Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre applicants face tough time after Karukutty mishap

Thiruvananthapuram: Due to the derailing of Mangalore Express at Karukutty, scores of applicants coming from all over the country to write the technical assistant and scientific assistant grade exams of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre couldn't reach the venue on time. The VSSC's only exam centre in the country was Thiruvananthapuram. Authorities started the test after 30 minutes both in the morning and afternoon sessions.

The city had three centres – St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School at Pattom, Cotton Hill Higher Secondary School for Girls and Mar Ivanios College. The qualification for the technical assistant was a diploma in engineering, and BSc chemistry for the scientific assistant. VSSC officials told DC that when 27, 000 candidates had applied for the technical assistant and scientific assistant exam, only 40 percent attendance was achieved.

In fact, there are only 10 – 15 vacancies for both the posts. “We don’t know the exact reason for the poor turnout of candidates. At the Mar Ivanios College exam centre, the majority of the candidates had come from Jharkhand and neighbouring states. VSSC has no plans to conduct the re-examination as of now as it is the Union government’s discretion”, said a VSSC official.