8,000 Candidates for 187 Posts: Odisha Runway Turns Exam Hall Amid Job Crunch

Thousands of graduates and postgraduates sat on an open runway in Sambalpur as authorities scrambled to manage an overwhelming response to a Home Guard recruitment drive.

An extraordinary scene unfolded in Odisha’s Sambalpur district on December 16, when nearly 8,000 candidates appeared for a written examination for just 187 Home Guard posts, forcing authorities to convert the Jamadarpali airstrip into a temporary examination centre. The recruitment drive, which required only a Class V pass as the minimum qualification, drew an unexpectedly massive turnout, including a large number of graduates and postgraduates.

From early morning, a sea of aspirants gathered at the airstrip, where candidates were seated on the runway under the open sky. Officials said the decision to use the airstrip was taken after it became clear that conventional examination centres such as schools and colleges would not be able to accommodate the crowd.

The overwhelming response highlighted the depth of unemployment in the region, particularly among educated youth. Despite the modest eligibility criteria and the limited number of vacancies, around 10,000 candidates had applied for the posts, with close to 8,000 turning up on the day of the examination.

Officials explained that organising the exam across regular centres would have required spreading candidates across nearly 20 schools. However, Sambalpur frequently hosts multiple examinations every Sunday, making it difficult to manage such a large number of examinees simultaneously.

In Odisha, Airstrip doubles up as examination hall as more than 8000 aspirants turn up for more than 187 homeguard vaccancies. pic.twitter.com/1XH78meDcN

— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) December 19, 2025

“The examination was held on December 16 in Sambalpur. Around ten thousand applicants had applied for the exam, and nearly eight thousand aspirants appeared on the examination day,” the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Sambalpur, said.

“To accommodate eight thousand candidates, arrangements had to be made across twenty schools. Sambalpur is a place where several examinations are conducted every Sunday, and it becomes difficult to manage such a large number of students at a time. Generally, written and physical examinations for police and army recruitment are conducted on open grounds. To avoid any kind of mismanagement, we made all necessary arrangements accordingly,” the ASP added.

The Jamadarpali airstrip offered a wide, open space that allowed better movement, supervision, and crowd control. Authorities said the open-ground setting helped prevent congestion and ensured the smooth conduct of the examination, despite the unconventional venue.

Candidates were seated in rows on the runway, with officials closely monitoring the process. According to the administration, the exam was conducted peacefully and without any untoward incident. Aspirants cooperated fully, and discipline was maintained throughout the process.

The recruitment is reportedly being carried out under a contractual or requirement-based model. While Home Guard roles typically involve support duties related to law enforcement and public safety, the scale of the response underscored the growing mismatch between educational qualifications and available job opportunities.

The sight of thousands of degree-holders competing for posts requiring minimal formal education has once again brought attention to the lack of stable employment options for educated youth, especially in smaller towns and districts.

Officials maintained that the decision to use the airstrip was purely logistical and taken in the interest of safety and efficiency. They said the unconventional arrangement ensured that the examination could be conducted without disruption while managing an unprecedented turnout.

The Sambalpur airstrip exam has since sparked wider discussion on employment challenges, as images of aspirants seated on a runway became a stark visual reminder of the pressures faced by job seekers across the country.