Pune: Deputy Chairman of State Legislative Council Dr Neelam Gorhe has demanded that the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) must allow students to change their exam centre for the scheduled preliminary examinations on September 20 in the state. She has also opposed the decision of MPSC to allow only those students who have selected Pune as their exam centre to change their central location to a revenue department facility nearest to their native place.
Most of the students come to Pune to study for competitive exams. They chose the examination centre as Pune while filling the application, but due to COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown, most of the students have recently gone to their native villages in Marathwada, Vidarbha, North Maharashtra and Western Maharashtra. The prevalence of COVID-19 is high in Pune, Mumbai, Aurangabad cities. Moreover, there is an inter-district ban in place and hence the candidates had demanded to change the examination centres to their native district.
The MPSC, which initially refused, has decided to allow a change in examination centres for students within Pune district. It has allowed students to select a revenue divisional office facility as the centre nearest to their address. Therefore, only those students with Pune as their exam centre can take benefit of this decision. But still, the question remains about how the students will travel when there is a ban in place for the inter-district commute.
Deputy Chairman Dr Neelam Gorhe has also noticed the lacunae in this decision and she has written a letter to MPSC and instructed its President Satish Gavai to allow students to change their selected examination centres.
The number of COVID-19 patients is increasing in the state at present. The Maharashtra Public Service Commission has issued a circular August 14, 2020, and has decided to provide centres for the exam scheduled on September 20 at the revenue department facilities located near the original address of the students only within the Pune district.
All District Collectors have imposed an inter-district ban due to COVID-19. Pune, Mumbai, Nashik, Aurangabad and Nagpur are the hotspots. Citizens coming from these places are being isolated and quarantined on arrival. Also, a large number of students will be appearing for exams in this city, which will put a lot of stress on the administrative system. Most of the students are from poor families. They do not have any accommodation facilities in big cities and therefore cannot afford to live outside their native places. Considering all these factors, it would be appropriate for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission to keep the examination centres at the district headquarters. Centres should be made available in the same district where the students have their original address.
Dr Gorhe mentioned in the letter that, "In the circular dated August 14, only those students who have selected the examination centre in Pune district are permitted to change their centre. But students who have chosen centres in Mumbai will not be able to avail this benefit. Therefore, necessary action should be taken to conduct the preliminary examination on September 20 at the district headquarters for all students."
