BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Sub-Ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC) is under fire for scheduling the physical test in March after two job aspirants for forester, forest guard and livestock inspector posts died in the last 24 hours.
Candidates, who took the exam, said the physical tests were delayed by the OSSSC owing to irregularities in the written examination and the timing was bad.
According to reports, the OSSSC conducted the combined recruitment examination (CRE)-2023 for 2,712 posts of forester, forest guard and livestock inspector from April 24 to May 7, 2024. Around 2.5 lakh students had appeared for the test.
However, the examination was mired in controversy as several mistakes were pointed out in the question paper by candidates. Subsequently, OSSSC released a revised answer key and merit list in August last year but many alleged that names of several undeserving candidates who had scored low also figured in the list.
With the government taking note of the irregularities, the OSSSC had to keep on hold the provisional results of 337 candidates. Nine months after conducting the examination, the OSSSC on February 19 released the list of 8,159 candidates who were shortlisted for physical test that began on March 3 across the state.
“We had to wait for nine months for the physical examination. Had the results been out on time, the examination would have been scheduled during the winter months. However, the commission chose to conduct it now when the temperature is 38 degree C,” said a candidate Debidutta Panda. He further added that because of the delay, some candidates who took the written test will be disqualified because they no longer meet the age criteria.
A group of students under the aegis of Students Against Corruption submitted a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi demanding a probe into the irregularities in the examination system by OSSSC and similar commissions on Monday.
Convenor of Students Against Corruption Bibhuti Bhusan Mohapatra said there have been occasions in the past when candidates had died while participating in physical tests for government jobs in the month of March. “Yet, the government is not streamlining the recruitment system and timing the physical tests well,” he said.
Meanwhile, chairman of OSSSC Lalit Das said the physical test had to be conducted now as they were already delayed. After the irregularities were reported, a committee was set up to examine the allegations. A case was filed before the Orissa High Court too.
“After the committee submitted its report and the high court case was vacated, we could go ahead with the physical test. Since a lot many candidates were waiting for the test, we had to schedule it at the earliest,” he said.
