Same numbers, but different routes

Commuters in parts of North Chennai often get misguided with the buses operated on different routes with the same bus numbers.

Published: 16th July 2018 04:06 AM |


Bus in the 29A route, plying between Perambur and Anna Square | ASHWIN PRASATH

By B Anbuselvan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Commuters in parts of North Chennai often get misguided with the buses operated on different routes with the same bus numbers. Particularly, people who live in and around Perambur, Periyar Nagar, Kumaran Nagar and Madhvaram are the worst affected.

The 29C was assigned to one of the vintage routes of Chennai city, which connects Perambur with Besant Nagar.

Four years ago, a few services of 29C were extended to Thiruvanmiyur, renumbered as 29C Extn. Later, the extended route was converted into regular service. However, the MTC has retained 29C for the Perambur-Thiruvanmiyur route as well.

Presently, about 50 services of buses bearing the 29C Extn run across the city on five different routes — Periyar Nagar-Besant Nagar, Mathur MMDA-Thiruvanmiyur, Madhavaram-Thiruvanmiyur, Srinivasa Nagar-Besant Nagar and Thiru.Vi.Ka Nagar-Thiruvanmiyur.

“I boarded the 29C Extn bus at Mylapore to go to Thiru.Vi.Ka Nagar. I was told that the bus was going to Periyar Nagar only after it reached Mandhaveli. So, I got down there and got another bus to reach my home,” said S Krishnan, a retired school teacher, who is also a regular bus commuter. Similarly, confusion is prevailing among the bus commuters who regularly board buses 38C, 29D, 29A Extn and 23C.

While a few buses with the number 29D run from Vivekananda House upto Moolakadai, some services run upto MMDA Mathur. Similarly, 38C bus has also two routes - Thiru Vi Ka Nagar - Anna Square and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar-V House.

The drivers and conductors say they are also frequently in confrontation with the commuters over the bus routes. Particularly, the 23C (Ayanavaram-Besant Nagar) bus gets commuters who want to go to Thiruvanmiyur every day. “At least a minimum of 10 commuters board at Besant Nagar-bound 23C bus to reach Thiruvanmiyur. We de-board them at the Adyar depot, even though we don’t have a stoppage,” said a conductor.

When contacted, MTC officials said that many routes were extended to nearby areas with the same numbers so as to cater for more commuters.

“We did not receive many complaints over the issues involving bus numbers. As for the 29C and 23C, changing the bus number suddenly on the highly demanded routes may lead to confusion among regular commuters. We will look into the issue,” said the official.

Government to establish dental college in Virudhunagar district

STAFF REPORTER

VIRUDHUNAGAR, JULY 16, 2018 00:00 IST



Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami honouring former Assembly Speaker P.H. Pandian during the birth anniversary celebration of former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj inVirudhunagar on Sunday.R. Ashok 

Chief Minister showers encomiums on Kamaraj


Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami showered encomiums on the former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj hailing him as a visionary leader who laid the foundation for education in Tamil Nadu.

Speaking at the ‘Kalvi Tiruvizha,’ organised by Nadar Mahajana Sangam here on Sunday to mark the 116th birth anniversary of the late leader, he said it was Kamraj who introduced the noon-meal scheme in schools to improve enrolment and ensure that the children did not go hungry. He said the scheme was upgraded subsequently by late Chief Ministers M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa. He added that the scheme became a model for the country.

He credited Kamaraj for bringing tremendous progress in education, agriculture, industry and irrigation projects, which were vital for a State’s development. He said that he was not only a great administrator but also a seasoned politician who earned the moniker ‘king maker’ for his crucial role in handling the leadership crisis in the Congress after Jawaharlal Nehru’s death.

He said that the successive AIADMK governments were following the footsteps of Kamaraj in providing importance to the education sector. “The present government has brought a number of reforms in the School Education Department.”

Stating that the State government had brought several infrastructure projects in Virudhunagar, he said that a Government dental college announced for southern district will come up in Virudhunagar district.

The Chief Minister conferred Lifetime Achievement Awards constituted by the Nadar Mahajana Sangam on former Speaker of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and veteran AIADMK leader P.H. Pandian, Gandhi Peravai founder and veteran Congress leader Kumari Ananthan and Tamizhar Desiya Iyakkam president Pazha Nedumaran. The award to Pazha Nedumaran was received by another person on his behalf since he did not come for the function.

G. Karikkolraj, general secretary, Nadar Mahajana Sangam, presented a set of demands to the Chief Minister including closing down all the TASMAC-run liquor shops every year on the birth anniversary of Kamaraj and representation for the Nadar community in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors.

Various ministers and elected representatives took part in the function.

DVAC to set up hi-tech interrogation room

S. Vijay Kumar

CHENNAI, JULY 16, 2018 00:00 IST


‘To adhere to guidelines issued bySC and NHRC for interrogation’

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) will establish a hi-tech interrogation room to examine suspects, victims and witnesses.Equipped with advanced electronic communication devices, including voice and video recording, the facility will be on par with the ones in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and National Investigation Agency (NIA) headquarters.

According to officials, the facility, which was part of announcements in the recent Assembly Session for the State’s anti-corruption wing, will be essential to not only give a more conducive atmosphere but also to comply with the Supreme Court and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) interrogation guidelines.

Evolving methodology

“Though statements given by the accused while in custody may not be admissible evidence in the court of law, the information provided by the suspects will be on record and help in getting leads to investigate the case. ,” a police officer said.

The facility is expected to be operational in six months. It will have concealed wiring. Senior officers will have the option to monitor the proceedings live from wherever they are through a laptop or mobile phone. Additionally, the DVAC will get a Cyber-lab and three detachments in Tiruvallur, Tiruvarur and Perambalur.

“The method of investigation has changed over the years. Now, premium investigation agencies follow systematic methods like issuing questionnaires to suspects or confronting them with indisputable evidence. Proper planning is done before commencing investigation. ” he added.

Parent continues his fight for transparency in medical fees

R. Sujatha

CHENNAI, JULY 16, 2018 00:00 IST

His daughter chose another course, but he is still seeking answers

A parent has been running from official to official hoping to bring transparency in the fee structure of self-financing medical colleges.

Kantesh Kumar Singh’s woes began on August 29, 2017, when his daughter was allotted a seat in a self-financing college in Kancheepuram district.

The college told him to pay Rs. 7.10 lakh, instead of the Rs. 3.85 lakh stipulated by the government.

His queries on why the fee was almost double of what was mentioned in the university-issued prospectus did not get him satisfactory answers.

He then flagged the issue to the Directorate of Medical Education and later the Health Secretary, but it had no effect. He then approached the Fee Fixation Committee, which provided him with the government order on the break-up of fees charged. Mr. Singh took up the issue again with the DME and the Health Secretary, who directed the DME to constitute a committee.

Mr. Singh’s daughter, a CBSE student, qualified in NEET in 2016 with 383 marks, and in 2017 she scored 338 marks. Unhappy with the college’s response to their queries, she chose not to join it. But Mr. Singh decided to seek answers from the university.

His persistence paid off when the committee provided him with a copy of the Government Order on the fee fixation committee proceedings.

Five-hour inquiry

In November 2017, the DME’s office informed him to accompany the inquiry committee to the college. A five-hour inquiry was held on November 14 and a report was submitted.

Despite his repeated requests and through RTI, the DME did not provide the complainant with a copy of the report. He also wrote to the Governor-Chancellor’s office about his travails and is awaiting a response.

Last Thursday, he finally met the committee’s chairman, who told him to bring his daughter as she was a major, Mr. Singh said. “I told him as her father I have been the victim and I have filed the complaint, where is the need for me to bring my daughter,” he asked. “My daughter has chosen a different path. She is studying biotechnology and wants to pursue research. But in the interest of others like her I would like to ensure that the report of the inquiry is made public,” he said.

His demands are: there should be no ambiguity in the fee structure details in the university prospectus; it should contain a break-up of the fee as mentioned in the G.O., and a centralised grievance system for students and parents should be constituted.

lakshmi narayana institute of medical sciences notification...toi 16.07.2018

HC: Ill-treated parents can take back son’s assets

Shibu.Thomas@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: 16.07.2018

Elderly parents can take back a share in their property given to a son as a gift if he fails to look after them or harasses them, the Bombay high court has ruled.

Citing the special law for the maintenance of senior citizens, a division bench of justices Ranjit More and Anuja Prabhudesai upheld a tribunal’s order that had cancelled a gift deed given by an Andheri resident by which he had granted 50% share in his flat to his son. “The gift deed was made at the request of the son and his wife. It is implied that the elderly father as well his second wife would be looked after by them after transfer of 50% share in the flat,” said the judges. “The son and his wife were willing to look after the father, but were unwilling to do so in respect of the second wife,” the court said.

Maintenance Act has provisions to protect elderly

The court said, “In the above circumstances, we do not find any error in the order (cancelling the gift deed), therefore, we are not inclined to entertain this petition.” It then dismissed the petition filed by the son.

The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 has provisions that protect parents and elderly persons who have signed away their property or assets to a person so that they would be taken care of, but are then left destitute. If a senior citizen has signed an agreement after 2007 to transfer his or her share in the property, for example through a gift deed on the condition that their basic needs would be taken care of, but the person refuses to honour the agreement, then a maintenance tribunal is empowered to quash the agreement.

In the present case, the senior citizen’s first wife died in 2014. Last year, when he wanted to remarry, his son and daughter-in-law requested that a share of the Andheri flat should be transferred to them. To buy peace in the family, he transferred 50% share in the flat to his son in May 2014. Subsequently, the son and daughterin-law started insulting the elderly man’s second wife. According to the father, he and his second wife were forced to leave the Andheri flat and reside in another apartment on rent. The father then approached the maintenance tribunal, which cancelled the gift deed.

The son challenged the tribunal’s order. He said that he was willing to allow his father to stay in the flat, but would not permit his stepmother. The HC dismissed the petition pointing to the provisions of the law.

Some students who scored 0 or less too got MBBS seat
No Cut-Off For Individual Papers In NEET

Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com

With no cut-off for individual subjects — physics, chemistry and biology — in the NEET exam, at least 400 students with single-digit marks in physics and chemistry and 110 students with zero or negative marks have been admitted for MBBS in 2017, mostly in private colleges. This raises a question. If getting zero in these subjects doesn’t make a person ineligible for admission, why bother to test in that subject at all?

Interestingly, the original notification to adopt a common test had stipulated that students should score at least 50% in individual subjects. However, the subsequent notification, which brought in the percentile system, dropped the stipulation on marks in individual subjects. TOI analysed the subject marks of 1,990 students who got admitted to MBBS with NEET scores of less than 150 out of 720 in 2017. We found 530 with single-digit marks, zero or less in physics or chemistry or even both.

Out of 530, 507 were in private medical colleges. The average tuition fees paid by them was about ₹17 lakh per annum showing how rich students with abysmal NEET marks have been able to buy their way into medical colleges.



Meritorious students had to give up seats for rich ones

NEET, promising a merit-based selection, was meant to prevent exactly this.

About half of these students are in deemed universities which would be free to conduct their own final MBBS examination. Once cleared, these exams would allow their students to register and practise as doctors.

NEET was first mooted in a December 2010 gazette notification of the Medical Council of India (MCI), then administered by the government appointed Board of Governors. The notification specified that eligibility for the MBBS course would be by obtaining at least 50% of marks (or 40% in the case of reserved categories) in “each paper of NEET”. However, a subsequent MCI notification in February 2012 not only changed the eligibility criteria from 50% and 40% to 50th and 40th percentile, but also did away with minimum marks in each paper. When the Supreme Court in 2016 reversed its earlier order to pave the way for NEET to be implemented, it effectively revived this notification.

Dr KK Talwar who headed the BoG in 2012 explained to TOI that faced with stiff resistance to NEET from state governments, the focus then was on finding a way to get NEET accepted. “If the NEET results over the years show that the percentile cut off is too low, or that minimum marks need to be fixed for individual subjects, there is nothing stopping the MCI from making necessary amendments,” said Dr Talwar. The MCI when asked why it had not moved to bring in the necessary amendment to stop this dilution of merit remained non-committal.

With the current system, over 6.5 lakh students qualified for about 60,000 seats in 2017. With half the seats being in private colleges where fees are steep, meritorious students had to give up seats allotted to them and rich students with much lower marks, including those with zero and negative marks, could get these seats.

Thus, over 2,000 students with ranks in the 4 lakh to 5 lakh range, 1,150 in the 5 lakh to 6 lakh range and almost 380 with ranks below 6 lakh got MBBS admission in 2017.



Over 6.5 lakh students qualified for about 60,000 seats in 2017