Chaos reigned at the Karnataka Examination Authority’s CET cell in Malleswaram on Sunday after hundreds of students, plus parents, thronged a small seating area, throwing Covid-19 social distancing norms out the window.
Speaking to DH, parents and students said that nearly 2,000 to 3,000 people had been compacted into a small external waiting space to await being summoned into the campus for under-graduate and postgraduate document verification. “No arrangements have been made to ensure that people can follow social distancing regulations in such a small space,” said one parent.
The parent added that: “Only 50 plastic chairs have been set out. There is a steady floating population of about 600 in the waiting area. More seats, with adequate spacing, should have been set out.”
However, Somashekar Sosale, Administrative Officer, KEA, said that all measures had been taken. “We have clear social distancing measures within the campus, with sanitisers laid out. However, we have no means to exercise control over students waiting outside the campus,” he explained.
He added that the waiting crowd had also swelled due to many students arriving before their appointed time slot. One such person was Shoba, 18 (name changed), a student from Kolar whose given time slot was between 2 and 4 pm, but had arrived at 11.30 am.
“I came early because I am from out of town. People like me have no choice but to wait here,” she said, reiterating that increased seating space could have helped to restrict the movement of the mob.
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