Aspirants preparing for the exams conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission are demanding the postponement of the state services exam’s preliminary test scheduled on September 28, as floods across the state have caused havoc with logistics issues, and many of them have lost their study material as well.
Students across the state are pressing for the postponement, as the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) exam, which was scheduled for September 25 and 26, has also been postponed.
Rohit Narayankar, a resident of Solapur, said, “Incessant rains in Solapur, Jalgaon and Marathwada region have caused floods, and many residents and civil services aspirants are suffering too, as they have lost their study material.”
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds reaching speeds of 30-50 kmph between September 25 and 28. The rain is likely to occur under generally cloudy skies with heavy downpour, waterlogging, and may cause slower transportation flow.
Akshay Killedar, an MPSC aspirant, said, “Beed, Dharashiv, Latur, Nanded, Solapur, Parbhani, and other parts of Maharashtra have been suffering from floods, and their road connectivity has also been disrupted as some parts of Pune-Solapur, Kolhapur-Solapur have been affected due to floods. So we request that the MPSC should postpone the prelims, keeping in mind the aspirants’ toil.”
Even NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule had tweeted in support of the aspirants calling for the postponement. “The ongoing heavy rains across the state have caused great damage to students academically. Libraries are closed, and study materials have also been damaged. Apart from this, the transport system is also disrupted, and vehicles cannot reach many places. In this situation, the Maharashtra Public Service Commission State Service Examination will be held on September 28.
“But at present, it is unlikely that students from Marathwada will be able to reach the examination centres on time. Therefore, the students are demanding that this examination be postponed for some time and that it be conducted after the situation returns to normal. I request that the government please take the students' views into consideration and make a decision regarding postponing the examination,” Sule added.
