MADURAI: The Indian Railways might be committed to providing travellers unforgettable train journeys, but the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) aspirants in Tamil Nadu had never imagined that the board would allot them online exam centres in places as far as Jammu and Kashmir, or Allahabad. The Dakshin Railway Employees Union (DREU) and Madurai MP S Venkatesan have condemned the centre allotment, and have urged the Chairman of RRB, Chennai, to let the aspirants appear for the test at centres in Tamil Nadu.
Two years ago, the Chennai RRB had called for applications to fill over 2,500 vacancies to the posts of station master, goods guard, junior accounts assistant cum typist, senior clerk cum typist, commercial cum ticket clerk, accounts clerk cum typist, junior clerk cum typist and trains clerk in the Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) in Southern Railway.
The preliminary examination was held from December 2020 to July 2021, at centres in Tamil Nadu. Many candidates, who had applied for the station master post, were asked to appear for the next level exam slated for May 9 and 10, 2022. However, the candidates were asked to take the exam in other states.
MP Su Venkatesan said it’s undemocratic to fix recruitment affairs for Chennai RRB in other states. “The candidates do not speak Hindi and may find the long journey strenuous. For instance, a physically-challenged candidate from Tamil Nadu has been asked to take the test in Allahabad,” he added.
Speaking to TNIE, N Naveen (name changed) said his exam centre is in Bengaluru. “My native is Othakadai in Madurai. I don’t have friends or relatives in Karnataka. My father is a construction labourer and he earns a monthly wage of around Rs 15,000. I will need at least Rs 10,000 for the journey, and I don’t know how I will arrange this,” he added
DREU Joint Zonal Secretary R Sankara Narayanan claimed the centre allotment was an attempt to curb the opportunities of Tamil Nadu youth. “First of all, this is an online exam. Why should candidates travel across the country to take an online test? Already they are unemployed, and these uncalled-for journeys will distress them,” he added. Chennai RRB Chairman Azhagar Jagatheesan was not available for comments.