Taking along a mobile phone or any other such electronic gadget, even unintentionally into the examination hall for the UPSC’s Civil Services preliminary examination, will see the candidate debarred from appearing for this or any other UPSC examination for ten years.
This time the UPSC is going to implement strictly the ban on carrying mobiles and other gadgets into the examination hall and punishment will be severe, Collector V. Sheshadri told reporters on Monday. The UPSC Prelims examination will be held at 17 centres in the city on May 26 and more than 8,000 candidates have registered for the examination. Counters will be opened at the examination centres to deposit the gadgets.
UPSC has made some changes this year for the examination. Instead of two subjects, including an optional for the prelimis, the candidates have to write only general studies examination which will be held during morning and afternoon sessions. The examination will be in objective type. The OMR sheet has to be filled up with a black ball point pen instead of pencil. In mains examination also there is only one optional subject instead of two in the past to provide a level playing field.
Daspalla lands issue
On Daspalla lands issue, he said that preparations are being made to file a curative petition in the Supreme Court to get back the government lands after judgement in the two previous appeals went in favour of the private parties. Extent of the land is 60 acres and only 22 acres of it is still vacant. The Advocate General and the Supreme Court advocate on record are asked to file the curative petition which is the only avenue left for the district administration to reclaim the land.
Regarding the Waltair Club land, for which VUDA paid money for acquiring a part of club’s land without realising that it was government land, Mr. Sheshadri said a notice was sent to the club management under Revenue Recovery Act, as per the direction of the Public Accounts Committee to realise Rs. 1.8 crore along with interest. The club sought some time to reply to the notice.
Another option to assert Governent’s ownership over the land was to renew the lease over the land if the club applied for the same since the lease period was over.
Five posts of Tehsildars which fell vacant recently due to elevation of the present officers to higher posts, will be filled up before May 15, the deadline set by the Government to effect transfer of government staff. Deputy Tehsildars would be made Tehsildars in-charge at places where filling up of the post with fulltime Tehsildar was not possible, he said.
