CNG shortage delays board students in Mumbai

Getting an autorickshaw or a taxi on Tuesday was difficult, especially for students appearing for the SSC exams, as city’s transport was hit by the damaged compressed natural gas (CNG) pipeline.

Many students reached late for their morning paper, while the state board helpline was flooded with calls from parents and students, worried that they would not make it to their centres on time.

Ashutosh Rane, a student of St Xavier’s school who lives near Yogi Nagar in Borivli, was stranded for nearly 45 minutes at the autorickshaw stand near his home. “There was a long queue at the stand,” he said. Anxious of being late, he called up the helpline and they asked him to appear from the centre which walking distance from his home.

To help the stranded students, the state board allowed them to appear for the exam at the centre nearest to them. “Many parents were phoning in saying that they have been on the road for 30 minutes but could not find an autorickshaw or cab. So we informed the main centres in the Mumbai division to allow students to appear at a centre close to their homes,” said a member of the board helpline.

The board also made a provision to give extra time to the students who were late for their exam. “Parents should have been more careful. They should have left their homes earlier. It is extremely difficult to move the exam centres. We cannot make such arrangements every day and students should leave their houses at least one hour before the examination,” said RR Bhise, secretary of the board, Mumbai Division.