Two bundles of answer scripts of English Paper –II of the SSLC public examinations, held in the Sathyamangalam Government Higher Secondary School near Ginjee on Monday, are said to be missing during transit.
Chief Educational Officer K.Munusamy told The Hindu 221 scripts were booked with the Department of Posts for sending them by the Railway Mail Service to an undisclosed correction centre.
The answer scripts went missing when postal department employees were carrying the bundles by bus to the Tindivanam railway station.
When asked about the future course of action to be taken by the Education Department, the CEO said that it would be determined in consultation with the higher-ups.
Mr. Munusamy underscored the point that his department followed the due procedure in booking the bundles and insured them. The postal staff failed to discharge their duty and therefore, the onus was on the postal department to take appropriate action.
When contacted, District Collector V.Sampath said on information he along with Superintendent of Police S.Manohar and Mr Munusamy went to the examination centre from where the bundles were sent and also to Tindivanam from where they were said to be missing.
The SP told this correspondent that the Education Department adopted the well-aid out procedure to dispatch the papers.
It was only at the handling stage by the staff of the Postal department that certain lapses were noticed. The SP further said that it was reliably learnt that the private bus used to be the regular carrier of script bundles and was popularly known as “Mail service.”
Mr Manohar stated that he had deployed a police team at Tindivanam to make enquiries about the missing bundles.
Recently, a bundle of Tamil Paper-II answer scripts was found scattered on the railway track at Vriddhachalam station.
