Bhubaneswar: When Cyclone Fani battered Puri and Khurda districts in Odisha, it not only damaged the infrastructure but also created an imbalance in the educational system in the State. The OPSC candidates from these two districts on Tuesday demanded postponement of the Odisha Civil Services Mains Exam, scheduled to begin from July 5, 2019.
In a letter to the Principal Secretary of General Administration (G. A) Department and Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) Chairman, several candidates from cyclone-ravaged districts have demanded to re-schedule the forthcoming Civil Services Mains Examination, being conducted by the OPSC. They alleged that their preparation for the exam was hampered after the very severe cyclonic storm caused damages to their locality.
The candidates further claimed that some houses were heavily damaged in the cyclone, while the restoration works including power supply completed in some villages only a few days ago. Power supply is yet to be restored in other places, they alleged.
"The cyclone apart from causing massive damages in our area, also affected our preparation for the examination, and we were hopeful that the State government would give us some more time to prepare for the exam by conducting it either in the month of August or September. But it didn't happen," said a candidate on the condition of anonymity.
"After the dates were announced on May 30 we met the concerned officials and even wrote to them requesting them to postpone the exam. However, no decision has been taken in this regard," he added.
"It was very difficult for us to prepare for the subjective exam of 2,600 marks within a short period of time. As the cyclone affected our preparation and this being the last attempt for some candidates, we request the OPSC officials to postpone the exam and give us some time to prepare," said Rashmi Prabha Das, another candidate from Kanas area in Puri district.
Comments from the OPSC officials over the matter could not be obtained.
The OPSC Mains examination 2018 is scheduled to be held from July 5 till July 29, barring July 21.