It looked to be a festive occasion at Rourkela. From Friday evening, the aspirant students for AIEEE and their parents started reaching the steel city from all corners of the State as well as from neighbouring Jharkhand as Rourkela is the only place for these examinees.
Though about 20,000 students and their parents were there, the accommodation capacity in the city’s hotels and guesthouses is limited to 3,500. But the city known for its hospitality left no stone unturned as starting from the district administration to social organisations came together to extend service to the students and their parents in terms of boarding and conveyance at reasonable prices. At every important Chowk, ample numbers of volunteers were available to guide the students to their examination centres, the total number of which is 33.
A student, Ajit Mohapatra, said he was really overwhelmed with the hospitality of the steel city. Smrutirekha said Rourkela has set an example for other cities with such gesture. According to her, her parents and friends were in the city for two days, but they did not face any problem here.