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Utter confusion prevailed at several centres across the state where an exam to fill vacant Grade C category posts of the state health department was conducted on Sunday morning. Question papers did not arrive on time at several exam centres, including in Pune, Nashik and Latur, while candidates at several centres received question papers for posts they had not applied.
Dr Archana Patil, state director of health, told The Indian Express that the matter will be looked into and students will not be adversely impacted. A decision will also be taken about Nyasa Communications Private Limited, the firm to which the task of conducting the statewide examination had been entrusted. The exam, which was to be conducted last month to fill up 6,205 vacant posts in Group C and D categories, had been postponed due to the “total inefficiency” of Nyasa, which was unable to meet the requirements for conducting it.
As many as 4,05,179 candidates appeared for the exam Sunday in 17 districts. Overall there were 1,025 exam centres and according to a statement issued by the state health department, problems occurred at 10 centres. At one centre, 36 candidates were given a different question set.
Three centres in Pune and two in Nashik did not receive question paper sets on time and invigilators to supervise the examination were absent. Dr Patil said that in the initial morning session, there was a problem at three centres in Pune. There were no invigilators at one centre and there was a delay in sending the question paper sets at other two centres, including Abeda Inamdar College.
The state health department then deputed its own staff as invigilators. At Chinchwad, candidates were given a set of question papers of a different Grade examination. The paper for post of non-medical supervisors should have reached the Geeta Mala Examination Centre at Chinchwad, but instead candidates got question sets for another category.
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At Nashik’s Girnar examination centre, the question paper booklets were not sent on time – at one centre, the question papers were sent but the vehicle travelling to another centre in Nashik was delayed. At one centre, the student representative was not involved while opening the seal of the examination booklet. In a centre in Latur, there was a delay in getting the booklets while in Nagpur, the situation was resolved immediately.
Across the state, more than four lakh candidates had enrolled for 2,739 vacant posts under the Class C category, including staff nurses, auxiliary nursing midwives, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, X-Ray technicians and laboratory assistants. The examination for 3,466 Class D category posts, including ward boys, sweepers and other supporting staff, will be held on October 31. Candidates for Grade C had appeared for the examination at more than 1,000 centres in the state.
In Pune circle (Pune, Satara and Solapur districts), as many as 31,951 candidates had been shortlisted for the written examination for selection to 236 vacant posts. In Pune, there were 63 centres for the morning session and 123 centres for the afternoon session, Dr Sanjay Deshmukh, assistant director (health), Pune circle told The Indian Express.
Patil said several sessions were being held to guide the Nyasa team on how to conduct the examination. Several state health department officials said this mismanagement could be damaging to the overall reputation of the department. But authorities said they will ensure candidates will not suffer and a decision will be taken soon on a re-exam for those who missed it.
City BJP unit chief Jagdish Mullick staged a demonstration at Abeda Inamdar college and demanded that the firm Nyasa be blacklisted.
