Kolkata: Amid gusty winds and heavy rainfall, examinees struggled to reach their examination halls for the NEET re-test on Sunday. Out of 109,527 registered candidates, 93,878 appeared for the exam, while 15,649 skipped the re-test. Candidates appearing for the test in Kolkata faced severe difficulties reaching their centres because a heavy downpour drenched the city just before the exam’s 2 pm start.Around two hours of torrential rain triggered widespread waterlogging in many pockets of the city, flooding several exam centres. Waterlogging was reported in front of Asutosh College, which, combined with the massive crowd, led to heavy traffic gridlocks while the rain poured down. Several candidates arrived in completely soaked clothes to take the test. Before they could enter the building, candidates had to wait outside the college premises in ankle-deep water.State urban development & municipal affairs minister Agnimitra Paul posted on social media that upon receiving complaints about waterlogging at Asutosh College, the issue was prioritized and prompt action was taken. The accumulated water was quickly drained out to ensure easy access to the examination centre, minimizing the hardships faced by candidates and their guardians as much as possible. An official of the National Testing Agency (NTA) said, “We have made sure all students get the best facilities.”Sannidhya Jha, who travelled from Rishra, arrived at Asutosh College in a wet T-shirt after getting drenched during his journey. Having left home at 9 am, he reached Howrah by train, where he had to wait a long time to get a cab to the venue. He said, “Did I really have an option? If I had failed to reach on time, I would have missed my chance for this year. I prepared well and hoped to deliver my best this time too.”Oishani Basak, another candidate standing in the entry queue under an umbrella, said, “It is so frustrating to appear for the exact same test twice within a month. I had almost given up hope and did not want to attend the exam a second time, but my parents motivated me, and I couldn’t disappoint them.” Arkajyoti Hazra, whose sister was taking the exam, said, “We came from Baranagar by Metro, but navigating through this heavy rainfall was quite difficult. My sister’s morale was quite low because she had to take a re-test within a month, but she has finally overcome her exam anxiety.”Several NEET aspirants, travelling from as far as Amtala and Shirakol in South 24 Parganas, as well as Thakurpukur, had a torrid time trying to enter their centre at the PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya near the Alipore Command Hospital. Initially, a group of students led by Nupur Saha got off a bus at Mominpore but found knee-deep water at the crossing, making it impossible to reach the campus on foot. They boarded a second bus closer to the Command Hospital and frantically navigated their way around. “We were at our wits end. We had not expected to be completely drenched upon arriving at the centre. As if writing the exam all over again was not enough, this new challenge was something we were simply not prepared for,” said Nupur.Antara Sen, who took her exam at a centre in Jadavpur, said that she had left home around 10:30 am—an hour earlier than planned—after noticing the weather deteriorating. “The cab fares were extremely high. However, the authorities at the centre were helpful, even though the security checks this time were highly stringent,” said Sen.A three-tier security arrangement was put in place at TCS Gitabitan, a prominent centre in Salt Lake. Candidates there underwent mandatory biometric verification using govt-approved systems and had to pass through multiple security checkpoints. Meanwhile, considering the heavy rainfall, candidates taking the test at Jadavpur University were permitted to enter the campus with their umbrellas.
