Rain adds to difficulties of getting to NEET exam centre

Mangaluru: In addition to the slew of safety measures put in place owing to the pandemic, students attending the National Eligibility Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) in Dakshina Kannada on Sunday had to brave the heavy showers that have been lashing the coastal district relentlessly for the past week. But regardless of the difficulties that the circumstances posed, there was a collective sigh of relief from the students, many of whom travelled from Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga and neighbouring Kerala, who appeared for the examination in Mangaluru. The examination had already been deferred twice in the past.
A PU lecturer from Bhadravathi in Shivamogga, who accompanied his son who appeared for the NEET-UG exam at Sharada PU College in Mangaluru, opined that the government, taking cognisance of the Covid-19 crisis, ought to have ensured more local venues for the key test, which would have eliminated the need for them to travel long distances.
Maurya, a student at Alva’s PU College and a native of Mysuru, said that he came to the NEET examination centre from the Alva’s Ayurveda Hospital in Moodbidri, where he was undergoing treatment for his fractured ankle. He, however, said that the distance did not deter him from travelling to the venue. “I have been waiting and preparing for the test for the past two years. My mother suggested I do not write the test after I sustained a fracture, but I refused,” Maurya added.
Kasaragod resident Riza, a student of Student of St Agnes PU College in Mangaluru, said that she was just pleased that the exam was not behind her. “I studied a lot for the test, which kept getting postponed,” said Riza.
On writing the exam with masks and gloves, the students said that, they had practiced it beforehand, and the new set-up did not pose a problem.
The NEET-UG test had been scheduled on May 3, and was postponed first July 26, after which it was deferred to September 13. More importantly, most of the examination centres were located on the outskirts of cities.