CHENNAI: The Anna University is in the news yet again. The "Anti Exam Community" of the University has come up with a petition on 'change.org', urging the administration to postpone all the exams in wake of the recent floods and rains that have played havoc in Tamil Nadu.
The petition has received 22000 supporters within 2 days of its commencement.
The petition states that the menace of the rains and the floods have significantly disturbed the lives of people in Chennai and surrounding districts. This has also worsened the lives of the students in the state. Already the semester exams have been postponed, which were earlier supposed to be held from 16th to 28th of November. Students are facing a huge challenge in focusing or even compiling content for the exams. Many have lost their study material in the floods. It is also very difficult for them to travel to colleges or even arrange for food and accommodation. In such a precarious state, it shall be highly unjustified to make students write exams. Hence, the authority should seriously consider this request and take the requisite actions.
The Anti Exam Community' has been apparently created by some students studying either at Anna University or affiliated colleges.
Chennai was lashed by rains last week and one
of the worst hit was its southern belt. The hear wrenching images a south
Chennai neighborhood, Velachery, showed how the entire city has become
paralyzed. The residents of the city have been forced to make their way through
the waist-high water, with the boats being employed to transport the children
to school.
According to the Tamil Nadu government, the volume of rain was 265 mm on
November 16. The government said that it responded promptly to the situation and
launched the required relief operations. It has also put forward a demand of Rs. 2,000
crore as immediate relief from the Centre.
According to Jayshree Venkatecan, an environmentalist associated with an NGO, Care Earth is of the view that this was inevitable and is clearly a man-made disaster.