*Examinees to be under video surveillance
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 28: To ensure utmost transparency in the examinations/written tests of Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board, the Government today issued numerous instructions to different officers for strict implementation and compliance.
Now, the examinations will be conducted under the overall supervision of the Divisional Commissioner of the respective divisions and before notifying the dates for conduct of examinations, the Secretary, SSB shall approach the concerned Divisional Commissioner for fixation of the dates and finalization of venues, said a circular issued by the General Administration Department.
The Divisional Commissioner, shall call a meeting of the Zonal Inspector General of Police, Director School Education, Director Colleges, Director Technical Education, the Deputy Commissioners of the districts where examinations are proposed to be conducted, observers of the Board for the concerned division and the Secretary SSB.
During this meeting, issues like security arrangements, fixation of dates and identification of venues would be discussed and as far as possible, private educational institutions will not be fixed as examination venues. The dates for conduct of examination will be fixed in such a manner so that they do not clash with the dates already notified by the Universities, Board of School Education or any other Government agency for conduct of any other examination. It would be only after fixation of dates and identification of venues that SSB will notify the same.
Thereafter, the Deputy Commissioners concerned will convene meetings to be attended by the concerned District Superintendent of Police, Additional Deputy Commissioner, the Observer of the SSB, Principals of the institutions where venues have been fixed, concerned Sub-Divisional Magistrates, the Chief Education Officer of the district and the concerned Tehsildar.
The issues which will be discussed during these meetings include identification of the officers who will work as Additional Observers in respect of each identified centre, apart from the Observer/Member deputed by the SSB. In case sufficient officers are not available, officers will be drawn from other departments like Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal/Sheep Husbandry, Engineering and Forest.
The Deputy Commissioners will constitute teams under the charge of a senior officer for lifting of examination material from the place fixed in consultation with the observer of the Board or from the place already identified by the Board in this regard. The teams will be provided adequate police escort. Similar arrangements will be made for depositing the material after conduct of the examination.
Moreover, invigilatory staff will be identified in consultation with the Principals of the institutions fixed as examination venues and the Chief Education Officer concerned. In case private institutions have also been fixed as examination venues, the invigilatory staff will not be deputed from the same institution but will be deployed from a Government institution or a mix of the two but under the superintendance of a Government officer.
The Deputy Commissioners will also discuss comprehensive training programme for the invigilatory staff, constitution of flying squads under senior officers for visiting the examination venues and arrangements of proper security at each examination venue through deployment of a required number of security personnel.
The Deputy Commissioner concerned, after the meeting, will issue necessary orders/notifications for implementation of the decisions like orders for appointment of observers and flying squads, notification for imposition of prohibitory orders, orders for constitution of material, lifting/depositing team, orders for imparting training to the invigilatory staff, etc.
The Additional Deputy Commissioner of the district will be appointed as the Chief Inspector and he will visit all the examination centres if the examinations are conducted at the district headquarters only. In case the examinations are conducted at Tehsil headquarters also, the SDM of the area or tehsildar concerned shall be appointed as the Chief Inspector in respect of such centres.
The Deputy Commissioner will also himself visit the examination centres as and where possible and the security personnel will take control of the examination venues two hours before the start of the examination and the invigilatory staff will reach the examination venue one and a half hour before conduct of the examination.
Proper frisking of the candidates will be done before they enter the examination centres and mobile phones/other electronic gadgets will not be allowed to be carried inside the examination centres. Moreover, the SSB, in collaboration with the district administration, will make arrangements for installation of video cameras in the examination centres by tying up with some private agencies, if such arrangements are not already in place in any of the Government institutions fixed as examination venue.
“In case the same is not possible at any place, video shooting at regular intervals during the examination hours shall be taken. The SSB shall preserve the record of the videography/video shooting so made. Expenditure on this account shall be borne by the SSB. After making arrangements for videography, it shall be announced in the examination centres, both orally and in writing, that the examinees are under video surveillance”, the GAD circular said, adding “after examination, the material shall be carried to the already identified place by the team constituted for the purpose under proper police escort”.
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