New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, which is the organising institute for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Advanced this year, has appealed to alumni and students across the country to help arrange transport for JEE aspirants who may face difficulty travelling to their exam centres.

IIT Delhi Director V. Ramgopal Rao, in an appeal on Facebook Saturday, asked IIT alumni, students and “good Samaritans” to pitch in and help students access exam centres in view of the unavailability of adequate public transport due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Public transport like buses are still not available in some parts of the country.

While an initial call for help has been issued through social media, Rao added that IIT Delhi is also planning to launch a portal soon to coordinate the efforts.

JEE Advanced takes place after the JEE Mains is conducted, for admission to the 23 IITs across India.

While JEE Mains, organised by the National Testing Agency, is scheduled to take place from 1–6 September, JEE Advanced will be conducted on 27 September. Students across the country have expressed difficulties in appearing for these exams due to the pandemic. One of their major concerns is travelling to faraway exam centres due to unavailability of public transport.

IIT Delhi Director’s appeal to state govts

In his Facebook post, Rao said people who have the means should either drive students to their exam centre or help them financially so that they can arrange private transport for themselves.

“As citizens, we need to stand up together in times of crisis and help each other. If I am in a rural area and got a car, and if there is a poor student who needs to go to the examination center and cannot afford private transport, I would take the student to the examination hall. I would do it entirely free of cost. If I do not have time, I will be happy to support the student financially for private transport. That’s such a natural thing to do. I hope to hear such stories after the examination is over,” he wrote.

The director added that IIT Delhi is also looking at allocating 95-99 per cent aspirants with their first preference of exam centre, as they have been doubled this year. He also sought help from fellow IIT directors from Mumbai, Kanpur, Kharagpur and others to extend help.

In his post, Rao appealed to the state governments and local administration to arrange buses and make special provisions for students taking examinations.

The institute had earlier announced that it is following all norms to ensure the exams are conducted safely.

Apart from following the social distancing norms of maintaining 6-foot distance between candidates at the time of entry and exit, regular use of hand sanitisers and distance between two seats in the exam hall, IIT Delhi will also give admit cards with bar codes.

Bar code readers will be available at each entry point and a lab will be assigned to students on the basis of the bar code so there is no crowding in front of a lab.

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