Nagpur: Amid the ongoing NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy, a quieter but telling scandal has emerged from Nagpur’s own examination centres — students were being charged up to ₹2,000 each for cooler facility at exam venues, with the money going directly to college managements rather than any official account.
The issue came to a head on May 1 when the Nagpur district collector summoned principals of all exam centre colleges for a meeting. What emerged was striking: colleges had procured coolers at costs ranging from ₹30,000 to ₹35,000 per unit and were recovering the expense from students appearing for NEET — without any authorisation from the NTA or district administration.
The collector has now made it clear that no college management can levy or recover cooler charges from students on its own. Any such expenditure requires prior approval from the district collector and local administration.
The responsibility of funding cooler arrangements at NEET centres rests with the district administration — not the examining body, not the colleges, and certainly not the students.The controversy adds a local dimension to NEET 2026’s credibility crisis.
With the examination already cancelled nationally over paper leak allegations and a CBI probe underway — including raids at student residences in Nagpur’s Central Avenue and Itwari areas — questions about the conduct of exam centres are now drawing fresh scrutiny.Students and parents who paid the cooler charges have been advised to approach the district administration for redress.
👉 Click here to read the latest Gujarat news on TheLiveAhmedabad.com