The annual examinations of Lucknow University are set to delay by at least two weeks. As per the academic calendar, the annual examinations should ideally begin from March 1, but with the present preparations, the date has gone for a toss. Beating the deadline, the exams are likely to begin from March 15. "The university is trying its best to begin the exams from second week of March. Preparations are in full swing,'' said controller of exams, LU, Yashvir Tyagi.

The list of centres where the examinations would be conducted was declared on Wednesday. Students would take up the exams at 48 centres, one down from previous year's count of 49. The one college that has been ousted out is Swatantra Girls' Degree College. However, the college is de-affiliated from academic session 2011-12, but it's not been included in the list of centres.

It's now the testing time for the university. The examination section claimed that students data card have already been filled up. The preparations of admit card is underway. With just a week left for next month to begin, the university is still not able to declare the confirmed dates. Highly placed sources, however, revealed that the examinations would not start before March 28.

It has also come to light that setting of examination papers and moderating work is still not completed. This is perhaps, a major challenge for university.

Meanwhile, a majority of the colleges has complained that they have not yet received the examination fund from university. "If the preparations are really going on, the students will not suffer. The university should take care of examination fund and should de-centralise the evaluation work for better results,'' said president, Lucknow University Associated Colleges Teachers' Association, Moulindu Mishra.