KPSC diktat: Travel 600 km in Covid times

Bengaluru: Meena (name changed) hoped to write the Karnataka Public Service Commission exam this year. She wasn’t worried, at first, about being pregnant, because candidates can choose an exam centre based on their location. This year, in order “to avoid malpractice,” KPSC decided to change the rules, and has allotted the exam centres instead. To the thousands of candidates who now have to travel hundreds of kilometres across the state, taking the exams will be a costly, cumbersome affair. “I have to travel 600 kilometres from Chikmagalur to Kalburgi and I’m five months pregnant. It is absolutely not safe,” says Meena. “All my hard work has gone in vain.”

Angry with the KPSC’s sudden, arbitrary decision, candidates have started a Twitter campaign to boycott the move. The KPSC exam is held to recruit officials to state services and comprises a number of papers. So far, students were allowed to choose exam centres according to their convenience. This year, they were surprised to find that the option no longer existed - they would be allotted centres by the Commission. As it turned out, this was done without taking the student’s location into account - many have to travel hundreds of kilometres and spend several days at the centre, all at their own expense.

“I have to travel from Bidar to Bengaluru and stay there for three days,” said a candidate, on condition of anonymity. “I am unable to get train tickets and a bus ticket costs me Rs 1,200. I also have to rent a room at Rs 1000 a night and eat three meals a day. If I travel with my parents, the expense will double and it will cost me anywhere between Rs 8000 and Rs 10,000. Why is the KPSC making such an illogical move?”

Another student says Bengaluru is “a hub for Covid cases,” while they are “in remote villages and happy without any cases. During this time, the KPSC wants us to travel over 600 kilometres to write the exam. We have written to the board many times but haven’t received a response. They don’t listen to the candidates who have paid up for the exams.” Sources from the Commission say it’s an attempt to “avoid malpractice.” Candidates aren’t having any of it - “it’s an eyewash,” said one student. “Everyone knows the vacancies are sold and never allotted based on merit.”

When NT reached out to the head of the KPSC, Kangavalli, she said, “I cannot comment on these decisions. The secretary will be in a position to comment.” However, Sathyavathi, Secretary of the Commission also refused to comment.