Abdullah Mohammad Talib gets Abu Dhabi as exam centre
NAGPUR: An 18-year-old NEET aspirant from Nagpur, Abdullah Mohammad Talib, got a shock when he saw his recently generated hall ticket: his examination centre was in Abu Dhabi, 2,500 km away, and he doesn’t have a passport. The National Testing Agency does provide exam centres abroad, but these are usually for NRI and international students.The hall ticket, generated on June 14, listed the Abu Dhabi Indian School as his exam centre. The family immediately contacted the NTA helpline, where an official assured them the error would be rectified. However, with two days left for the exam, NTA has yet to correct the mistake.The Talib family said they were so worried they began arranging travel documents and flight tickets if the exam centre was not changed. The parents were concerned about arranging a passport and travel at such short notice. Talib was already under stress after the NEET paper leak and had not fully recovered from the setback. The hall ticket error added to the trauma.NTA officials did not respond to TOI queries. However, sources said widespread changes may not be possible at this stage. Meanwhile, several parents reported their children’s exam centres had been changed in the hall ticket despite not opting for any of the allotted centres. After the NEET examination was cancelled last month, NTA had sent messages to registered mobile numbers of parents and students asking whether they wanted to retain their existing centre or choose a new one. NTA had also sought bank details for a refund of the Rs 2,500 exam fee, parents said. No new fee has been charged.Many parents claimed they selected the option to keep the original exam centre, especially those located in Nagpur city limits. However, after downloading fresh hall tickets, some found their centres in far-flung locations, even in other districts.
