Heat tests families of NEET aspirants, second chance and still no shade or water in Ludhiana.

Ludhiana: Hundreds of parents were left stranded on sidewalks in dangerous heatwave conditions without water, seating, or shade while their children sat the country’s most gruelling medical entrance test all over again.An estimated 5,300 candidates wrote the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) across 15 govt schools and colleges in this Punjab district. While administrators enforced strict security protocols inside the venues, they provided zero logistics for families waiting outside in the sweeping heat.Many parents travelled from regional towns including Khanna, Jagraon, and Mandi Gobindgarh to support their children through the high-stakes examination of three hours and 15 minutes.

With no tents or chairs provided by centre management, hundreds were forced to sit on footpaths and dusty roadsides for up to six hours.“I have been sitting on the footpath since morning,” said Reema, a parent from Doraha who waited outside the PM Shri Govt School. “This is the second time the test is being conducted here, but the management still forces parents to struggle outside these buildings without basic facilities.”

The dangerous lack of infrastructure forced families to rely on commercial entities for basic relief. Parmod Singh, who travelled from Mandi Gobindgarh, said he had to retreat to a nearby public park while his daughter took the exam. He noted that the only water offered came from private tutoring academies distributing promotional pamphlets.Other parents expressed frustration over the lack of structural coordination, noting the irony of the situation falling on Father’s Day.“We are not locals who can just go home and come back later,” said Balbir, a father who travelled from Khanna. “There are many parents just like me who have been completely neglected by the school managements and authorities.”