Chennai, 16 March (H.S.): Leader of Opposition and AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has expressed shock and concern over the allocation of examination centres in Telangana for 90% of the candidates from Tamil Nadu. He is urging the Union Government and the Southern Railway to allocate exam centres for these candidates within the state.

The second round of the Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) examination is scheduled for March 19, and Palaniswami has highlighted the significant hardship that candidates from Tamil Nadu would face if they have to travel over 1,000 km to attend the exam. He emphasized that this could demotivate the youth of Tamil Nadu from pursuing central government jobs, including those in the Railways.

Palaniswami took to social media to draw the attention of the concerned authorities and the Centre, tagging the Union Ministry of Railways and Southern Railways’ official handle. He stated, Keeping in mind the candidates’ demands and welfare, I strongly urge the central government and the Southern Railway administration to allocate exam centres for TN candidates within the state itself.

The allocation of exam centres is typically handled centrally by the Railway Recruitment Board, taking into account factors such as application zone, candidate’s residential location, logistical feasibility, and availability of seats for a particular exam phase or shift. However, in this case, Palaniswami is advocating for exam centres to be allocated within Tamil Nadu to alleviate the hardship faced by candidates.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary