‘Don’t plan blocks on exam days’

The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) has written a letter to all transport authorities in the city to ensure that all modes of transport are operated properly and no blocks are carried out on March 17, which happens to be a Sunday. As a precautionary measure, the association has appealed to the general managers of both Central and Western Railways, as well as the general manager of BEST to provide adequate transport facilities on March 17 so that students appearing for exams can reach their centres well in time. The association has also requested the authorities to make widely public the status of blocks, if any, through various mediums of communication. Anuj Kumar Pandey, secretary of All India Federation of PTA said, “Both the railways carry out mega blocks on their tracks for maintenance on Sundays. We have requested the responsible authorities of the transport division to cancel or suspend all mega blocks or any routine activity, which can become an impediment to students travelling to their respective exam centres.” However, a senior official from the Central Railway said, “Normally, we cancel the mega block on important days and the decision about a mega block is taken only two or three days in advance, so even we are not sure whether a mega block will be implemented on March 17.”