Power failure at Kurla CET centre disrupts MHT-CET exam for 62 students

MUMBAI: A major technical failure at Aakar Computer Institute, a state CET exam centre located in Kurla East, disrupted the MHT-CET examination for 62 students on Sunday, leading to widespread confusion and frustration among candidates and their parents. The state Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell has now announced that a re-exam will be conducted for the affected students on Wednesday, April 23.

The entrance test for the engineering college admissions across the state is currently going on in various batches over a five-day period. The exam, scheduled on Sunday from 9 am to 12 noon, had students arriving as early as 7.30 am. However, around 11 am, midway through the test, the centre experienced a complete power failure. All computer systems shut down, and the test came to an abrupt halt.

Despite surrounding businesses having an uninterrupted power supply, the sudden outage and the delayed response at the exam centre raised serious concerns. Parents and students gathered outside the centre, demanding clarity and accountability. “There was complete mismanagement. While other buildings had power, only this exam centre suffered such a failure. It’s suspicious and unacceptable,” said one of the agitated parents.

Although a generator was eventually brought in, the delay exceeded an hour, and many students had already been impacted mentally and emotionally. According to some candidates, no immediate backup plan or proper communication was provided by the exam centre authorities. Students were made to wait without any clear instructions or updates, causing further stress and uncertainty.

“It was already 12 noon, and the issues with the computers still weren’t resolved. Even then, the centre did not inform us clearly about what would happen next,” said a student who had travelled from outside Mumbai for the exam.

Following complaints and demands for action, the CET Cell issued a statement confirming that 62 students had been affected due to the technical glitch. Dileep Sardesai, commissioner of the Cell, said, “Due to a technical failure, the morning session at the Kurla centre could not be conducted. The exam for the affected students will now be held on Wednesday, April 23. All necessary information will be shared with the students via email.”

Sardesai added that while such snags were rare, the CET Cell was investigating the matter and would ensure that the students faced no academic loss. The afternoon session at the same centre was conducted smoothly.

Parents have now demanded a full audit of the centre and strict action against its mismanagement. “Our children’s future is at stake. This kind of negligence is unacceptable,” said a parent.

On Sunday, the exam was conducted in 190 centres across the state in two sessions. A total of 55,840 students appeared for the exam out of the 60,989 who were registered for the day.