar Pradesh, which has affected several villages and caused rivers Saryu and Rapti swell.

A major rush of passengers was witnessed at several bus depots and railway stations of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday evening as a large number of candidates, who appeared for the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC) Preliminary Eligibility Test (PET) 2022, returned from their exam centres. The prelims of the two-tier examination, which is held annually to fill vacancies in Group B and Group C posts, will conclude today.

Visuals shared by news agency ANI on Twitter showed candidates gathered in large numbers at railway stations, trying to get on a train. A few pictures showed a man boarding a train using an open window.

The scenes were no different during the morning and afternoon hours of Saturday, which was the first of the two days scheduled for the prelims. Candidates took to Twitter to share their travel woes, with some fearing about missing the exam due to the inability to board a train.

UPSSSC PET candidates raised their concerns to the Railways, and claimed they did not receive proper notice from it regarding the timings of the trains. The aspirants also requested district administrations and chief minister Yogi Adityanath to make special arrangements for them.

The crowd, meanwhile, in Lucknow was comparatively lesser as North Railways divisional railway manager (DRM) Rekha Sharma ordered special trains for candidates from Prayagraj to the capital city, and from Ayodhya to several districts, ANI reported.

Some candidates at the Kanpur Central Railway station told ANI that they were standing throughout their train journey owing to absence of empty seats, and lack of sleeping arrangements at the venue.

The rush was more prominent because the candidates wanted to return to their homes on time to appear for the second day of the prelims, which will be held today.

The state government reportedly has set up helpdesks at every railway station and bus depot in order to help candidates find out how far they are from their exam centres, and how they can reach their destinations.

Furthermore, Uttar Pradesh is combatting a severe flood situation across many districts for nearly a week now. The incessant rainfall in the northern state has resulted in rivers, especially Saryu and Rapti swell, and hundreds of villages getting affected. Adityanath has been conducting aerial survey to gauge the condition of the affected regions, and was snapped interacting with villagers and distributing relief materials during these journeys. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also been deployed at various locations for relief work and to keep citizens, especially in the low-lying areas, safe.

Nearly 37 lakh candidates are reportedly appearing for this year's examination. The prelims - on October 15 and 16 - are being conducted in two shifts, with the first one being from 10am to 12pm and the second one being from 3pm to 5pm.

Following the prelims (PET), aspirants will be shortlisted for the mains exams, a skill test and a physical test.