Telangana Board to involve another agency in re-verification

Hyderabad: Under flak from all quarters for the goof-up in Intermediate examinations, Telangana Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) on Wednesday decided to involve another independent Information Technology agency in re-verification and result processing of nearly 3.5 lakh students who failed to obtain pass marks.

Besides Globarena Technologies, which is being blamed for the massive bungling, another independent agency will be involved in the work.

BIE Secretary D. Ashok announced that the responsibility to select an independent agency was entrusted to Telangana State Technological Services (TSTS).

The decision assumed significance in view of the allegations by the opposition parties that the state government gave the contract to Globarena Technologies as the company had links with Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president and former IT minister K. T. Rama Rao. They also alleged that the government was trying to shield the company.

Rama Rao, who is son of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, on Wednesday dismissed the allegations by the opposition parties. He alleged that they were playing with the lives of the students.

Stating that the IT department has nothing to with the BIE, Rama Rao said the opposition parties were doing cheap politics over the issue. "Will somebody give Rs 10,000 crore bribe for Rs 4 crore contract," he asked, referring to allegations by a Congress leader.

Over 9 lakh students had appeared in Intermediate 1st Year and 2nd Year (11th and 12th standard) in February-March. The results were declared on April 18, which triggered an uproar among students who alleged large-scale discrepancies in valuation of papers and processing of the results.

More than 20 students committed suicide during in the last two weeks over the failure in exams. Massive protests by the students, parents and opposition parties forced the government to order free re-verification of answer sheets of all students who failed to obtain pass marks.