BENGALURU: The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), which has been sustaining itself on students’ money since its inception, is spending at least Rs 50,000 annually to get rid of the rat and mosquito menace.
As per details available, in the last five years, KEA spent a total of Rs 2,45,237 to control mosquitoes, rats, cockroaches and other insects on its premises.
However, the utilisation of this amount has been criticised, with students demanding that the money be spent on providing better basic facilities for them. “Every year, during document verification, we face a lot many problems. There is no proper drinking water or enough washrooms at centres. Instead of using the amount on pest issues, we would be glad if authorities improved facilities,” said a student.
For Common Entrance Test (CET) applications, KEA charged Rs 650, which from this year has been reduced to Rs 500 for general category candidates and Rs 250 for SC/ST students and all girl students. From the fee collected for applications, KEA gets around Rs 10 crore every year. Apart from CET, it also conducts examinations for other departments, for which it charges Rs 2,000-Rs 2,500 for application fees.
“As we do not get funds from the government, everything needs to be maintained by the fee collected from applications,” said a senior KEA official.Speaking about the pest menace, the official said that, as they have to secure CET and other examination answer scripts for at least for six months, the rat menace has increased. “As per norms, KEA is not allowed to destroy answer scripts for six months. So we stock over 10 lakh answer scripts, which is inviting more rats,” the official said.
When looking at the amount spent on the pest menace, the highest was during 2018, with KEA spending Rs 55,764, and the least was spent in 2014 - Rs 40,200. “This is going to be a regular process as we deal with paper, and it is known that rats and cockroaches are attracted to places where paper is stored,” added the official.