CG’s Thota wins Gold in 1,500 mt race at Indian Open Athletics Meet

 

 

THOTA Sankeertana, promising athletics star of Chhattisgarh has once again made the state proud by clinching gold medal in the women’s 1500-meter race at the Indian Open Athletics Meet 2025 held at Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru. Clocking an impressive time of 4:27.14 minutes, Sankeertana outpaced her competitors to secure top podium position. Her triumph is being hailed as a proud moment not only for Charoda (Bhilai) but for the entire sports fraternity of Chhattisgarh. The recruitment rules mandated the use of a Digital Technology System (DTS) for long jump and shot put, and all physical tests were to be conducted strictly between sunrise and sunset. However, in 9 out of 17 nodal forest divisions, the long jump for 41,773 candidates was conducted manually.

 

Furthermore, in 12 forest divisions, physical tests for 6,979 candidates were carried out in artificial light after sunset. Officials cited shorter winter days and frequent technical glitches in machines as reasons for these deviations, claiming that the decision was made to avoid sending back candidates who had traveled long distances. This explanation, however, has failed to appease concerns about transparency and fairness. Over 4.25 lakh candidates had applied for the forest guard positions across the state, but only about 1.5 lakh appeared for the physical test, with over 2.5 lakh remaining absent. This raises questions about the department’s capacity to handle a large-scale examination, given the difficulties faced with a smaller turnout.

 

Dr Sontapar, Additional Secretary of the Forest and Climate Change Department, in reviewing the recruitment process, issued clear directives to re-conduct the physical tests for all affected candidates in daylight, using the DTS system, considering the manually and artificially lit tests invalid. Candidates required to retake the exam can download their admit cards from the department’s website starting June 27. A helpline number, 7489986772, has also been provided for assistance. Forest divisions where manual long jump procedures were conducted include Raipur, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, Raigarh, Balod, Dantewada, Bijapur, Kanker, and Rajnandgaon. Tests conducted under artificial light took place in Dhamtari, Bijapur, Kanker, Kondagaon, Rajnandgaon, Surguja, Korea, Jashpur, Kawardha, Bilaspur, Raigarh, and Korba.