Bhubaneswar, May 9: The state government, taking stock of the preparations for the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) on May 12, decided today that at least two armed cops will be deployed at each of the 160 centres within and outside the state.

Odisha’s home department and that of the other states, where exams will be held, are coordinating with each other to ensure that the entrance test, which is being held for the last time in Odisha, is conducted in a hassle-free manner. After this, the state will be part of the Common National Examination Process for admission to undergraduate engineering courses.

“Adequate police deployment will be made at the centres to prevent any untoward incident,” said joint secretary of technical education department Ratnakar Rout.

The department has also installed closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in most centres. In all those centres where CCTVs could not be installed, provision for video recording on the exam day has been made.

“There were objections from various colleges to the installation of CCTV cameras. In a couple of colleges, students vandalised their respective institutes after discovering about such an arrangement. But we have made ourselves clear in this regard. Since colleges have been asked to bear the equipment cost, some have been citing shortage of funds as an excuse. In such cases, we have made provision for video recording and the expenses will be borne by the department,” said Rout.

Administrative officials from across the state including sub-collectors, block development officers and social welfare officers have been roped in to ensure smooth conduct of the entrance exam.

These officers will be provided training on the conduct of examination through video conferencing.

The OJEE will be held across 160 centres, including 32 centres from outside the state. Video recording of major processes of the exams such as opening, closing and sealing of the boxes containing confidential matter would be done.