Thursday, August 17, 2017

Close shave for family after fire & cylinder blast

TNN | Aug 16, 2017, 11:34 PM IST

Chennai: Residents of a house in MM Colony, Aminjikarai, had a close shave after a fire broke out in their bedroom at 6am on Wednesday. The residents escaped unhurt as they were sleeping on the verandah outside the house at the time.

The fire spread to the kitchen and caused an LPG cylinder to burst before fire and rescue personnel arrived to put it out.

The incident occurred at the residence of Vasan, a flower vendor, his wife Revathi and three children.

Vasan had rented out a house on the second floor of the building from the owner Idayatullah.Vasan and his family members woke up after they noticed thick smoke emanating from the house.

They rushed inside to collect some of their belongings and left the house immediately as the fire was spreading. Other residents in the building also came out of their houses on hearing the commotion.

After one of the residents informed the fire and rescue personnel, a team of fire tenders from Koyambedu and Kilpauk rushed to the spot and put out the fire. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

DGHS wording confuses medical aspirants in Tamil Nadu

Pushpa Narayan & Suresh Kumar| TNN | Updated: Aug 16, 2017, 07:54 AM IST

Representative Image

CHENNAI: A day after the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said students who have been "allotted" seats in the second round of NEET-based counselling for MBBS/BDS admission cannot attend any other counselling, the department has now clarified that "admission means student joining a college."

Additional Director General (Medical Education) Dr B Srinivas said the DGHS allots seats based on the choices locked by students. "It is a two-step process. If the students join the college within a week of allotment, it will be considered as admission. If the students don't, they are still eligible to participate in other counselling. The seats will be returned to the respective states or deemed universities," he said.

On May 9, the Supreme Court in the Dar-Us-Slam Educational Trust Case said, "After second round of counselling for all-India quota seats, students who take admission in all-India quota seats should not be allowed or permitted to vacate the seats."

Students who secure admission in deemed universities shall not be eligible to participate in any other counselling, it said.

However, the DGHS counselling scheme flow chart (published online) for deemed universities says: "Candidates joined in 2nd round of counselling will not be allowed to resign/leave the seat and they will not be allowed in any other counselling."

For the all-India quota seats no option is given to opt out of the allotment.

The FAQ says, "Once you join second round seat from 15% all-India quota you will not be allowed to resign from allotted 2nd round seat." On Monday, when TOI sought clarification after receiving calls from anxious students and parents Dr Srinivas said, "Different words used on the admission website has caused the confusion."

School run by Rajinikanth's wife shut over 'non-payment' of rent

PTI | Updated: Aug 16, 2017, 09:04 PM IST

The Ashram school run by Latha Rajinikanth have been subsequently shifted to another institution.

CHENNAI: The school run by the wife of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth was locked by the landlord of the building on charges that the rent agreed to was not being paid.

The school authorities said they have decided to file a defamation case against the landlord for creating "immense agony to the school and issuing false statements to the media."

About 400 children of the Ashram school run by Latha Rajinikanth have been subsequently shifted to another institution.

Venkateshwaralu, the landlord of the school, claimed the management agreed to pay the rent as per a court directive till they vacate the premises by May 2018 which they had not adhered to fully.

He said the school authorities did not pay the quantum of rent as agreed to.

Later in a statement, the school management said it would file a defamation case against the landlord.

Stating that the school has been operating in the existing premises for more than a decade, the management claimed it has faced lot of harassment in the recent past due to the "family dispute" of the landlord.

"It is not just about the rent but it is about their exploitation of the situation and it is about asking unfair, unreasonable and exorbitant increment in rentals which we have been negotiating and speaking with them (landlord)", the statement by the management said.

Doc on way to join CM’s convoy dies in accident

TNN | Aug 17, 2017, 12:17 AM IST

Chennai: A 45-year-old assistant professor in the cardiology department, who was on his way to join the chief minister's convoy, died in a road accident near Therkkupattu in Mamallapuram on Wednesday morning.

R Arul Selvan, of Villupuram, was an assistant professor at Chengalpet government hospital. "Arul Selvan's driver, Prasad, lost control of the vehicle and rammed the central median after another car in front of him took a sudden left turn," said a senior police officer. He died on the spot

Police said the driver of the other car, K Vignesh, 30, a realtor, took a turn without noticing the doctor's car. A case has been registered with the Mahabalipuram police station and further investigations are on.

Meanwhile, the Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDGPA) has expressed their condolences to Arul Selvan's family and demanded a Rs 5 crore compensation.

No med council in place, erring docs have free run

TNN | Updated: Aug 17, 2017, 12:24 AM IST

Chennai: Doctors found guilty of botching up a hair transplant in a salon that left a medical student dead and another doctor who pulled the plug off her ailing father in the intensive care unit should have been suspended from practice. But the regulatory authority, the Tamil Nadu Medical Council, is unable to act on them because of the lack of an elected 10-member council.

In June, after the council's tenure came to an end with members dragging each other to court over allegations of mismanagement and abuse of powers, the Madras high court appointed a retired judge, justice K Venkataraman, as administrator to the council. One of the prime duties of the court-appointed administrator is to conduct elections within three months. "At least three doctors have been found guilty of negligence by a disciplinary committee. We have received at least 20 more complaints against doctors, but we will not be able to initiate any action because there is no elected counsel," said Venkatraman.

Although the judge has sought information from doctors in at least five cases, no action, including disciplinary inquiry, can be initiated against them. According to the rule book, the council has set up a three-member disciplinary committee to conduct the inquiry. While seven members are yet to be elected to the council, the position of one of the three government nominees is vacant. "Even if government nominates another doctor, the disciplinary can only recommend action. An elected council is the only powerful authority," Venkataraman said.

He has been carrying out day-to day administration, elections cannot be held before December as the electoral rolls in the council are not updated, the retired judeg said. The council has registered about 1.25 lakh doctors but the list hasn't been updated for long. On July 26, the council put out advertisements calling members to furnish change of address for revision of electoral rolls on or before August 28. "The response hasn't been good so far. So, we have emailed some doctors and asked doctors' associations to help us," Venkatraman said.

Once the electoral rolls are updated, the council will have to call for nominations and scrutinise applications. "We won't be able to complete the elections until December," he added.

TN govt in no mood to release Rajiv assassination case convicts early

TNN | Updated: Aug 17, 2017, 12:37 AM IST

Chennai: Tamil Nadu government has dug out a counter-affidavit filed by it in 2012, and furnished it on Wednesday, opposing early release of two life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

When the premature release plea of lifers B Robert Payas alias Kumaralingam and Jayakumar came up for further hearing on Wednesday, copies of counter-affidavits prepared in 2012 were handed over to parties concerned.

The counter cited various Supreme Court orders that categorically said that life sentence meant imprisonment for life, and that remitting of any portion of sentence was securely vested with the authority concerned and that it could not be claimed as a matter of right.

In 2014, the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa changed the state's stand on the issue and decided to release all the seven convicts in the case. The moved was later stalled by the Supreme Court, which held that without the consent of the Centre, state governments could not release people convicted in cases investigated by central agencies.

The counter, however, contended that the state government rejected premature release of the convicts in 2010 solely based on the recommendation of the advisory board constituted for the purpose, the government said the contention of the petitioner that his request was rejected for the sole reason that he was involved in the murder case of Rajiv Gandhi, was not correct.

"The brutal murder of former prime minister of India has many political ramifications and is definitely an important incident in the Indian political scene, which resulted in stalling the democratic process for few days. The incident sent shock waves to the effect that the general elections itself had to be postponed," the government added.

The state government also wanted the court to dismiss the pleas of the life convicts, as being devoid of merit.

ஆள் பற்றாக்குறையால் திணறும் பஸ் ஊழியர்கள்

பதிவு செய்த நாள்17ஆக2017 01:16

சென்னை: அரசு விரைவு போக்கு வரத்து கழகமான, எஸ்.இ.டி.சி.,யில், 1,800 பணியிடங்கள் காலியாக உள்ளதால், ஊழியர்கள், பணிச்சுமையில் திணறும் நிலை ஏற்பட்டுஉள்ளது.

பணிச்சுமை : அரசு விரைவு போக்கு வரத்து கழகத்தில், 1,185 பஸ்கள் உள்ளன. இவை, தமிழகத்தின் பல மாவட்டங்களுக்கும், அண்டை மாநிலங்களுக்கும், தொலைதுார பஸ்களாக இயக்கப்படுகின்றன. இதில் பணியாற்றும் ஓட்டுனர், நடத்துனர்களுக்கு உரிய ஓய்வு அளிக்க வேண்டிய கட்டாயம். ஆனால், ஊழியர்கள் பற்றாக்குறையால், சட்ட ரீதியான ஓய்வு கூட வழங்க முடியாமல், தொடர்ந்து பணியாற்றும் சூழல் ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது.இது குறித்து, எஸ்.இ.டி.சி., ஊழியர்கள் கூறியதாவது:எஸ்.இ.டி.சி.,யில் உள்ள, 6,800 பணியிடங்களில், தற்போது, 5,000 பணியிடங்களே உள்ளன. ஓட்டுனர்கள், 1,560 பேர்; நடத்துனர், 235 பேர் உட்பட, 1,800 இடங்கள் வரை, காலியாக உள்ளன. இதனால் ஊழியர்களுக்கு, அதிக பணிச்சுமை ஏற்படுகிறது.

மன உளைச்சல் : தட்டிக் கேட்கும் ஊழியர்களுக்கு, வருகைப் பதிவை குறைப்பது, அதிக பணி வழங்குவது என, பல்வேறு நெருக்கடிகள், நிர்வாகத்தால் தரப்படுகின்றன. ஓய்வில்லாத பணியால் ஓட்டுனர், நடத்துனர்கள் அதிகம் பாதிக்கப்பட்டு, மன உளைச்சலுக்கு ஆளாகின்றனர்.
இது, விபத்துகளுக்கு வழிவகுத்துவிடும். எனவே, காலி பணியிடங்களை, அரசு உடனே நிரப்ப வேண்டும். இவ்வாறு அவர்கள் கூறினர்.

Good Morning