Pune: Students and parents appearing for examinations at the iON Digital Zone in Ramtekdi are facing significant challenges due to inadequate facilities and poor accessibility.

The issue was particularly evident on Wednesday (January 22), as candidates appearing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) were caught in traffic congestion near the center. Many students had to leave their vehicles midway and rush to the center on foot to avoid being late.

The iON Digital Zone is situated in an industrial area, about 1.5 kilometers from the Pune-Solapur highway, with no direct public transport available. Access to the center requires traveling through narrow and congested roads. For candidates without private vehicles, reliance on private transport is unavoidable, and such services are often overpriced.

The lack of infrastructure at the center adds to the woes of students and their parents. Parking facilities are non-existent, forcing vehicles to be parked in an open, unclean area nearby. Retrieving vehicles from this area becomes a tedious task due to haphazard parking.

Parents, meanwhile, are left waiting outside without a proper waiting area, often under the sun or rain. The absence of drinking water, clean restrooms, and food facilities further compounds their difficulties.

The situation worsened today as a broken-down dumper near a petrol pump added to the traffic congestion on the already narrow access roads. With students from the first exam session exiting and those for the second session arriving simultaneously, the congestion peaked. Senior Police Inspector Sunil Pandharkar from the Wanawadi Traffic Division stated that the jam was finally cleared by the afternoon.

Growing Demand for Relocation of the Examination Center

With thousands of students appearing for exams at this center daily, delayed entry often results in students missing their exams entirely. The unsafe and chaotic commute due to heavy tanker and dumper traffic on the access roads has raised serious concerns.

Students have compared the Ramtekdi center to other examination centers in the state and found it severely lacking in terms of facilities and accessibility. As a result, students are now demanding that the Ramtekdi examination center be relocated to a better-equipped and easily accessible location.