College fined, told to return certificates to dropout

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | A ARUL PALANI

 

Published Apr 16, 2018, 6:12 am IST

 

The Forum also directed the college to return her original certificates to her in six weeks.

 In its reply, the management of the college replied that his daughter could not continue due to family circumstances.

 

Chennai: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Chennai (North) slapped a fine of Rs 55,000 on a dental college for not returning original certificates to a student who discontinued the BDS course in 2011. The Forum also directed the college to return her original certificates to her in six weeks.

In the petition, M. Sundaravadanam of Pudupet submitted that his daughter S. Thirupurasundari was admitted in BDS course in July 2010 under the management quota at Priyadarshini Dental College and Hospital, Aminjikarai. While she was pursuing the second year she became ill. Due to her physical and mental ailments, she was unable to continue the course from August 2011.

 He said he paid fees of Rs 1,80,000 for the first academic year 2010-2011 in September 2010 and Rs 1,82,000 in December 2011 for the second academic year. In January 2013, he sent a request to the college seeking original certificates along with the transfer certificate of his daughter. He sent reminders on several occasions. The management of the college replied stating that unless the pending tuition fees of Rs 2 lakh for the year 2012 - 2013 was remitted, the original certificates would not be returned. 

 Dejected over this, he approached various government authorities to instruct the college to return the certificates. As there was no response from the college management, he filed the petition. He sought direction to the college management to return the original mark certificates of 10th standard, 12th standard, community certificate and transfer certificate. He also sought a compensation for causing him mental agony.

In its reply, the management of the college replied that his daughter could not continue due to family circumstances. She was unable to cope with the curriculum and voluntarily left the course. The admission of the total number of students for the particular year was fixed at 100 by the authorities and any discontinuation in the middle of the course cannot be filled up and the vacancy will continue for the remaining period causing monetary loss to the institution. Stating that the college had not committed deficiency in service, the management sought to dismiss the complaint with cost.
The bench comprising President K. Jayabalan and member M. Uyirroli Kannan said that the institution must be blamed for giving admission to her without testing the merit of the student. Under the circumstances, the management cannot hold her certificates for the payment of balance fees. Hence, we hold that the college committed deficiency in service in not returning the certificate demanded by the complainant, the bench said.

Imposing a fine of Rs 55,000 on the college management, the bench directed the college to return her original certificates, 10th Mark Sheet, 12th Mark Sheet, Transfer Certificate and Community Certificate in 6 weeks.

9-year delay in subway irks Chromepet commuters 

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | K V NAVYA
 
Published Apr 16, 2018, 6:42 am IST

With no clear way forward, another subway has been planned at the level-crossing opposite to Vaishnava College.

Railways went ahead with the construction works soon after they received their share of Rs 4 crore.

Chennai: Delay in construction of the Chromepet subway for more than nine years has worsened traffic congestion in the neighbourhood and has made the stretch more prone to trains running over people crossing the tracks.

The state highways department in 2009 announced that a subway connecting east Chromepet with Grand Southern Trunk (GST) road, would be constructed, in association with the Southern Railway, near Radha Nagar.

A total of Rs 14 crore was released towards this facility aimed at helping residents, particularly office-goers and college students, from Radha Nagar, Nemilichery, Barathipuram and Jameen Royapettah.

Railways went ahead with the construction works soon after they received their share of Rs 4 crore. Concrete box culverts were created so that the highways and the state public works department could go ahead with their works.

However, till date no progress has been reported. Consequently, commuters are forced to wait for longer hours at the railway gate connecting the locals with GST Road.

This stretch gets clogged due to traffic congestion during the peak hours. Some impatient commuters sneak through the closed railway gate and trespass on to the tracks.

When questioned about the delay, a senior official from the state highways department said that the project was hit due to land acquisition issues and other government agencies associated with the construction were not ready to hand over the required land citing expansion plans.

“It is practically impossible to construct a vehicle subway with the available land and only a narrow pedestrian subway can be set up,” the official added. The residents are up in arms against the talk of setting up a pedestrian subway as it would not serve the intended purpose although a more serious concern here is the increase in number of run-over accidents.

With no clear way forward, another subway has been planned at the level-crossing opposite to Vaishnava College. However, it would at least another three to four years for this project to materialise and till then Chromepet residents will have to bear the brunt of traffic jams and fatal accidents on the railway tracks.

Prostitution angle in clip puts Madurai Kamaraj University in trouble

By Express News Service | Published: 16th April 2018 06:20 AM |


Madurai Kamaraj University

MADURAI/VIRUDHUNAGAR: As an audio clip purportedly of an Aruppukottai private college professor allegedly attempting to lure a group of female students into prostitution went viral, P P Chellathurai, the Vice-Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University, to which the college is affiliated, on Sunday said that the issue was an attempt to malign the reputation of the varsity and its officials. Meanwhile, the college claims that the woman has been under suspension since March 21. In the 19-minute clip now being shared on social media and WhatsApp, a woman identifying herself as a professor is heard telling a group of four women, alleged to be students, “I was approached with this ‘offer’ a while ago, but now I am being rushed into getting it done.

I am telling you about this offer based on the assurances given by the higher officials of MKU on the financial as well as academic support until you complete your fellowships.” Throughout the conversation the nature of the ‘offer’ is not made explicit but it has been alleged to involve prostitution. Devanga Arts College, Aruppukottai in Virudhinagar district has said that the woman is an assistant professor there but had been suspended after the issue first came to light in March. The college, said that the woman was an assistant professor there but was under suspension.

“The issue was brought to our notice by the four students on March 19 following which an inquiry committee was formed. Based on the initial inquiry, the woman has been suspended since March 21. Further inquiry will be held after the ongoing semester examinations,” college secretary R Ramasamy said. In the audio clip, the woman goes on to say that if case the students took up the ‘offer’, bank accounts could be opened and money could be transferred and that she did not want to discuss the topic until they completed their course.

The girls decline ‘offer’ stating that they did not intend to pursue postgraduate studies and that they would like to take up government jobs. In response, the woman says, “Even the post of a Vice Chancellor is obtained through political influence and you will be able to get through any government examination with ease upon agreeing to this.” Towards the end of the audio clip, the woman, who asks the girls to keep the conversation confidential, is heard giving them a deadline for their positive reply, despite them repeatedly declining the ‘offer’.

Attempts by Express to reach the woman for a response proved futile. Speaking to Tamil TV channels, the woman said that while it was her voice in the audio clip, the conversation was being misconstrued. Meanwhile, Chellathurai told Express that he saw the issue as an attempt to malign the reputation of the university. “This comes in the backdrop of the university constituting an inquiry committee at the level of syndicate sub-committee last month based on the complaints against the college management over misappropriation of UGC funds. The university will lodge a complaint against the college with the SP,” he added.

Cuddalore eateries in Tamil Nadu make snail meat a hot delicacy

By Harish Murali | Express News Service | Published: 16th April 2018 02:46 AM |


Image for representational purpose only.

CUDDALORE: With snail meat catching up with restaurants in the coastal villages in the state and demand from domestic and export markets rising, fishermen in Cuddalore have seen their pockets becoming fatter. As a blessing in disguise, snails are conspicuous by their absence in other parts of the state.  

Snail meat is processed and their shells are used by paint companies as they are rich in calcium. N Somanathan from Cuddalore Old Town was seen busy in counting the day’s catch in the wee hours of Sunday -- the last day of the breeding season. The export market is ticking so also the new-found love for snail meat by restaurants and liquor shops in Pondicherry.

Catching snails is a time-consuming affair and requires physical stamina to hold on for long hours in the deep sea. Due to this, many do not take it up as a vocation.

Besides, large nets are needed which call for special skills, said V Ramanathan, while segregating the catch based on their size and the texture, which have a say in their prices.

Speaking to Express, E Daniel, who heads a six-member crew, said that his day’s catch includes those snails which are sold in the outside market with the prices hovering around `50 per kilogram. It is reported that snail meat is rich in protein and has many health benefits. Due to this, there are many takers for it.

Three varieties of snails are found in the area. They are: vellai muli, nellikkai and jollikkira muli. Those meant for the export market is cleaned by boiling to take out the calcium-rich shells, which go to the paint industry. Snails are found in Karaikal, Puducherry, Nagapattinam and Cuddalore.

Hospital wrongly removes man’s spleen, penalised in Tamil Nadu

By Express News Service | Published: 16th April 2018 02:50 AM |

 

Image for representational purpose only.

MADURAI, CHENNAI: The district consumer disputes redressal forum ordered a private hospital doctor to pay a compensation of Rs 2.25 lakh to a patient who was admitted for treatment of jaundice but whose spleen was removed.

According to the petitioner’s council, the patient, M Beemarajan, who is a tailor by profession and a resident of Y Othakadai, had body pain and excessive tiredness. He approached a private hospital run by S Karthick in Y Othakadai, where he was diagnosed to be suffering from jaundice. The doctor reportedly advised Beemarajan to get admitted to a hospital at Narayanapuram, where he was asked to undergo surgery.

The surgery was performed on May 22, 2008, and Beemarajan was discharged later in the month, said the council. However, the patient apparently did not recover fully from the illness.
Later, Beemarajan was admitted to another hospital in Madurai, in February 2009, and was given ultrasonography treatment. Since this also did not help him get better, Beemarajan went to another private hospital and then to the Government Rajaji Hospital with his medical records. It was then Beemarajan came to know that his spleen had been removed through surgery, the council said.

Reportedly, despite repeated requests for a discharge summary for the treatment given at the two private hospitals, he did not receive any.

Pronouncing the judgement, the forum ordered the doctor to pay Rs 75,000 towards medical expenses, `1 lakh with 6 per cent interest for loss of spleen, and Rs 50,000 for the mental agony and strain caused to the patient.

United India Insurance fined for denying full claim amount

A Chennai consumer forum has fined the United India Insurance for having denied a health insurance policyholder the full amount, though he produced bills for the claim.
The complainant, K Nirmal Chand Sethiya, made a claim for a sum of `1.87 lakh to the insurance company, of which the company settled only `1.43 lakh and disallowed the part claim amount of `44,158 allegedly without any reason.

“The opposite party has not stated any reason in the written version how it has disallowed a sum of Rs 44,158 in the claim amount,” said the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum, Chennai (North).

The United India Insurance, on its part, said the dispute was only with regard to quantum of the disallowed amount and said that Sethiya ought to have referred his grievance to the arbitration. However, the forum rubbished this claim.

The company has been directed to pay a sum of Rs 25,000 towards compensation for mental agony, besides a sum of Rs 5,000 towards litigation expenses.

Tambaram stations in Chennai gets top grade, set for more facilities soon
By B Anbuselvan | Express News Service | Published: 16th April 2018 03:15 AM |

CHENNAI: Six suburban stations in Chennai — Tambaram, Tiruvallur, Avadi, Perambur, Mambalam, and Chengalpattu — and two stations in the neighbouring Vellore district, Arakkonam and Katpadi, are all set to witness a faster revamp of passenger amenities as Railways has given them a higher grade.
The Railway Ministry decided in December last year to recategorise the stations based on account of revenue, footfalls and other strategic importance, aiming to improve passenger services and amenities at stations. The stations are segregated into three groups: non-suburban (NS), suburban (S) and halt (H). The groups are put in grades: Non-suburban grade (NSG) 1-6, suburban grade (SG) 1-3 and halt grade 1-3, respectively.

According to official sources, Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore and Tambaram have topped the revised station list with non-suburban grade (NSG)-1, while Tiruvallur, Avadi, Mambalam, Chengalpattu, Arakkonam and Katpadi have been brought under NSG-2 category. Perambur and Sulurpetta stations have been graded as NSG-3 and NSG-5, respectively.

The revised category will make these stations eligible for better passenger amenities and services such as waiting halls, platform shelters, lifts, escalators, digital chart display, Illumination and train/coach indication boards on platforms. Besides these stations will be given preferences for providing other amenities, including additional foot overbridges, separate path for trolley and wheelchair movement and higher level platforms.

So far, stations have been categorised as A1, A, B, C, D E and F, based on annual revenue generated through passengers. Similarly, all non-suburban stations were categorised as B, D, E and F depending on revenue generation, while all suburban stations in Chennai ranked under ‘C’ category, which made them ineligible for additional passenger services.

“Tambaram station, the third terminal in Chennai city, which has been under A category so far, will now be ranked in the top station category on a par with Chennai Central and Egmore and the new grading will lead to faster development. The revised categorisation will ensure that suburban stations with higher footfalls will develop faster with better passenger services,” said a senior railway official.

In addition, Mambalam, Avadi and Tiruvallur suburban stations and non-suburban A grade stations of Arakkonam and Katpadi will also get additional funds for station improvements. Major stations such as Tiruchy, Salem, Tirunelveli, Erode, Tirupur, Nagercoil, Thanjavur, Dindigul, Thoothukudi, Rameswaram, Jolarpettai and Villupuram that were categorised under A, have now been recategorised under NSG-3.

Similarly, other A grade stations such as Kumbakonam, Kanniyakumari, Virudhunagar, Kovilpatti and Mayiladuthurai have been recategorised under NSG-4. But the flip side is that the new system is expected to put a blockade at many erstwhile grade A stations as they will have lesser priority for fund allocation.

‘SRIDEVIJI TOLD ME, I WANT TO WORK WITH YOU. IT SEEMS PROPHETIC NOW’

Lasyapriya.Sundaram@timesgroup.com 16.04.2018

AR Rahman is a man of few words. That’s because he lets his music do all the talking. After winning the National Award in the the Best Music Direction and the Best Background Score categories for Kaatru Veliyidai and Mom respectively, the music maestro, in a conversation, spoke about why winning the National Award is still special though he has seduced music lovers across the world with his compositions. Excerpts...

AR Rahman

‘IN SOME FILMS, BACKGROUND MUSIC IS LIKE WALLPAPER, AND IN OTHERS, IT IS A CHARACTER’

This is your first National Film Award in the Best Background Score category and the fifth for Best Music Direction. What are your first thoughts on winning not one, but two awards?

I am really happy. I want to thank Mani Ratnamji (director of Kaatru Veliyidai) and the team of Mom — Srideviji, Boney Kapoorji (producer) and Ravi Udyawar (director).

You have scored the background music for Mom. How do you go about composing it, vis-a-vis creating the soundtrack of a film? Give us an insight into your process...

A film like Mom needed to be driven by music. Ravi and I had collaborated on a commercial long time ago and that too, had won a lot of awards. He knew exactly what he wanted for Mom, but left it to me for my interpretation. I got the idea to compose a song like Muafi Mushkil after I saw the film. In some films, background music is like wallpaper, and in others, it is a character. It needs to say things, which the film is not saying or wants to say. I have worked with Boneyji and we wanted to collaborate again. In fact, Srideviji flew down from Mumbai to Chennai and told me that I have to do Mom’s BGM. She also said, ‘I want to work with you’. It seems prophetic now. The BGM of Mom is also my wife’s favourite. When I was in Hollywood last month, she asked my agent there to listen to it. I was surprised, because she is not somebody who says or does anything like this. She screamed with joy when she heard that I had won the award for Mom.

Having won innumerable awards and accolades over the years, does the National Award still hold a special place in your heart?

The National Award is definitely special because it is awarded by our Government. The jury is credible and they select films, which have been sidelined by other awards. In a way, it feels good that the National Awards jury has recognised the hard work that went into Mom. It requires more exposure for the vision it comes with.

You have won the National Award for Best Music Direction for Roja (1992), Minsara Kanavu (1997), Lagaan (2001) and Kannathil Muthamittal (2002). What are your memories of composing for Kaatru Veliyidai, for which you have won your fifth National Award?

Whenever I work with Maniji, I feel grateful to him for introducing me to cinema. But, it also means that I am shouldering a huge responsibility. I give it a lot of energy. Maniji is open to unconventional ideas and has an open mind. Not everyone is like that. People want tried and tested things, but he encourages something unique. He also has an amazing sensibility as far as music for movies is concerned. He is a reservoir of ideas. You can throw any wild one at him and he will make it organic and usable. He is a great teammate and mentor for me. In his next, Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, he has yet again surprised us, and we have just finished composing the fifth song for the film.

Your fans and bloggers feel that Kaatru Veliyidai is the quintessential ARR OST. It boasts of varied genres like A capella, Rap, Folk, Tango and also ambient melody. Do you agree?

I don’t see it like that (laughs). It’s not intended in that manner, but if it happens, that’s good. The film required that kind of a soundscape. The story revolved around an Indian Air Force officer and I have not done such a film before. I have seen a bit of that life when I was perhaps 12 or 13; I would visit the army quarters and play music, as I was part of a show called Wonder Balloon on Doordarshan. So, it was nice to revisit my childhood. They are special people, because they fight for our country.

This film marked your 15th collaboration with Mani Ratnam. Do you reserve your best for him?

That would be belittling everybody else. I did Rockstar (2011) with Imtiaz Ali. I have had big hits with directors Shankar and Rajiv Menon as well. Each director gets something new out of me. It depends on what tunes of mine they accept. Having said that, there is no sense of insecurity when I work with Maniji. He doesn’t judge or gauge a person based on his success or failure. Others might not want to associate with you if three of your films flop, but he is not like that. He judges people on the basis of the importance they give to the art. That’s what I have learnt from him.

So, what’s next?

I have been working on the soundtrack of 99 Songs for almost four-five years. The final cut is almost ready and it will have close to 14-15 tracks. We have collaborated with international artistes as well for the soundtrack. There is also Le Musk. Both these films are making good progress.

You also have Shankar’s 2.0, starring Rajinikanth in your kitty. What can your fans look forward to in that film as far as your score is concerned?

BGM plays a huge role in that film; every reel is packed with music. It will be a one-of-a-kind experience. We are trying to do some unique and new things with regard to the 3D visuals being combined with sound.

AR RAHMAN