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UP: Distant PET exam centres leave aspirants in lurch; railway station floors become night shelters
PET is the qualifying examination for recruitment into several Group C government posts in Uttar Pradesh.
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Hundreds of kilometres of travel aboard overcrowded trains, sleeping on railway station floors and mounting expenses have exacerbated the hardships of candidates appearing for the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission's (UPSSSC) Preliminary Eligibility Test (PET).
PET is the qualifying examination for recruitment into several Group C government posts in Uttar Pradesh.
Aspirants who reached Bareilly said allotment of centres 300 to 500 km away from their homes has caused them much physical exhaustion, financial hardship and mental stress, besides affecting preparations.
"During elections, the government arranges polling booths close to voters' homes, but for recruitment examinations, young people are sent 400 to 500 km away," said Sunil Parashari, an MBA student from Barabanki.
Ashish from Azamgarh said prior to this, his Railway Junior Engineer examination centre had been allotted in Agra, nearly 500 km from his residence, and he could not reach the venue in time -- thereby missing the examination.
"Excessive distance from centres and the difficulties involved in travelling there should not deprive candidates of the opportunity to appear in examinations," he said.
Nikhil Pratap Singh from Gorakhpur urged the government not to test the patience of young aspirants by putting them through such hardships.
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"The government should not test the endurance of young people or harass them in this manner. Such anger among youth has been witnessed earlier in Delhi and in Nepal. The system needs to be improved without delay," he said.
Pushpa Raje from Hardoi, who was resting on the floor of Bareilly Junction station, demanded examination centres be allotted in candidates' home districts or neighbouring districts.
"Long-distance travel causes considerable financial losses to candidates from poor and middle-class families. The agencies conducting examinations must take these practical difficulties seriously," she said.
Anupam Shukla from Sultanpur said he had travelled nearly 450 km to reach Bareilly, adding that such exhausting journeys also adversely affected candidates' studies.
Madhu Shivhare from Delhi, who has completed a nursing course but remains unemployed, said her PET examination centre was allotted in Budaun. After much struggle aboard overcrowded trains, she reached Bareilly and had to spend the night on the floor of the railway station before proceeding to her examination centre.
"I have now lost all hope in the government," she said.
Pradeep Kumar, a mechanical engineering student from Rae Bareli, also expressed frustration over allocation of centre for the earlier Railway Junior Engineer examination in Agra, saying he, too, could not appear for the test due to the excessive distance.
Candidates also questioned claims of special train arrangements during examinations, saying overcrowding continued to make travel difficult.
Manoj Kumar from Ayodhya said trains were so crowded that there was hardly any space to stand. Candidates travelling on general tickets were often forced to struggle for space in sleeper and AC coaches, he said.
With travel expenses adding to their burden, many candidates said staying in hotels or lodges was beyond their means, forcing them to spend nights on railway station floors.
Meanwhile, the Bareilly administration said arrangements have been made for peaceful and fair conduct of the examination.
Nodal officer and Additional District Magistrate (City) Avinash Tripathi said 62,024 candidates were registered to appear at 23 examination centres in Bareilly.
"Elaborate security arrangements have been made at all examination centres to ensure that the examination is conducted in a transparent, peaceful and malpractice-free manner," he said.
