JEE Main 2025 during rush hour poses hardship to aspirants, parents; NTA, police officials respond

NEW DELHI: Heavy-traffic causes stress and anxiety among the JEE Mains 2025 aspirants and parents across the country. While traffic was snarled-up because of various reasons including MahaKumbh, Republic Day parade practice, office hours. The National Testing Agency (NTA) is conducting the JEE Main exam 2025 for around 12 lakh students. JEE Main 2025 January 24 LIVE

The Joint Entrance Examination Main (JEE Mains 2025) will be administered in 284 exam cities in India and 15 cities abroad. On the first day of the JEE Main session 1 exams, Careers360 reported the delay in opening entry gates at Bengaluru, Karnataka exam centres. Later on, the NTA postponed the JEE Main January 22 shift 1 exams for 114 candidates in view of the technical snag.

The NTA has changed the JEE Main exam centre for candidates who opted for Prayagraj to appear for the exam scheduled from January 28 to 30. Students expressed their difficulty in reaching the exam centres due to the huge congregation of devotees in Mahakumbh. Exams for such candidates will now be conducted in nearby city, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, the NTA said.

However, this is not an isolated incident. Students and parents from across the country have reportedly been affected by traffic congestion, poor management and accessibility.

No human intervention in allotting JEE exam centres

The NTA instructed applicants desirous of taking the JEE Main exam to select any four exam cities of their choice. It also advised candidates to choose their own or neighbouring city and said it will “not be responsible for any inconvenience” due to the incorrect selection of cities.

“Though every effort will be made to allot a centre in one of the cities selected by the candidate, the NTA reserves the right to allot a Centre in a city other than the candidate’s choice,” it said. It further informed that the JEE Main exam centre allotment will be done without human intervention.

JEE Main 2025 during rush hours

The JEE Mains session 1 exams 2025 is being held in two shifts - shift 1 from 9 am to 12 noon and shift 2 from 3 pm to 6 pm. The reporting time begins 2 hours before the exam commences. In the first one and half hours, from 7 am to 8.30 am, candidates will have to get their JEE Mains hall ticket, self-declaration form, photo ID verified and proceed to biometric registration.

“Reporting time 2 hours before for JEE mains is horrible and meaningless,” a student said.

“Dear sir, Today I took my daughter for JEE mains exam at iON Digital Zone - IDZ2 Moula Ali ..there was complete chaos at venue since traffic was not controlled..all parents waited on the road ..it caused a lot of difficulty for kids. Request you to deploy police personnel,” father of an aspirant said.

In a reply, the Commissioner of Police, Rachakonda tagged the traffic police of the area to look into the matter. Responding to the tweet, N Ravi, inspector of police, Malkajgiri Traffic said: “At the time of beginning and after completion of the exam the traffic is moving slowly situated at examination center Moulali, HB colony, regularly the traffic police regulating the traffic.”

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Several other aspirants also took to social media to report the traffic jams at iON Digital Zone exam centre and called out "mismanagement".

Sharing an image of train coach, a student wrote on X: "I am going to give the JEE MAINS examination in Ranchi.This is the condition of Vishakhapatnam Express (18312) in the 'General' part. Myself, sitting in the upper bert, capacity of 3 or 4 people but now adjusting with 7 people.The condition is very bad here." To which, the RailwaySeva responded and said the matter has been escalated to the concerned official for necessary action.

The traffic related issue was being highlighted since the first day of the exam. “Today was the first session of January shift of JEE mains 2025 and this is the amount of rush gathered at the centre. The reporting time was 7am but the gates opened by around 8am until then 300-350 people were crowding the road,” an aspirant wrote to the official account of Hubballi, Dharwad Municipal Corporation. According to the TomTom Traffic Index 2023, Bengaluru is one of the worst cities for traffic in Asia.

“Need to inform the AURUM digital zone which is one of the centers for JEE Mains 2025 in Mumbai. Situated in a heavily trafficked area of Powai with roads having bottlenecks experienced chaotic traffic today,” another aspirant said.