Soon after the examination of Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) was postponed amid rise in COVID-19 cases in the state, aspirants appearing for the exam have expressed disappointment over the decision. Several students in Pune have staged protests against the decision. The examination was scheduled to be conducted on March 14.
Initially, the exam was scheduled for April 2020, but has been delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Following the delay for the second time, the students staged a protest earlier this morning.
Organising themselves into groups, the students tried to block the Lalbahadur Shastri Road in Pune on Thursday. As per a report, as soon as students tried to block the road leading towards Deccan area of the city, police rushed to the spot.
The students appearing for the examinations have been affected as their exams are still incomplete.
Hitting out at the government for its failure to conduct foolproof MPSC exams, one of the students on the condition of anonymity said, “I have come Pune for preparations and to appear for MPSC examinations. From past months, government is postponing the exams in the name of COVID-19. We pay house rent and other bills when are here. It is difficult to survive now.”
Videos and pictures of the protests are making rounds on Twitter
The decision was taken in the wake of rise in the spread of COVID-19 infection as the state on Wednesday reported around 13000 new cases. This is for the fourth time the government has postponed the MPSC exam since the COVID outbreak.
The MPSC preliminary examinations, to fill up 200 posts in different departments, was supposed to be conducted on April 5. It was first postponed to September 13 due to the lockdown. However, since the NEET was scheduled for September 13, clashing with MPSC, the exams later were rescheduled again to September 20. In a fresh, the exam was scheduled on March 14.
