Odisha govt to provide free transportation, accommodation for NEET aspirants

The Odisha government has made elaborate arrangements to facilitate free transportation and accommodation for candidates appearing for the NEET examination on Sunday in 83 centres across seven cities in the state, an official said.

A total of 37,459 candidates will appear for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test in Odisha.

"The state government has made arrangements for free transportation and lodging facilities for candidates and their guardians," NEET state nodal officer Polly Patnaik said.

State-run buses will be available to facilitate free movement of candidates and their guardians from different districts to the examination centres, she said.

The examinations will be conducted from 11 am to 5 pm in strict adherence to health safety protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.

Patnaik said candidates will have to undergo thermal screening before entering the centres in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Angul, Berhampur, Rourkela, Balasore and Sambalpur.

The East Coast Railway will also run special trains for NEET aspirants, an official said.

"The trains will run from Khariar Road to Sambalpur via Titlagarh, Rayagada to Sambalpur, Bhadrak to Bhubaneswar via Cuttack and Keonjhar to Bhubaneswar via Cuttack," he said.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has arranged accommodation for NEET candidates and their parents at five engineering colleges here.

Medical teams will be deployed at the colleges where students and their guardians will stay before the examination, BMC Commissioner P C Chaudhury said.