Karunya Univ to shut off-campus centres

tnn | Nov 19, 2017, 00:33 IST

Coimbatore: Karunya University had lost the deemed university status in 2007, a letter from the University Grants Commission (UGC) shows. The university also does not have permission to expand, thus leaving the future of nearly 700 students at its off-campus centres at Lakshmi Mills and Periyanaickenpalayam at stake.

Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, the erstwhile name of the varsity, was granted 'deemed to be university' status in 2004. The UGC had granted the status for three years. However, it had not renewed the status. This does not allow the university to start new courses from 2007.

TOI is in possession of the letter dated October 10, sent by the under secretary of UGC Kundla Mahajan. The letter states, "Institutions deemed to be universities placed under category 'B' by Tandon committee, including Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Karunya Nagar, Coimbatore, cannot expand their activities at present. This expansion includes starting of new centres new departments, new courses, off-campuses etc." "Such expansion can be permitted only after the review exercise presently conducted by the UGC is over and continuation of deemed to be university status is agreed by the UGC expert committee."

The UGC expert committee had visited the university on November 7, 8 and 9. UGC has directed the university to discontinue the centres and courses started without the approval of UGC. "Degrees awarded by the deemed to be university to the students in such centres and courses will not be treated as valid by the IGC for the purpose of higher studies and employment," the letter stated.

Sources in the university said that it has decided to close down the centres at Lakshmi Mills and Periyanaickenpalayam. TOI has also learnt that the university has filed an affidavit in the Madras high court agreeing to close down the centres. "They will soon be submitting their answer on what they intend to do with the nearly 700 students studying in these campuses," a source said.

Arts and science courses conducted at Lakshmi Mills and Periyanaickenpalayam are not offered at Karunya Nagar campus. The only option is to shift the students to Tamil Nadu government-run colleges or universities.

Top Commentif Karunya university is not a deemed university, why is that it is listed in the UGC website as a "Deemed UniversitySunder Singh

The UGC has asked to submit a compliance report in respect with details within one month of the receipt of the letter.

The university vice-chancellor and registrar were not reachable for comment.

Colombo to be new hub to fly from Chennai to Australia

TNN | Updated: Nov 19, 2017, 06:07 IST



 CHENNAI: Travellers headed to Australia now have one more hub to transit from Chennai as Sri Lankan Airlines has launched Colombo-Melbourne flights with convenient connection from Chennai, Kochi, Coimbatore, Trichy in south India.

The stopover at Colombo airport is one and a half hours and the total travel time including transit is 13 hours.

As the route from Chennai to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, one of the biggest transit hubs for international travel, is getting saturated, the new hub which has opened up will be convenient for travellers from Chennai as there are no direct flights from Chennai to Australian cities.

People now fly via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Dubai and Abu Dhabi which offers flights to Melbourne and Sydney with travel time ranging between 13 hours to 19 hours including layover at transit airports.

Catering to the demand for travel to Australia from Chennai, Etihad Airways offer a connection to Melbourne via Abu Dhabi with a layover of one and a half hours with a total travel time of 19 hours which is just two hours more than the total travel time of Singapore Airlines via Changi Airport in Singapore.

Sri Lankan also operates one-stop twice-daily services between Sri Lanka and Australia with its code share partners Qantas and Malaysia Airlines.

Metro Travels said, " Though airlines based in the Middle East offer good connection via Abu Dhabi and Dubai, most of the people do not prefer to spend flying four hours to the Middle East to board connecting flights to Australia. People fly this way because options are fewer."

Tamil Nadu govt staff plays rummy in mobile during farmers' grievances day meet, served notice 

Bosco Dominique | TNN | Nov 19, 2017, 21:24 IST

VILLUPURAM: An engineer of the Tamil Nadu electricity board was spotted playing rummy in his mobile phone when the farmers of the Villupuram district were narrating their woes during the farmers' grievances day meeting chaired by the district colletor, last Friday.

District collector, L Subramanian, swung into action after receiving complaints against the engineer and directed the superintending engineer to serve a notice seeking an explanation from him as to why action cannot be taken against him for his behaviour within 15 days.

"I have asked the SE (superintending engineer) to serve a notice to him (Tamil Nadu electricity board engineer) seeking an explanation within 15 days. We will take further course of action based on his explanation," district collector said.

The TNEB official was identified as executive engineer (Tindivanam) Sadasivam. The farmers have been complaining that the district officials holding the farmers' grievances day meet were not attentive. They charged that the officials either sleep or play games or watch serials in their mobile phones during the meeting when the farmers outlined their woes seeking help from the government.

Chromepet, Pallavaram locals demand more small buses

TNN | Updated: Nov 20, 2017, 01:50 IST

 

Chennai: Residents and commuters of Chrompet and Pallavaram have urged MTC authorities to increase the frequency of small buses in the area. Commuters said the frequency of buses on routes S81 and S82 which cover several interior areas such as Pozhichalur has decreased.

Commuters said that as of now the frequency of the small buses operating in interior areas is about 45 minutes a trip. They urged authorities to bring the frequency to 15 minutes and for more buses in the suburbs.

Residents of Sembakkam and Chitlapakkam have also been affected in this regard. Residents and commuters have also urged the authorities to ensure that buses plying between Tambaram and Velachery stop at the Rajakilpakkam bus stand.

"As we do not have our own vehicles we are largely dependent on the MTC buses and these buses were of great help to us. The authorities should ensure that commuters are not stranded due this low frequency of the buses," said M Srinivasan, a resident of Pozhichalur.

S K Gopinath a resident of Sarvamangala Nagar in Sembakkam said MTC should have a meeting with the residents of Sembakkam and Chitlapakkam and listen to their woes about poor bus services. He said, "If one needs to go to Parry's or Central, we have to take a bus to Tambaram or Pallavaram and then another from there as there is no direct bus."

With lesser number of buses plying in the suburbs, there is always a huge crowd even after peak hours. Commuters in the suburbs said authorities should ensure that bus number 51 G plying from Tambaram to Vengaivasal is regular. The small bus service S3 from Chrompet to Madambakkam should also increase its frequency since there is a high demand and the buses are always crowded. Residents of Chrompet who commute to Jothi Nagar requested that the S 10 bus frequency be increased.

Registrar on way out, Anna University to be headless

TNN | Nov 20, 2017, 07:00 IST

 

 

 

Academicians remarked the government should take the matter more seriously, provided the university is the nod... Read More

 

CHENNAI:It has been 18 months since Anna University had a vice-chancellor and in a week's time the tenure of the registrar ends too. Two search committees constituted for appointing a VC have come and gone, but the varsity continues to be headless.

There have also been no announcements about the third search committee supposed to have been constituted around November 15. This, even as the varsity looks to bring in new measures like the online counselling for the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions, the preparation for which will start in a few months.

Higher education secretary Sunil Paliwal said a search committee would be reconstituted in a week's time. "A syndicate meeting will be held during which the varsity will appoint a nominee," he said.

Sources in the department said there is only one nominee appointed so far. The government's nominee is ex-IAS officer Sundaradevan while the governor's nominee is yet to be decided. Another nominee will be elected during the next syndicate meeting of the varsity, officials said.

Academicians remarked the government should take the matter of appointing a VC much more seriously, provided the university is the nodal centre for engineering admissions to colleges across the state.

Former VC E Balaguruswamy said, "This is not even a matter of months, its extending to years. There is no routine followed, no plan and no development. For efficient running of such campuses and exchange of academic ideas, the incoming V-C should ideally be appointed before the exit of the former one. The new VC should be introduced to the existing issues on campus by the retiring authority ," he said.

Political delays also impact these decisions, said an education department official who wished to remain anonymous.

Governor’s gambit: Raj Bhavan turns vegetarian-only zone

TNN | Updated: Nov 20, 2017, 05:59 IST

 

 

 

Governor Purohit has declared the Raj Bhavan a vegetarian-only area, strictly prohibiting any non-vegetarian food

 

CHENNAI : The winds of change have been kicking up a storm on the Raj Bhavan campus ever since new governor Banwarilal Purohit took office on October 6.

First came the news that Purohit was learning Tamil with the help of a private tutor. Then came his public appeal that visitors should not present him with shawls and bouquets.

Having endeared himself to the masses with these opening gambits, Purohit unleashed a political uproar by convening a meeting of officers serving in the Coimbatore region during his visit to the textile city which is a BJP stronghold. Sweeping away protests from opposition parties, Purohit wielded the broom at Tirupur in a bid to further publicise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet theme of Swachh Bharat.

While all this is in the public domain, little is known about the tempest in the Raj Bhavan itself.

Governor Purohit has declared the Raj Bhavan a vegetarian-only area, strictly prohibiting any non-vegetarian food, including the now pricey eggs. "Neither cooking nor eating of non-vegetarian items is allowed in the bungalows attached to the governor. It has been conveyed that those who wish to eat such food must have it outside," an official told TOI.

Most officials staying put in the Raj Bhavan for long periods are not known to be austere. For them, it was an unusual sight when Purohit chose to visit New Delhi, accompanied by just an ADC, instead of travelling with an entourage of personal staff. In fact, he struck off more than half a dozen names from a list given to him by his office, saying that when the governor is making an official visit to Delhi, there is no need for others to needlessly accompany him.

A former governor, on a visit to Tamil Nadu, had a taste of the refreshingly thrifty approach of the new dispensation, on being informed that visits of guests and their stay in the Raj Bhavan could not be for more than five days. The ex-governor, who was on a seven-day visit, had to cut short the trip and return home after five days.

A few days ago, when a very senior minister in the Tamil Nadu cabinet sought an appointment with Purohit to present a bouquet, it was turned down. Perhaps not wishing to waste the bouquet already purchased, the minister sent his personal secretary to the Raj Bhavan, along with it. On being told about his presence, the governor called the personal secretary and had a photograph with him, flummoxing the minister, who is now wondering whether he had shown any disrespect to the governor.

UIDAI relaxes norms for banks on Aadhaar

PTI | Updated: Nov 20, 2017, 01:08 IST



NEW DELHI: The UIDAI has provided some "relaxation" to banks in procurement of enrolment machines and hiring private data entry operators for their Aadhaar centres, and hopes that banks will offer such services at stipulated 10% of the branches "at the earliest", its CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey has said.

The Aadhaar-issuing body, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), has allowed banks to hire private data entry operators and enrolment machines and expects the relaxation to speed up the opening of Aadhaar enrolment and updation centres at bank premises.

However the banks will have to ensure proper supervision of enrolment and updation process within their premises.

"They (banks) wanted some relaxation so that they could hire operators for data entry, and also hire the enrolment machines. So we have provided them this relaxation. Now using that, they are going ahead and setting up the (enrolment) stations. they have assured that they will do this task as early as possible," the UIDAI CEO said in an interview .

Until now, banks had to procure enrolment machines on their own and place their own employees for the job of data entry, he explained.

The Bank Aadhaar Kendras are being set up to make the Aadhaar verification process of bank accounts convenient for the people and also to have more Aadhaar centres across the country. According to UIDAI stipulation, 43 private and public sector banks have to open Aadhaar enrolment and updation centres in 15,315 branches.