HC orders notice on plea seeking ban on camphor in temples

tnn | Updated: Sep 17, 2017, 00:41 IST

Madurai: The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Saturday issued notice on petition seeking to prohibit sale and use of chemical camphor and animal fats and dalda-based light (theepam) in temples in the state.

Hindu Makkal Katchi Sivaganga district president S Anandavel filed the petition seeking a ban on use of chemical camphor and animal fat in temples. It came up for hearing before the division bench of justices K K Sasidharan and G R Swaminathan.

K Neelamegam, petitioner's counsel, said that using pure cow ghee to light lamp would make the temple free from pollution. However, theepams made of animal fats and dalda were sold and used in many temples.

The counel said that several shops in Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple were seen selling dalda theepams under the label of ghee theepam. Chemical camphor was sold there, too. Carbon di oxide and carbon mono oxide emitted from these theeepams and camphors when they were lighted. It would lead to breathing problem and simialr diseases, the counsel added.

Neelamegam said that the temple authority, which was supposed to monitor it, had failed to do so. A representation seeking to prohibit those items in temples was sent to the state's home secretary, health secretary and Hindu religious and charitable endowment secretary on August 25, 2017. However, no action was taken in this regard. Following it, the court ordered notice.

Ignou, another 4800 bodies lose FCRA licence

Bharti Jain| TNN | Updated: Sep 17, 2017, 03:59 IST

Ignou is among the organisations whose FCRA licence was cancelled.

NEW DELHI: The Union home ministry has cancelled the licence of 4,842 NGOs and organisations, including Indira Gandhi National Open University (Ignou) and Delhi's Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act for failing to file annual returns from 2010-11 to 2014-15 despite several reminders, sources in the ministry told TOI on Saturday.

It is mandatory for an NGO or an organisation that has been granted licence under FCRA to file returns of its foreign contribution receipts and expenditure records on an annual basis.

The Union home ministry scrapped FCRA registration of the 4,842 NGOs and organisations on August 8 this year after they did not file returns for a minimum three out of five years between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

It be recalled that it had in a similar exercise in 2015 cancelled the registration of 10,020 NGOs over non-adherence to FCRA norms. The NGOs affected at the time included Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, IIT (Delhi), School of Planning & Architecture and Punjab University.

Incidentally, institutions formed under an Act or statute are exempt from mandatory FCRA registration and filing of annual returns. A 2011 home ministry notification exempted them on the ground that their accounts were anyway scrutinised and audited by CAG.

"JNU, IITs and Delhi University can therefore still receive foreign funding despite having lost their FCRA licence in 2015," said a home ministry official.

In May, around 18,500 NGOs that had not been regularly filing returns under FCRA over past 5 years, were given a one-time opportunity to give details of their income and expenses. No penalty was to be paid by the defaulters. While 12,537 NGOs reverted, around 5,922 did not bother to upload their returns.

The latter were served a notice in July, well after the extended deadline to file returns had expired, asking why their FCRA licence should not be cancelled over non-filing of annual returns.

While 950 NGOs responded to the notice, there was no word from the 4,842 organisations, leaving the home ministry no other option but to cancel FCRA registration of the latter. The remaining are under review. IGNOU and Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College are the two prominent names in the cancelled list, an officer said adding that they had not filed annual returns for a single year between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

Madras univ goes paperless, set to save up to 70% cost

Siddharth Prabhakar| TNN | Updated: Sep 17, 2017, 00:21 IST

Chennai: In a move that will save the institution a few crores every year and simplify administration, the University of Madras has decided to go completely paperless. All the official files pertaining to syndicate, academic council, Senate and communication to colleges will be done only through e-mail.

A decision to this effect was taken unanimously at the syndicate meeting on Thursday. The 160-year-old institution is perhaps the first in the country to take such a decision.

The university conducts two academic council meets, two senate meetings and at least 12 syndicate meetings every year. Agenda and minutes of the meeting running into several hundreds of pages have to be printed and distributed to the members of these bodies. Syndicate has 27 members, senate 125 members and academic council more than 200 members.

The annual report and other reports run into more than 1000 pages. Apart from these, examination, board of studies related communication and documents are also sizeable. Besides these, all the invitations for seminars, conferences and academic programmes will no longer be printed and only e-invites will be sent, a senior official said. Paper work would be used only for appointments and finance related matters for a short while till the system settles down. "University can save at least 70 percent of its costs related to purchase of papers, printer cartridges for office use and printing costs," said vice-chancellor P Duraisamy.

The syndicate has also decided on scrapping a five-year integrated course on post-modern development administration and converted it into a two-year MA in development administration. This course was offered by Anna Centre for Public affairs, which faced difficulties in conducting language courses and providing hostel accommodation for undergraduate students.

Three Puducherry medical colleges manipulated records to deny admission to meritorious students

Bosco Dominique| TNN | Sep 16, 2017, 09:05 IST



PUDUCHERRY: It has now come to light that three private medical colleges in Puducherry had admitted 186 students who had not even applied for admission in those colleges in MBBS last year.

The imbroglio in MBBS admissions in deemed universities and private medical colleges could have been averted if the Puducherry government and private institutions strictly adhered to the decisions taken during the meeting convened at the Raj Nivas on September 1 last year, said lt governor Kiran Bedi.

Within a few days after the private institutions concluded MBBS admissions for the last academic year 2016-17, the chairperson of permanent admission committeeand Madras High Court former judge justice Chitra Venkataraman, in a report dated October 19 last year addressed to the chief secretary listed out serious lapses in the admission process in three private medical colleges and asked the Puducherry government to take appropriate action.

The delay on the part of the government finally resulted in the Medical Council of India ordering discharge of 770-odd MBBS students, who were admitted at private institutions, without following due rules and regulations. The MCI, in its September 7, 2017 order, directed the government and institutions to discharge all MBBS students who were not allotted seats through centralized admission committee (Centac) and send a compliance report within two weeks from the date of dispatch of the order.

Committee chairperson said the parents' associations submitted material evidence proving that the three private medical colleges admitted candidates, who had not even applied for admission in their colleges and denied admission to meritorious candidates, who officially applied for admission in their colleges. The associations pointed out that three private medical colleges offered MBBS admission to 186 students, who did not even apply for admission in their respective colleges.

The Justice said on comparing the application list with the admission list submitted by Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, it was found that out of 112 students admitted, 44 students had not even applied for admission in the college. Similarly out of the 97 students admitted at Sri Venkateswara Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, 50 students had not applied at all and out of the 95 students admitted at Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, 92 students had not applied at all.

"This left the meritorious students, who had applied in the said colleges and also figured in the merit list prepared by the permanent admission committee not being included," said the justice in the report.

The colleges denied admission to meritorious students, who refused to pay exorbitant fees, declaring that they failed to appear for counselling despite their presence during the counselling session. "The parents informed that the colleges made this noting when the parents insisted on payment of fees as per the fee committee direction," the justice said.

LATEST COMMENTit appears Khat party and its middlemen might have reaped tons of money !!!!!N Renganathan

"Agony caused to over 770 medical students was completely avoidable had the minutes of the meeting recorded on September 1 last year held at Raj Nivas were implemented by all parties concerned. Permanent admission committee chairperson also pointed out the serious deficiencies later. None of the issues was addressed. The whole scenario would have been different had the issues were addressed effectively. Instead, the colleges had a free run as is evident from the scale of irregularities based on which the MCI has cancelled the admissions,' said Bedi.

She said people suffer when the government fails to address issues in a time-bound manner with a sense of urgency and integrity. "Regrettably in this issue, it's our children and parents who suffer," she said.

Fear of judicial whip ends govt employees' strike

Government offices are not rest houses for the employees. Government servants cannot act like masters of public."

TNN | Sep 16, 2017, 10:34 IST

CHENNAI: In the end, it was fear of the judicial whip that did the trick. The week-long strike by various government employees unions, demanding wage revision and old pension scheme, was withdrawn on Friday, and staffers returned to offices by 2pm, after the Madras high court made it known it would crack the whip if the strike was not called off immediately and unconditionally.

A bench of Justice K K Sasidharan and Justice G R Swaminatha, which had on September 7 restrained JACTO-GEO from going ahead with the proposed strike, said: "The indefinite strike paralysed the administration. The employees on strike are not permitting the public to visit the collectorate and other government offices. These premises are virtually under the control of employees who treat it as if it is their private property.

"They have no right to remain at the government office day and night, and make it their abode. Government offices are not rest houses for the employees. Government servants cannot act like masters of public."

The bench was passing orders on a contempt petition that was filed seeking action against the association office-bears who had wilfully violated the injunction orders of the court and continued their strike.

Justice Sasidharan, writing the judgment for the bench, listed a number of apex court verdicts to drive home the point that there was no fundamental or legal or statutory right for anyone to go on strike, and that a constitutional court had ample jurisdiction to grant declaratory relief in matters like this.

The bench initially gave counsel for the association 15 minutes to consult the officebearers and inform the court of their stance. When counsel returned and said they would like to convene the general body meeting to announce their decision, the bench rejected the argument saying in view of the injunction order granted by the court on September 7 itself, there was no question of taking the general body's permission for withdrawal of the strike.

After the judges said the court would see that its orders were enforced, the association agreed to suspend the strike with a request that the settlement proceedings be initiated.

LATEST COMMENTExcellent judgement. Great work by the court. The Govt employees cannot make public sub seventh to them. They are there to serve people and implement Govt orders.qrst asdd

The bench then directed the Tamil Nadu chief secretary to take up the issue with the government, and said it must address the various issues raised by the employees and submit its views to the court on September 21. Noting that it hoped the government would approach the issue with an open mind in view of unconditional withdrawal of the strike, the judges pointed out that the employees' associations had agreed to resume work on Friday itself.

"We, therefore, direct the employees, including teachers, who have been on strike, to report to duty immediately, and in any case by 2pm on Friday," said the bench.

Traffic diversion for ODI match in Chepauk

TNN | Sep 16, 2017, 23:36 IST

Chennai: Police have announced traffic diversions to facilitate vehicle movement in and around Chepauk as the one-day international cricket match between Indiaand Australia is to be held at the M A Chidambaram stadium on Sunday. The traffic diversions will be effected from 11am to 3pm, a release said. Bells Road will be made one way, with entry from Wallajah Road and vehicles will not be allowed to enter from Bharathi Salai. This will be made vice versa when the match is over.

Vehicles from Kamarajar Salai towards Bharathi Salai will not be allowed except MTC buses and for vehicles with valid pass. Canal Road will be made one-way, with entry from Bharathi Salai. Vehicles with passes bearing the letters M, P, T, W, V and MTC buses coming from Anna Salai into Wallajah Road will be allowed on Bells Road. Vehicles bearing letters B and R will not be allowed on Bells Road and will be directed to park at MRTS and Pattabiram Gate.

Vehicles coming from War Memorial and Gandhi Statue with passes bearing letters M, P, T, W, V and MTC buses will be allowed through Bharathi Salai. Other vehicles will be directed to the service road for parking on Foreshore Service Road. Vehicles without passes would be parking their vehicles on Foreshore Estate Road. Parking arrangements for about 3,350 vehicles have been made for vehicles with passes.

அசுரவேகத்தில் செல்லும் தனியார் பஸ்கள் பதறுது மனசு:தினம் தினம் நடக்குது பெரும் விபத்துக்கள்
பதிவு செய்த நாள்16செப்
2017
23:18


ஸ்ரீவில்லிபுத்துார்:விருதுநகர் மாவட்டத்தில் இயங்கும் தனியார் பஸ்கள் அதிவேகத்தில் செல்வதால், பொதுமக்கள் மற்றும் டூவீலர் ஓட்டிகள் விபத்தில் சிக்கி, உடல் ஊனம் அடைகின்றனர். சில நேரங்களில் உயிரிழப்புகளும் ஏற்படுகிறது. இதை தவிர்க்க மாவட்ட நிர்வாகம் மற்றும் போக்குவரத்து துறை அதிகாரிகள் தக்க நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கவேண்டும்.

மாவட்டத்தில் ராஜபாளையம், சிவகாசி, அருப்புகோட்டையிலிருந்து மதுரைக்கு அதிகளவில் தனியார் பஸ்கள் இயங்கி வருகிறது. மேலும், தென்காசி, திருநெல்வேலி, தேனிக்கும் தனியார் பஸ்கள் பல ஆண்டுகளாக இயங்கி வருகிறது. அரசு பஸ்களை விட கட்டணம் குறைவு, குறைந்த நேர பயணம் என்பதால் அதிகளவில் பயணிகள் தனியார் பஸ்களுக்காக காத்திருந்து பயணிக்கின்றனர்.இதில் போட்டி இல்லாத வழித்தடங்கள் மற்றும் கிராம வழித்தடங்களின் அனைத்து நிறுத்தங்களிலும் நின்று,
பயணிகளை ஏற்றி இறக்கி வருகின்றனர். ஆனால், மதுரையிலிருந்து ராஜபாளையம், சிவகாசி, அருப்புக்கோட்டை வழித்தடங்களில் அரசு பஸ்களுடன் போட்டிபோட்டு வருவாயை தனியார் பஸ்கள் பெறுகின்றன.அரசு பஸ்களுடன் ஒப்பிடுகையில் தனியார் பஸ்கள்
சுத்தமாகவும், இருக்கைகள் மற்றும் ஜன்னல்கள் பழுதில்லாமல் இருப்பதும் மக்களிடம் பெரும் வரவேற்பை பெற்றுள்ளது.இதனால் நாளுக்குநாள் தனியார் பஸ்களில் பயணிக்கும் பயணிகளின் எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரித்து வருகிறது. அதேநேரம் தங்களுடைய வருவாயை பெருக்கும் வகையில் அதிவேகங்களில் தனியார் பஸ்கள் செல்வது பயணிகளுக்கு ஒருவித விபத்து அபாயத்தை ஏற்படுத்துகிறது. எதிர்திசையில் வரும் வாகனங்களும் அதிவேகமாக வந்தால் மிகப்பெரிய விபத்து ஏற்படும் அபாயமே உள்ளது. தற்போது மாவட்டத்தில் ஒவ்வொரு வழித்தடத்திலும் தினமும் பல சிறுசிறு விபத்துகள் ஏற்பட்டு வருகிறது. இதில் பலர் காயமடைந்து உடல்ஊனமடைந்தும், பலர் உயிரிழந்தும் உள்ளனர்.

திட்டமிடல் அவசியம்அதிகரித்து வரும் போக்குவரத்து நெருக்கடியில் விபத்தில்லா நிலையை ஏற்படுத்த அரசு நிர்வாகம் சரியான திட்டமிடல் மிகவும் அவசியமாகும். பஸ் ஊழியர்கள் கூறுகையில், 'முன்பு மதுரை பழங்காநத்தம் பஸ் ஸ்டாண்டிலிருந்து தான் ராஜபாளையம், சிவகாசி, அருப்புகோட்டைக்கு பஸ் புறப்படும். தற்போது மாட்டுதாவணியிலிருந்து புறப்படுவதால் துாரம் அதிகரித்தநிலையில், போதிய இயக்கநேரம் வழங்கப்படாமல் இரு நகரத்தின் பஸ் ஸ்டாண்ட்களை தொட்டு வரும் நிலையில் தனியார் பஸ்கள் இயங்குகிறது.ஏதாவது ஒரு இடத்தில் காலதாமதம் ஏற்பட்டால் கூட அரசு பஸ் நிர்வாகங்கள் எங்களை டிக்கெட் ஏற்ற அனுமதிப்பதில்லை. எனவே தான் கூடுதல் வேகத்தில் மிகவும் கவனத்துடன் பயணிக்கிறோம். நேரங்களை மாற்றியமைத்து போதிய ஓய்வு நேரங்கள் கொடுத்து பஸ்களை இயக்கினால் மட்டுமே விபத்தில்லாநிலையில் பயணிக்கமுடியும்,'என்கின்றனர்.அரசு நிர்வாகம்தான் தனியார் பஸ்களின் வேகத்தை கட்டுபடுத்தி, விபத்தில்லா நிலையை ஏற்படுத்த முன்வரவேண்டும் என்பது மாவட்ட மக்களின் எதிர்பார்ப்பாகும்.

தேவையாகுது ஓய்வு

ஸ்ரீவில்லிபுத்துார் ரவிந்திரநாத், ''குறைந்த கட்டணம், விரைவுபயணம், பழுதில்லாத இருக்கை வசதிகள் இருப்பதால் தனியார் பஸ்களை விரும்பி பயணிக்கின்றனர். போதியநேரம் இல்லாததால் பஸ்கள் அதிவேகத்தில் பயணிக்கிறது. எதிரில் வரும் டூவீலர் ஓட்டிகள் மற்றும்நடந்துசெல்வோர் விபத்தை சந்திக்கும் நிலை ஏற்படுகிறது. அதிகரித்து வரும் வாகனங்களின் எண்ணிக்கை, தரமில்லாத ரோடு ஆகியவை நாளுக்குநாள் விபத்தினை அதிகரிக்கிறது. தனியார் பஸ்களின் வேகத்தை கட்டுபடுத்த, அப்பஸ்களுக்கு ஒரு டிரிப்பிற்கும் மற்றொரு டிரிப்பிற்கும் இடையே குறைந்தபட்சம் ஒருமணிநேரம் ஓய்வு கொடுத்து பஸ்களை இயக்கினால், தனியார் பஸ்களினால் ஏற்படும் விபத்து இழப்புகள் குறையும்,''என்றா