Kolkata, March 1 (IANS) After a long wait, the written examination for the recruitment of Group-C workers of the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) was held in the state on Sunday, amidst tight security arrangements.

With the publication of the final voters’ list after Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and the arrival of central paramilitary forces in the state, the WBSSC took extra precautions regarding the security and administrative management of the examination centres.

Although there was a possibility of deployment of paramilitary forces in schools and colleges for purpose of upcoming Assembly elections, special instructions were given to the administration to ensure that there was no presence of central forces in the examination centres on the day of the written exam.

According to WBSSC sources, the Group-C exam was conducted at 1,693 centres across the state on Sunday.

About 8,04,000 candidates had applied for this exam for 2,989 vacancies.

On the other hand, the Group-D recruitment exam will be held on March 8. About 8,09,000 applications were received for the Group-D exam. The total number of exam centres for both Group-C and Group-D was about 3,400.

For the sake of safety, several restrictions were issued for the candidates. Boots or closed shoes were not allowed. Only students with slippers or Hawaiian sandals were allowed.

Carrying any electronic gadgets including mobile phones, calculators, jewellery or additional items was prohibited. Only the admit card, clear water bottle and pen were allowed.

Today, Group-C candidates entered the examination centre from 10 a.m. as per rules. Candidates were asked to reach the centre by 10 a.m. and no one was allowed to enter after 11.45 a.m. The total marks for Group-C examination are 60 and the examination concluded at 1:50 pm.

Candidates from outside states also appeared for the Group-C exam.

The SSC had sent a letter to the state’s DGP and Kolkata Police Commissioner regarding today’s exam. On Saturday, School Service Commission Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar said, “All preparations for the exam have been completed and strict security measures have been put in place.”

–IANS

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