E-Paper
Aspirants beat overcrowding, overcharging to appear for PET exam in Lucknow
Due to the influx, candidates were seen struggling to find public transport at several city squares, including the Polytechnic crossing, in Lucknow on Saturday.
LUCKNOW: Despite railway authorities running special trains for the UPSSSC Preliminary Eligibility Test (PET) on Saturday, aspirants coming to Lucknow from other districts had to jostle for space. Not just trains, aspirants complained of overcrowding in buses as well.
If this wasn’t enough, they were “overcharged” by auto and e-rickshaw drivers in the state capital. Due to the influx, candidates were seen struggling to find public transport at several city squares, including the Polytechnic crossing, on Saturday. Besides, a long snarl impeded the pace of the traffic on Ring Road.
“The huge rush made it difficult for us to board the train. On reaching Lucknow, we had to deal with auto and e-rickshaw drivers who were charging more than the normal to drop us at exam centres,” said Ashish Kumar, an aspirant who came to Lucknow from Ballia.
However, the situation this time was comparatively better than what the state has witnessed in the exams held in the past. The improvement was largely due to railways operating a few special trains for the convenience of candidates.
The special trains run for candidates included -- Lucknow-Ayodhya Cantt-Varanasi (04220); Lucknow-Ayodhya Cantt (04204); Lucknow-Banaras Express (05108); Varanasi-Lucknow (04265); and Lucknow-Prayagraj Sangam (04216). These trains made more pitstops to accommodate candidates from several towns.
