Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 4: In the absence of an exam centre in Srinagar, hundreds of senior resident doctors from Kashmir had to endure days of travel, hardships and mental exhaustion to appear in the NEET-Super Speciality (SS) examination held on March 29 and 30.
Doctors who appeared in the examination-held by National Board of Examinations (NBE)-told ‘Excelsior’ that if the Government had made efforts to set up an examination centre in Srinagar, it would have saved them several days and prevented significant financial burdens.
“It’s not just about time and money. The extensive travel we had to undertake also affected our performance. If the examination centre had been in Srinagar, it would have been an altogether different experience,” said Dr. Riyaz Ahmad, a senior resident at SKIMS, Soura.
It is worth noting that, due to the absence of a local exam centre, candidates were forced to travel to Delhi and other cities to appear for the exam.
The only centre set up in J&K by NBE was in Jammu, which quickly reached its capacity, leaving Delhi and other distant locations as the only available options.
On the day candidates were scheduled to depart, many flights from Srinagar airport were either cancelled or delayed, due to bad weather, causing further disruption.
“Our flight was delayed, and we finally departed in the late evening. We reached Delhi at 11 pm, and the next morning, we appeared for the exam-tired and facing numerous difficulties,” said Dr. Shariq, another candidate.
As flights were cancelled and delayed, many candidates had no option but to book cabs to reach their destinations, which not only added to the financial burden but also made the journey more exhausting.
“When flights were cancelled due to gusty winds, we had no choice but to travel by road. There was no certainty about when flights would resume, and we couldn’t take any chances,” said another senior resident doctor from GMC Srinagar.
“The road journey added to the expenses and fatigue. By the time we reached, we were exhausted, but had no choice except to mentally prepare for the exam the next morning.”
Aggrieved, the doctors said they were left “disheartened” as the Government, despite their repeated appeals, failed to facilitate the establishment of an exam centre in Srinagar.
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