Nearly 50 per cent of the candidates who had registered for the Group I examination of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) failed to turn up in Madurai on Sunday.
Though hall tickets were sent to 9,938 candidates, only 4,673 took the examination, registering a 47 per cent attendance rate. The examination was conducted in 38 centres in the district. Collector L. Subramanian inspected the centres at Kakkaipadiniyar Girls Higher Secondary School, Wakf Board College, Sri Meenakshi Government College for Women and Ambiga College of Arts and Science in the city and inspected the arrangements in place.
Teams led by revenue officials and five flying squads inspected the centres.
An official said CCTV cameras had been installed and police personnel deployed at the centres. No incidents of malpractice or cheating were reported.