BHUBANESWAR: The Combined Recruitment Examination (CRE)-2023 for revenue inspector (RI) posts, conducted by the Odisha Sub-Ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC), was disrupted at many of the examination centres across the state due to technical glitches on Thursday.
Aspirants had to wait for over an hour at several centres to write the test which is being held in computer-based recruitment examination (CBRE) mode since October 8. Aspirants said they were asked to report at 7.30 am but had to wait outside till 8.45 am to 9 am as the servers were down.
In the capital, server glitches were reported at four examination centres in Mancheswar, Patia, Chandrasekharpur and Nayapalli. Close to 5 lakh aspirants are appearing for the test across the state. The examination was being held in three slots on Thursday and the first slot was scheduled at 9 am.
After the servers resumed, registration of candidates and other works were carried out and by the time they could enter the examination hall, it was well past 9.30 am, the aspirants alleged. At some centres, the server resumed around 9.30 am. Exams in the second and third slots were, however, conducted smoothly.
The OSSSC conducts the CRE for the posts of RI, ARI, Amin, ICDS supervisors and statistical field surveyors, through a third party agency. After last year’s irregularities in the examination, the government had cancelled the examination and OSSSC announced to conduct the preliminary examination for all posts under CRE-2023 again in computer-based recruitment examination mode from October 8. It has roped in TCS for the job this time.
OSSSC chairman Lalit Das admitted to the technical glitches prior to the exam but said the first sitting was carried out smoothly after the servers were resumed. “These are technical things and one has no control over it but the TCS personnel fixed the servers and the exams started,” he said. The examination will continue till November 13.