Increased yield pushes prices of fish down by 30% at Kasimedu

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 15.07.2018

Prices of fish have fallen by at least 30% at Kasimedu fishing harbour a month after the ban on fishing was lifted.

On Saturday, more than 80 mechanised boats brought to shore around 200 tonnes of fish. Kasimedu fishermen are expecting another 100-120 tonnes to arrive on Sunday. A fisherman at the harbour said the fall in prices was due to increased yield.

Business at the harbour was hit more than a week ago, following reports that harmful preservatives were being used to keep fish fresh for long. Kasimedu fisherman P Balaraman said, “Not enough was done by the government to allay people’s fears about the use of harmful chemicals. Fish sold at the harbour is safe to eat.”

Thousands of people came to the harbour to buy fish on Saturday.

“Business is looking up. We expect an increase in footfall in the coming weeks. It is only in purattasi month (mid-September to mid-October) when sales decline,” Balaraman said. The 49-year-old said the state fisheries department was not doing enough to help fishermen net a bigger catch.

“Officials, who have technology at their disposal, must provide us daily information on where to fish for an improved yield. But we are told that they are understaffed and underequipped.”

Kasimedu fish retail merchants association secretary K Veeran said export of fish was most affected over the last week. Veeran, who sells fish to markets in Kerala, said, “Our delivery trucks were stopped at checkpoints at least a few times in the last week. I suffered a loss of more than ₹1 lakh. However, trade has been back to normalcy since Friday.”

Price of vanjiram (seer fish) dropped from ₹900 per kg to ₹650 per kg in a month. Kasimedu fishermen said the price may rise to about ₹750 on Sunday as only about 40 large mechanised boats are expected to arrive at the shore.

On a weekday, fishermen bring less than 50 tonnes of fish to the harbour.

Fish from harbour is sold at government fish stalls spread across the city.

Balaraman said, “Prices of fish in government stalls across the city is10% higher.”

Pics: L R Shankar

Tirumala temple to be shut for 6 days

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Tirumala:15.07.2018

The Lord Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala will remain closed for six days from August 11, for the fulfilment of a customary religious ritual which is performed once every 12 years.

Tirumala Tirupati Devesthanams (TTD) chairman Putta Sudhakar Yadav said the temple will be closed for the said period for the deity’s Ashta Bandhana Balaalaya Maha Samprokshana ritual, which will begin on August 11 with Ankurarpana.

Sacramental rituals, including Santhi Homams (puja for peace), will be held in the temple all through the six days. Since there would be only a few hours in between the rituals, the temple management has decided to keep the temple closed for visitors during that period, Yadav said.

As a preparatory measure, the TTD will stop the entry of devotees from August 9 evening into the queue lines and Vaikunta compartments. Pilgrims should plan their visit accordingly, Yadav urged.

Meanwhile, the temple will remain closed from 5pm on July 27 till 4.14am the next morning in view of a total lunar eclipse.

SREE BALAJI MEDICAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL NOTIFICATION...TOI 15.07.2018

I-T dept issues advisory on filing returns

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:15.07.2018

The income tax department has advised all salary assessees to file their income returns for the year 2017-18 on or before July 31. In a statement, the department warned of a fine if the assessee fails to file their returns.

“With insertion of new section 234F in Income Tax Act, taxpayers are required to pay a fee of ₹1,000 in case total income does not exceed ₹5 lakh and return is filed after July 31 and before March 31, 2019,” the state ment said.

“Similarly ₹5,000 will have to be paid if the income exceeds ₹5 lakh and return is filed after July 31 but within December 31 and ₹10,000 if the income exceeds ₹5 lakh and return is filed after December 31 but before March 31, 2019,” the statement said.

High fare for new buses may act as deterrent 

Special Correspondent 
 
TIRUNELVELI, July 14, 2018 00:00 IST


Comfort at a cost:Minister for Adi Dravida Welfare V.M. Rajalakshmi, left, flagging off SETC’s sleeper bus service in Tirunelveli on Friday. 

Minister flags off Tirunelveli-Chennai sleeper bus service

The State Express Transport Corporation’s Tirunelveli-Chennai sleeper bus service, which was launched here on Friday, may not lure passengers away from more comfortable but cheaper omni buses operated by private operators.

While the private operators charge Rs. 1,250 for the nine-hour journey from Tirunelveli to Chennai in multi-axle Volvo, Benz and Scania buses, the SETC, operating air-conditioned Ashok Leyland sleeper bus, has fixed the fare as Rs. 1,315. For the same air-conditioned Ashok Leyland sleeper buses, the private operators charge only Rs. 1,100 while Rs. 800 is being collected for non-air-conditioned sleeper buses.

“This is the usual fare we collect from the passengers which may go up during festival or holiday seasons owing to heavy demand. The SETC’s new sleeper bus service is no way a threat to the private operators unless the fare is brought down sharply,” said a leading private operator’s authorised agent here. He says that the air-conditioned buses of the SETC are not doing well due to poor maintenance.

“When the SETC launched air-conditioned bus service to Chennai and Bengaluru, we expected tough competition. However, it did not happen due to poor maintenance of vehicles. Since the sleeper buses need meticulous cleaning, maintenance and service, the SETC administration will have to invest more time, energy and resources for attracting passengers for its service with high fare,” the agent said.

While flagging off the SETC’s daily sleeper bus service with 30 berths here on Friday, Minister for Adi Dravida Welfare V.M. Rajalakshmi, in the presence of Collector Shilpa Prabhakar Satish, said the bus would leave Tirunelveli at 7 p.m. and reach Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus at Koyambedu at 5 a.m. the next day.

Annamalai varsity not competent to fix its own fee structure: SC 

Krishnadas Rajagopal 
 
NEW DELHI, July 14, 2018 00:00 IST


Bench asks Committee on Fixation of Fee to determine payment structure

The Supreme Court on Friday declared that Annamalai University was neither entitled nor competent to devise its own fee structure and charge fees higher than other educational institutions in Tamil Nadu for its professional courses .

In a victory for students, a Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and U.U. Lalit concluded that the varsity should have let the Committee on Fixation of Fee, formed under the Tamil Nadu Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Collection of Capitation Fee) Act of 1992 fix its fee structure.

“The matters shall, therefore, have to be referred to the said Committee and the university is directed to place the entire material including its balance sheet and accounts before the Committee on Fixation of Fee within two weeks from the date of this judgment. The Committee shall thereafter bestow attention and fix appropriate fee structure for the academic year 2013-14 onwards,” Justice Lalit, who authored the judgment for the Bench, ordered.

The court further directed that “ït goes without saying that if the fee structure fixed by the university is found by the Committee to be inappropriate, consequential benefit and advantage shall be given to each and every student. The Committee shall fix the appropriate fee structure for the current academic session 2018-19 as well”.

The court directed the entire exercise to be completed by August 31. The 1992 Act was amended in 2007 to insert a provision to set up the committee to fix the fee structure for educational institutions. “The legislative intent is very clear and no educational institution can receive or collect any fees in excess of the amount fixed by the Committee on Fixation of Fee,” the apex court ruled.

The court said the provision on the Committee are “specific and special”, and apply to courses leading to degrees in medicine and engineering. “Therefore, insofar as professional courses leading to degrees in medicine and engineering are concerned, the matter must be screened and assessed by Committee on Fixation of Fee and the submission that the university was entitled to fix fees on its own without the intervention of such Committee has to be rejected,” the judgment held.

With this judgment, the Supreme Court has set aside two separate decisions of the Madras High Court dismissing the petitions filed by 150 students of the university's MBBS course in 2013-14. They had complained about the huge disparity in the fees charged by the university and other institutions.

Madras varsity to host two-day job fair 

Special Correspondent 
 
CHENNAI, July 14, 2018 00:00 IST

1,000 candidates have registered online

The University of Madras is conducting a two-day job fair for students of its affiliated colleges this weekend.

The Director of the University Students Advisory Bureau M. Sakthivel, who is coordinating the event, said as many as 1,000 candidates have registered online. A total of 56 companies in various sectors, including banking, insurance, finance and media, will be participating in the fair, which will be held at the University’s Chepauk campus. “We are expecting around 3,000 candidates in the two days as we have roped in the National Service Scheme volunteers.

The job profile are varied with offers in marketing, managerial and sales departments.

The event has been divided into three phases and includes skill development, internship and employment. Offer letters will be distributed by the University Vice-Chancellor P. Duraisamy on Sunday.