NEET-PG aspirants voice concern over allocation of exam centres

Mohit Khanna
Tribune News Service
Patiala, August 2
A large number of candidates who have applied for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for admissions to postgraduate medical courses (NEET-PG) have voiced concern over the allotment of examination centres at distant places despite preferring centres closer to their cities.
Though the centres have been established in Patiala, Amritsar and Bathinda, Chandigarh and Mohali have been excluded for the NEET-PG, which is scheduled for August 11. The aspirants claimed that travelling and finding accommodation has become a challenge for them due to the inclement weather.

Review allotment of centres: tharoor

• Congress MP Shashi Tharoor wrote to Health Minister
  JP Nadda seeking his intervention over the issue of NEET-PG aspirants being allotted exam centres in distant cities
• “I have received numerous representations from the students in Kerala who have been shockingly allotted centres in Andhra Pradesh — 1,000 km away,” Tharoor said
• Kerala MPs Anto Anthony, Hibi Eden, Benny Behanan and others have also met Nadda and requested to allocate the centres within the state

In several cases, candidates who selected Ambala and Delhi have been assigned centres in Chhattisgarh.
Parkash (name changed), a resident of Ambala, said he had selected Patiala and Bathinda as a preferred option but was allocated a centre in Amritsar. Speaking on condition of anonymity, another student who opted for Ambala and Delhi was also assigned the Amritsar centre.
The candidates are also apprehensive about the exam being conducted in two shifts – morning and evening. They fear that variation in questions may give undue advantage to certain aspirants.
They said they have not been notified whether they would appear in the morning or evening shift , a detail that would be shared just one or two days ahead of the exam, complicating the matters for the aspirants who have been allotted distant centres.
Dr DS Bhullar, former president, Punjab State Medical and Dental Teachers’ Association, said, “It would have been better if the students had got the examination centres of their choice. Instead of two shifts, the examination should be conducted in one shift so that all candidates attempt same questions. The number of candidates appearing for the NEET-PG is much less compared to the NEET-UG.”