Free shuttle service, community help take stress off candidates’ mind

District administrations in Karnal, Kaithal and Kurukshetra remained on their toes to ensure a smooth conduct of the Common Eligibility Test (CET) by the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC).

The exam was conducted peacefully across the three districts without any incident of cheating from anywhere.

In Karnal, of the 29,787 candidates who were to appear in the exam, 27,591 candidates turned up, while in Kurukshetra, 18,852 candidates took the CET. In Karnal, 53 exam centres were set up across 37 locations, facilitating the appearance of around 70,000 candidates from Jind and nearby districts in four shifts over two days.

The administration, in collaboration with social organisations, arranged for free night stay and meals at dharamshalas, besides round-the-clock assistance for the candidates.

Free shuttle bus service was provided between bus stands and exam centres. In Karnal, 85 shuttles were deployed, each labelled and supported by help desks and an active announcement system to guide the candidates.

The candidates with disabilities were provided a door-to-door pick-and-drop service. Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh and Superintendent of Police Gangaram Punia conducted surprise inspections at exam centres to ensure everything — from CCTV surveillance to biometric verification — worked flawlessly. “No significant issues were reported across the district and the exam went peacefully and smoothly,” said the DC.

Rachna, a candidate from Julana, said: “We were transported from our home to the centre without a hitch. The exam was the only thing we had to focus on.” Her father Vikramjeet said, “The free travel saved us money and stress. This is the first time we have seen such candidate-focused arrangements.” SP Punia said law and order was maintained to ensure a fair and peaceful exam.

In Kaithal, the administration began free bus services as early as 3 am, with buses dispatched from 10 clusters, including Pundri, Kalayat, Cheeka and Siwan. A total of 16,371 candidates appeared in the exam in Kaithal. DC Preeti and SP Astha Modi personally monitored operations by inspecting exam centres and reviewing biometric attendance, CCTV footage and the behaviour of staff during the frisking of the candidates. They instructed officials to maintain dignity and courtesy while ensuring strict security.

Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner Neha Singh said examination was conducted smoothly and 103 shuttle buses were arranged to transport candidates to the centres.

She said the exam centres for candidates from Sonepat district were allotted in Kurukshetra. As per the state government’s arrangement, Anaj Mandi was designated as the parking site for buses arriving from Sonepat. From there, the district administration deployed shuttle buses to ferry candidates to respective centres.

Of the 103 shuttle buses, 94 were stationed at Anaj Mandi, while nine were parked at the main bus stand. Each bus was marked according to the exam centre it was assigned to, ensuring that candidates faced no confusion or inconvenience in reaching respective exam centres.

DC Neha Singh appreciated the efforts of all departments involved in the exercise and said effective planning, coordination and timely execution played a key role in the successful management of Day 1 of the CET.

Meanwhile, NGOs and dharamshalas extended support to candidates. While NGOs arranged food, dharamshalas made arrangements for the night stay of the candidates.