Mumbai : Scores of students who have applied to the National Defence Academy (NDA) are afraid whether they will be able to reach their examination centres on time as the examination date is coinciding with Ganesh Visarjan (Anant Chaturdashi) — a day when the commute in the city is virtually paralyzed. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) student wing has requested the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for a change in the exam date.
The UPSC conducts National Defence Academy and Naval Academy (NDA&NA) examinations twice a year for admissions to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the National Defence Academy. The seats are extremely coveted and students devote a year after HSC for preparations as it is a class-one commissioned service.
This year, NDA & NA Exam (II) is scheduled on September 27, 2015 and coincidentally, it is the day when the various Ganesh idols across the city are taken for immersion at the end of the 10-day Ganesh festival. Except emergency services, all agencies including schools, colleges, private offices and government offices declare a holiday for this major city festival.
Applicants are afraid that commuting would be very difficult as Mumbai roads — which are infamously-congested even on regular days —are jam-packed with vehicles carrying Ganesh idols and long queues of devotees.
Besides, on short notice, the traffic police also divert the traffic from one road to another.
The MNS student wing has written a letter to the UPSC requesting for a change in the date of the examination considering the traffic and commuting problem in the city. In general cases, UPSC does not change its schedule, however, students say they are hoping for a positive reply.
Iram Siddique
