GATE aspirants want exam centres shifted to Kashmir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 7

The engineering students scheduled to appear in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) next month outside the Valley have appealed to the authorities to shift their centres to Kashmir given the uncertain weather conditions.

Aspirants said the exam was important for them and they could not afford to miss it. They said they also written to the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir.

“Due to the harsh weather, many Kashmiri students either miss the exams or have to travel outside the Valley days ahead of the examination so that they can reach the exam centres on time. This becomes a burden on expenses,” said Aqib Basheer, one of the aspirants.

Another aspirant said students living in far-flung areas of Kashmir would not be able to appear in the exams this year as the weather was uncertain and the highway to Jammu often remained closed in winter.

Both air and road traffic has been affected for the past few days due to snowfall in the Valley. Many postgraduate students who had to appear in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test outside the Valley missed their exams due to the cancellation of flights and closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway. After intervention of the authorities, they have, however, been told a separate exam will be held for them.

Aspirants said they were being discriminated against by not getting a centre to appear in the national-level exams in the Valley.

“What if the weather is not favourable on that day? So to be on the safer side, we want a centre should be set up here,” a group of students said.