Guwahati, Jun 17 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday reviewed preparations for the rescheduled medical entrance exam NEET-UG, to be held on June 21, and directed officials to ensure a free, fair and secure conduct of the test.
Chairing a meeting, Sarma said stringent measures have been put in place to prevent any irregularities during the examination process.
“Assam has always taken strict measures to ensure there are no loopholes in the entire process,” the chief minister said in a social media post after the meeting.
He said military officials would transport question papers to examination centres, while CCTV surveillance would be installed at all venues. The centres will also be provided with round-the-clock police protection.
As part of the security arrangements, prohibitory orders under Section 144 will be enforced within a 100-metre radius of examination centres. Candidates will undergo double-layer frisking, and mobile signal jammers will be installed at all venues.
The review meeting was held via video conference with District Commissioners, Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) and other senior district officials.
The chief minister directed the District Commissioners and SSPs to jointly inspect all examination centres to assess security arrangements, infrastructure preparedness and examination-day logistics.
He also instructed that a mandatory technical audit and dry run of CCTV systems, biometric devices and signal jammers be carried out at all centres well before the examination.
Adequate publicity should be undertaken to create public awareness of the restrictions, and ensure that no person other than candidates approach the examination centres, Sarma said.
Sarma also said that there should be adequate deployment of women police personnel at all examination centres.
The CM stressed the importance of strict adherence to National Testing Agency (NTA) guidelines regarding candidate frisking.
He said that double-layer frisking should be conducted firmly, professionally and courteously, ensuring candidates do not face inconvenience or discomfort while maintaining the highest vigilance against malpractice.
Sarma also directed that a nodal officer be designated in each district for CCTV monitoring, and that random checks of its footage be carried out regularly.
Regarding the security of question papers, he instructed that access to bank lockers where these are stored be strictly regulated.
Visits by individuals should be permitted only under exceptional circumstances and with the prior approval of the district magistrate, he said.
A senior police officer not below the rank of DSP will also be designated in each district to oversee the security and monitoring of such lockers.
A control room will be established in the office of the Director of Medical Education, which will become operational from June 19, he said.
The examination will be conducted across 87 centres located in 17 districts of the state.
Sarma said candidates carrying valid admit cards would be allowed to travel free of cost on Assam State Transport buses on the examination day.
“In today’s meeting, we have taken several measures to uphold the integrity of the NEET re-examination. There will be no compromise with the future of our students,” he asserted.
A total of 43,319 candidates in the state have registered for the examination.
The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission into MBBS courses, was held on May 3 but was subsequently cancelled following allegations of irregularities. The nationwide re-examination is scheduled for June 21. PTI DG RBT
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.