Pranati Nayak, 26, a candidate who appeared in the main written examination of the Odisha Civil Service in January, is desperately waiting for her results to be announced.

It has been delayed for eight months as the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) is struggling to get suitable evaluators to examine the answer papers. Out of nearly 60,000 candidates, as many as 4,754 candidates, including 1,551 women, qualified to appear for the main written examination of the Odisha Civil Service in January.

The examination was conducted to fill up 392 Group A and Group B posts coming under the Odisha Civil Service.

“Not only the candidates but even their parents are eagerly waiting for the examination results,” a candidate said. The shortage of suitable evaluators came to public notice when the OPSC requested the higher education department to provide a list of professors and associate professors.

“The OPSC is experiencing difficulties for timely evaluation of descriptive papers in the Odisha Civil Service and Odisha Judicial Service examination due to non-availability of examiners in the rank of professors and associate professors. It has led to the delay in the finalisation and declaration of the result,” said OPSC secretary P.K. Mishra in a letter to the Odisha higher education department.

The OPSC has urged the government to submit the list of serving faculties of government colleges and universities in as many as 32 disciplines whose service can be spared for 10 working days for evaluation on a rotational basis.

“What is more interesting is that the OPSC raised the issue on August 20 and the government acted 10 days after receiving the letter. Only two days back, on August 30, the higher education department issued a letter to all state public university registrars to furnish the list of professors and associate professors working in the 32 disciplines mentioned by the OPSC. It will further delay the process,” a senior official said. Not only the candidates of the Odisha Civil Service but also the aspirants who had appeared for the main written examination of the Odisha Judicial Service are also facing the same problem. The main examination was held in June. Educationist Prof.

Ajit Mohanty said: “I have a feeling that the OPSC failed to realise the importance of the examination and the anxiety of the aspirants. The UPSC is conducting the all-India civil service examination and the results are declared in due time. But why has the OPSC failed?”Mohanty said: “The OPSC should have maintained a database of retired professors with their telephone numbers. Just after the examination, they should have got in touch with them directly. Now after eight months of the examination, asking for evaluators is really hard to digest.”The aspirants are hoping for the evaluation process to be completed as soon as possible. After all, it is their future that is at stake. The OPSC, too, is expected to learn from the fiasco.