GUWAHATI: An 18-year-old NEET aspirant from Nagpur was left stunned after discovering that his examination centre had been allotted in Abu Dhabi, despite not opting for any overseas test location. Following the complaint, the National Testing Agency (NTA) said the issue was being addressed and assured that a centre in Nagpur would be allotted after verification.
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Abdullah Mohammad Talib generated his admit card on June 14 and found that his examination centre was listed as Abu Dhabi Indian School in the UAE, nearly 2,500 km away. The allotment came as a shock to the family, especially since the student does not possess a passport and had selected centres within Maharashtra during registration.
According to the family, they immediately contacted the NTA helpline after noticing the error. Officials reportedly asked them to send an email and later informed them that a revised admit card would be issued. However, with only two days remaining before the examination, the correction had not yet been reflected.
Speaking about the incident, Abdullah's father, Mohammad Talib, said the family was alarmed by the overseas allotment and even began exploring options to arrange travel documents and flight tickets in case the centre was not changed. He added that the student was deeply distressed by the development and initially considered skipping the examination.
Responding to media reports on the matter, NTA stated, “The grievance is being addressed and the candidate will be allocated a centre in Nagpur, after due verification, in the next few hours.”
The issue comes in the wake of the cancellation of the previous NEET examination, after which NTA had contacted registered candidates and parents to confirm whether they wished to retain their existing examination centres or opt for new ones. The agency had also sought bank account details to facilitate refunds of the ₹2,500 examination fee. No additional fee was charged for the rescheduled test.
Meanwhile, several parents have reported discrepancies in the allotment of revised examination centres. While many said they had chosen to retain their original centres, particularly those within Nagpur city limits, some candidates were reportedly assigned centres in distant districts and locations far from their preferred choices.