Plus II Results In Odisha To Be Delayed As Power, Networks Struggle After Fani

Bhubaneswar: Students and their guardians are in a state of panic, as the annual Plus II exam results are most likely to be delayed.

Evaluation of Plus II papers has been badly hampered in Puri, Cuttack, Khurda and Dhenkanal districts as Cyclone Fani has disrupted power and telecommunication networks. Leave alone online evaluation, even manual evaluation of papers has been stopped at the evaluation centres. As informed by the deputy controller of exams, Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), Prashant Kumar Das, evaluation of papers at nine online centres and six offline centres in the four aforesaid districts has stopped since May 3.

The Council had earlier set a target to complete online and offline evaluations by May 12 and announce the results of Science stream in the last week of May and Arts and Commerce streams in the first week of June.

Asked about the commencement of evaluation, Das said efforts are on to resume online and offline evaluations in 2-3 days. “We are trying our best to declare the results of Science stream by the last week of May. But the exact date for announcement of results cannot be said until the second phase of evaluation is completed,” he said.

When contacted, secretary, School and Mass Education department, Pradipta Mahapatra, maintained that results will be announced in the scheduled timeframe.

Talking about delay in evaluation, he said since online evaluation in the cyclone-hit areas has been affected, the chief general manager (CGM) of BSNL has been asked to provide Internet connectivity in these areas with immediate effect. “The Internet connection in these affected areas is expected to be fully restored in a couple of days,” he said.

Mahapatra also said that special arrangements have been made for smooth manual evaluation of papers at offline centres. “It has been decided that evaluation at the BJB College in Bhubaneswar and other centres in Cuttack and Puri will begin from the morning. Once the date of commencement of evaluation is decided, the examiners will be informed through special messengers to join at their respective centres,” he said.