Mahakumbh rush: Special corridors for over 5.47 lakh UP Board examinees in 6 districts

With a view to ensuring that UP Board’s Class 10 and 12 students reach their examination centres on time in six districts in the wake of huge rush of devotees going for Mahakumbh, the state government has decided to put in place special corridors for hassle-free movement of students in crowd-affected Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mirzapur, Chitrakoot and Mathura districts.

As many as 5,47,083 Class 10 and 12 students will be writing their exams at 836 centres in these districts. UP Board 2025 examinations are slated to begin from February 24 while the Prayagraj Mahakumbh will formally end on February 26. The special corridor arrangements will remain in effect till the mega fair rush subsides, said officials.

Against the official estimate of 40 to 45 crore devotees visiting the 45-day mega fair, the count has already touched 56- crore (as on Thursday) mark and it is expected to reach 60 crore by the time the Mahakumbh ends with Mahashivratri bathing.

The Board exams will be held in two shifts. The first shift between 8.30 am and 11.45am will be for Class 10 exams while the second shift between 2pm and 5.15 pm will be for Class 12 exams.

The first examination on February 24 is Hindi for both high school (Class 10) and intermediate (Class 12). As per UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh, it was decided to make special corridors for Board examinees in the crowd-affected districts in a high-level meeting with chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh in Lucknow.

“Directives have been issued to traffic department of these districts to chalk out route diversions around exam centres. The route plan would be communicated to guardians of examinees before exam date to avoid any last-minute problem,” he said.

“Also, police department has been apprised about admit cards of examinees, which would act as vehicle passes in barricaded areas of these districts,” Singh added.

As per the Board official, the government has also decided to give 30-minute relaxation in arrival time of examinees at the exam centres in the six districts. Separate directives in this regard have been issued to respective centre superintendents.

Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh (UPMSS) president Lal Mani Dwivedi said the government should either postpone UP Board examinations by 10 days or put in place measures for timely and hassle-free arrival of examinees at centres in the affected districts.

Principal, Anglo Bengali Inter College, Prayagraj, Swastik Bose said, “In view of excessive rush of devotees in the ongoing Mahakumbh, we have advised our students to proceed for their examination centres at least two hours before the scheduled timing. Hopefully things would pass off smoothly for examinees as well as teachers.”

Similarly, Vandana Srivastava, principal, SS Convent Inter College, Naini, said: “I have advised students to reach an hour before as the crowd on roads is unpredictable. Since Naini, where our school is located, is one of the entry points for devotees from Mirzapur side, heavy rush on normal days has become a routine.”

Abhishek Singh, a Class 10 student of CAV Inter College, said, ‘I live in Chowk locality in old city. I will have to leave home around 6.30 am as my exam would begin at 8.30 am. Returning home will also be a challenge.”

Similarly, Roshan Srivastava of Kesar Vidyapeeth Inter College is also worried about the situation. “I will be appearing in my Class 12 exam. I will leave around 12 noon as my exam is scheduled in second shift from 2.25 pm onwards,” he said.