Students write NEET amid strict Covid protocols

Hyderabad: The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG-2020 held on Sunday at 263 centres in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh amid Covid-19 safety measures.

Candidates started gathering well in advance at several examination centres in the twin cities of Hyderabad-Secundrabad, Warangal and other centres in Telangana giving a tough time for the security personnel deployed to maintain social distancing norms.

Nearly 1,7,691 candidates have registered for the pen and paper-based test. Reports from the examination centres of Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Vijayawada indicate that lack of a sufficient number of police personnel and security staff at the colleges led to the violation of the guidelines of the Union Health Ministry, to prevent the gathering of crowds. Considering the COVID-19 norms, the National Testing Agency has almost double the examination centres this time in both the States. Students were allowed to enter into the examination centres well ahead of the 1.30 pm, as they had to sign and submit a self-declaration form and submit themselves for temperature checks.

They were allowed to enter into the examination centres in a staggered manner, in a batch of 15 students as part of the social distancing norm.

"Majority of people are coming to the centre using personal transport. But, people gathered to find out allocated examination halls against their roll number, displayed on the notice board, forgetting the social distancing norms.

The school should have put up more number of notice boards giving details of the room allocations," said Vijayalakshmi who brought her daughter to take the examination at Srikrishna Vidya Mandir, Visakhapatnam.

Similarly, the lone notice board put up displaying the allocation of the examination halls at the Joseph Degree College, Kurnool, left candidate to gather in good numbers to figure out their allocated rooms.

But, students were allowed to enter into the examination halls in batches. The social distancing norms were strictly observed at Sri Padmavathi Junior College for Women, in Tirupati, and the students were asked to not to stand in groups.

However, candidates were seen in long ques strictly following the social distancing norm at Sarojini Naidu Vanita Mahavidyalaya in Hyderabad. Students were allowed only to enter after completion of the temperature check and presenting their proof of identity. However, no student has rejected entry on account of the dress code prescribed by the NTA, the security person on duty said.

Students were allowed to enter into the examination centre till 1.30 pm.

For NEET(UG)-2020, about 55,800 were registered to take the test in 112 examination centres, as against 56,073 candidates in NEET(UG)-2019 held at 79 centres in Telangana.

Similarly, 61,892 candidates have been registered to take the test at 151 examination centres, as against 57,755 candidates in 2019 at 98 centres in Andhra Pradesh.