CCTV cameras in Mandi, Kullu

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, March 8

To curb cheating in board examinations this year, most centres in Mandi, Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti are equipped with CCTV cameras.

Himachal board exams have commenced on March 6 and will conclude on March 29.

Data retrieved by The Tribune from the Education Department reveal that there are 276 centres in Mandi, 103 in Kullu and 17 in Lahaul-Spiti.

Earlier, only a few sensitive examination centres were equipped with CCTV cameras, but this time the authorities have equipped most centres with the facility.

Ashok Kumar, Deputy Director, Higher Education, said in Mandi district, all 276 centres had been equipped with the CCTV facility. Flying squads had been constituted to conduct raids on examination centres to check the malpractice of cheating. In Kullu district also, all 103 centres are equipped with cameras.

In Lahaul-Spiti, of the 17 centres, only seven have CCTV facility in the Spiti valley. In Lahaul, there are 10 examination centres, which don’’t have the facility due to unavailability of power supply.

Premnath Parsheera, Deputy Director, Higher Education, in Lahaul-Spiti said, “Due to a heavy snowfall in the region, the power supply is snapped in majority areas of the Lahaul valley where examinations are being conducted. Due to power shutdown, we could not equip the examination centres with CCTV cameras. We have constituted flying squads who will keep a check on cheating in board exams.”