Chandigarh/Panchkula, July 27 -- Over 59,000 aspirants converged on examination centres across Chandigarh and Panchkula as the Haryana Staff Selection Commission's Common Entrance Test (CET) for Group C posts commenced on Saturday. The exam, expected to see nearly 13.7 lakh candidates appear across Haryana and Chandigarh in total over two days, was conducted in two shifts on Saturday, from 10 am to 11.45 am and 3 pm to 4.45 pm. In Panchkula, the first day of the CET proceeded smoothly across all 44 centres. Local administration directives were strictly enforced, with photocopy shops remaining closed. While a few dual-business establishments were observed open, they adhered to the ban on photocopying services. All coaching centres in the district also remained shut. Police maintained high vigilance outside examination centres, with vehicles strategically stationed. Buses arranged by the district administration ferried examinees within the city and from the bus stand to various centres. Numerous private school buses were also deployed for this purpose, with many stationed at the Sector-5 bus stand. Out of 21,488 candidateswho had registered for Panchkula centres on Day 1, 19,759 appeared for the exam. Panchkula deputy commissioner Monika Gupta personally inspected multiple examination centres during both shifts, confirming the peaceful conduct of exams at all locations. In Chandigarh, 153 exam centres were established for the CET. Out of 75,000 registered aspirants for Chandigarh centres, approximately 40,000 appeared for the examination. Despite meticulous arrangements and deployment of 1,000 Haryana Roadways shuttle buses, designated help desks and traffic advisories rolled out ahead of the exam, key routes in Chandigarh and Panchkula experienced significant traffic congestion, especially outside the exam centres. Routes, including Tribune Chowk to Zirakpur, CTU Workshop through Sector 28/26 lights, Gurdwara Chowk, and southern sectors of Chandigarh erupted into standstill traffic, with vehicles crawling for over 30 to 40 minutes. Traffic was also completely jammed between Vikas Nagar and Hallomajra light points, and the Kalagram light point towards the railway station side, affecting roads typically relied on by candidates and general commuters alike. Commuters reported chaos in front of the Dadumajra dumping yard, where CET exam candidates were stuck in a jam for 40 minutes....