KPSC exam passes off smoothly in Dharwad

The Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) probationary gazetted officers examination passed off smoothly in Dharwad on Sunday.

A total of 6,316 candidates had enrolled for the exam at 18 examination centres.

In the morning session, 4,009 candidates appeared for the exam and in the post-lunch session, 3,971 candidates took the exam.

The district administration and the Hubballi-Dharwad Police made elaborate security arrangements to ensure the smooth and transparent conduct of the competitive examinations in Dharwad, in accordance with the directions of the commission.

Deputy Commissioner Snehal R., who inspected the arrangements for the examination, said that candidates have been instructed to keep their bags at designated locations at least 100 metres away from the frisking points where they were screened using metal detectors.

Police personnel were deployed around examination centres to prevent the entry of unauthorised persons.

Identity cards were issued by the Deputy Commissioner’s office to staff assigned examination duties and only authorised personnel carrying valid identity cards were allowed on campuses, she said.

CCTV cameras and signal jammers were installed in every examination hall, with two invigilators appointed for each room.

Police personnel were also involved in screening candidates at the examination centres.

Officials were told to collect examination material from each centre after the completion of the examinations and segregate them into four bundles for distribution to the designated offices.

Of the four bundles collected from each centre, two must be sent to the scanning centre, one to the Deputy Commissioner’s office and the fourth to the District Disability Welfare Officer’s (DDPO) office.

Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Borase Bhushan Gulabrao said that elaborate police security arrangements were made to ensure the examinations were conducted peacefully and transparently.

Over 400 police personnel and officers were deployed, which was higher than the prescribed requirement.

The number of personnel assigned to frisking and security duties was determined based on the number of candidates, he said.

Frisking arrangements were made for male and female candidates. Standardised, colour-coded handheld metal detectors were used for screening. The police were also keeping a close watch on social media platforms as part of preventive measures to avert any untoward incidents.