The springboard of aspirations and hopes, where dreams turn into reality has suddenly fallen flat. Ashok Nagar, the focal point of competitive coaching centres in the State and the aspirants, is reeling under the rude shock of the bifurcation announcement.
Uncertainty and confusion have marred the hopes of thousands of aspirants who come here to take a shot at the competitive exams eyeing Government jobs. In contrast to the mood a week ago, aspirants are now totally baffled and the road ahead isn’t clear with the State government giving no clear picture on the impending Group-I and Group-II notifications in the changing political scenario.
Aspirants huddle in groups at various tea junctions near the coaching centres discussing their future, but majority have not made up their mind to wind up their preparations and go back.
“The announcement has cast a shadow on our preparations. We don’t know whether to continue or take a break for sometime,” says Hariprasad, who has come from Kurnool district for Group-II preparation. “I will wait for some more time and take a final decision.” Most of his friends concur with his views.
Aspirants are expecting notifications to fill around 12,000 posts in various departments including Group-I, Group-II, Degree Lecturers, Junior Lecturers, Asst. Statistical Officers, Sr. Auditors, Junior Assistants, Village Secretaries among others.
Fresh enrolments, though, are still high in the coaching centres even if the mood definitely is down. “For the 1,000 seats we offered for Group-II coaching, about 10,000 applications were received, and there is pressure to increase the intake,” says the administrator at R.C. Reddy IAS Study Circle.
Similar is the response at Hyderabad Study Circle. “Though batches for Group-I and Group-II have started, there still are enquiries for new batches,” says Deepika Reddy, faculty member.
She agrees that the announcement has shocked them, and more so the dilemma around the notifications. “We had a detailed talk with the aspirants and they are of the view that preparations will not go waste with banking and other exams around.”
The aspirants’ predicament is not just the uncertainty on notifications, but also whether the exams would be held in the given political turmoil. Chances of both Telangana and Unified Andhra supporters objecting to the conduct of exam are high.
“There is no government in place to offer us an assurance,” fumes Bhanu Shanker, another aspirant. The very legality of the exams might be questioned later when the State actually bifurcates is another argument.
