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Nationwide chakka jam tomorrow: IIT Bombay gives GATE candidates travel passes
Farmers protesting against the new farm laws around New Delhi and the national capital region have called for a nationwide chakka jam or road blockade on Saturday
Candidates appearing for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2021 on Saturday, have been issued special certificates enabling their travel on the day in view of the nationwide blockade.
Farmers protesting against the new farm laws around New Delhi and the national capital region have called for a nationwide chakka jam or road blockade. Agitating farmers said they will block national and state highways for three hours (12pm to 3pm) on Saturday to register their dissent on the harassment of protesters.
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On the same day, however, GATE will kick off at 9.30am and will be held in two sessions—morning and afternoon. GATE is an entrance exam taken by undergraduate students and graduates for admissions to masters and PhD programmes of technology institutes such as Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institutes of Science (IISc). The GATE score is also a qualifier for placements in public sector undertakings. Qualifying in the exam is also mandatory for seeking financial assistance from the Ministry of Education (MoE) and other government scholarships / assistantships.
“The GATE 2021 office has prepared a special certificate requesting all concerned to allow you to pass through any blockade that you may face on your way. These certificates have been emailed to all those who have the exam on 6th (February). Please take a print out of this document and carry with you while travelling,” said Subhasis Chaudhuri, director of IIT Bombay, which is organising the examination this year.
“Though in the admit card, instructions’ point number 12 already says that admit card can be used as a movement pass in case of any restrictions, to add to that, this additional support letter is issued to whom so ever it may concern, in both English and Hindi to ease the movement of candidates to their exam locations,” said Deepankar Choudhury, organising chairperson and professor at IIT Bombay.
While the first session is between 9.30am and 12.30pm, the afternoon session is between 3pm and 6pm. “In view of the possibility of transport blockade on February 6, all GATE candidates are requested to arrive at the exam centre well ahead of time. Please carry sufficient food and water in case you need to arrive much earlier or reach home late,” Chaudhuri told aspirants in a social media post.
