NEET conducted smoothly across 13 centres in city amid tight vigil

Ludhiana: The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) was conducted smoothly across 13 govt schools and colleges in Ludhiana Sunday, with 4,341 candidates appearing for it. Out of a total of 4,490 registered candidates, 141 remained absent.
The exam was held from 2pm to 5pm amid tight security. Police personnel were stationed at all centres to ensure proper verification and discipline. Students were allowed to enter the centres only after a thorough scrutiny of their admit cards and identification documents.
The largest examination centre in the city was Govt College for Girls, where 600 students were allotted seats. Of these, 580 appeared for the test. Other centres included Govt Model Senior Secondary School Cemetery Road, Govt Meritorious School, Govt Senior Secondary School Haibowal Khurd, Govt Senior Secondary School for Boys Jawahar Nagar, School of Eminence Model Town, School of Eminence Sector 32, Govt Senior Secondary School PAU, Govt Senior Secondary School Multipurpose, Govt Girls Senior Secondary School Gill, Ghumman Senior Secondary School Ayali Khurd, and Kendriya Vidyalaya Baddowal.
Parents stood outside the centres as there was strict checking by the police. Most of the candidates were let in before 1pm after checking.
As there was no seating arrangements or drinking facilities at or outside most of the centres, the long wait turned arduous for the parents and those accompanying the candidates. "There should have been at least some basic arrangements like chairs or water dispensers. Parents had to stand for hours in this heat," said Aman, whose sister was taking the exam at the School of Eminence in Sector 32. Adding to the discomfort, rain lashed parts of the city in the evening, forcing some parents to take shelter under trees and others at bus stops.
Despite the challenges, the overall conduct of the exam was reported to be peaceful. Students found the paper to be tougher than expected. "The chemistry and physics sections were like JEE level, very tricky and time-consuming," said a candidate at the PAU centre. "Biology was lengthy but manageable," another candidate said.