Internet services to remain suspended for 2 hrs in select areas during Madhyamik
Kolkata: The state government will keep internet services suspended for two hours in some selected areas in the state during the Madhyamik examination to thwart any attempt of circulation of question papers through social media. The move comes in the wake of a number of question papers getting circulated through WhatsApp during the examination last year.
"Internet will be suspended for two hours in sensitive areas in 42 blocks during the class X board exam starting from February 18 across the state," said West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) president Kalyanmoy Ganguly. Ganguly reiterated that neither the students nor teachers are allowed to carry mobile phones or any other electronic gadgets (calculator, watch, etc) at the examination centre. The blocks have been identified on the basis of these irregularities.
In 2019, some persons were arrested from Malda for creating a WhatsApp group named Khokababu for circulating the question papers. The Madhyamik question papers were found to have been circulated on the messaging app for six days at a stretch, since the beginning of the examination on February 12, 2019.
This year, 10,15,888 students have enrolled for the Board examinations to be conducted in 2,839 centres across the state. The class X board exams will commence on February 18 and conclude on February 27. Examinations will be held from 12 noon to 3 pm.
"Our department in coordination with police administration will ensure that there is speed governor in every vehicle that will be responsible for transportation of Madhyamik examinees," said state Transport minister Suvendu Adhikari.
It was found that the pool car involved in the recent accident at Polba in Hooghly did not have speed governor. A meeting at the district magistrate level was held in every district on Monday and it has been decided that the motor vehicle inspector will work in collaboration with police for hassle free transport services of the Madhyamik examinees.
"We will be installing speed radars at every 20 km distance to ensure that vehicles stick to a speed limit," Adhikari added.
The WBBSE has also issued control room numbers for Madhyamik examinees, to address their queries. The numbers are— (033) 2359-2264 and 2359-2274, which will remain operational till February 27. The candidates can also send their queries to madhyamik.parikshya@gmail.com.
