Weekend travel by SETC buses to be costlier by 10% to 15%

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:

Just like in private omni buses, people traveling to their native places during weekends or festive seasons by government State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) buses will have to shell out 10%-15% more compared to other days.

The state home department has recently issued an order introducing a flexi fare system in long-route buses operated from Chennai.

Two different fare tables have been framed for different categories of SETC buses, according to the order issued by additional chief secretary Niranjan Mardi.

For instance, SETC would collect ₹1.80 for every kilometre a passenger travels in an air-conditioned sleeper bus during weekdays. During weekends and festive seasons, when the demand for public transport goes up, it would cost ₹2 more for every kilometre.

For example, a passenger intending to travel to Madurai from Chennai would pay ₹970-₹1,000 during the peak days and ₹830-₹850 for the rest of the year.

The move comes days after the state transport minister M R Vijayabaskar admitted that there was a dip in the number of passengers travelling by government buses after the fare was hiked in January.

At one point, travelling by SETC buses became more expensive than private buses. Subsequently, the corporation had sent a proposal to introduce a flexi-fare system in order to bring back the passengers who started using other modes of transport, particularly trains and private omni buses, said a senior SETC official.

"Under this model, fares during regular working days have come down, thereby benefiting thousands of people including those who travel for work or business purposes," the official added.

This has evoked a mixed response from the public. While a section said they were okay paying more if the government can provide a quality travel experience consistently, others said that this would deter them from opting for government buses.

"The SETC should first stick to the schedule announced. Buses booked through the online ticket portal are cancelled at the last minute leaving passengers in the lurch,” said D Suresh, a passenger at Koyambedu.

With QR code, encumbrance certificate a click away

Yogesh.Kabirdoss@timesgroup.com

Chennai:06.08.2018

People requiring encumbrance certificates will in future not have to make the trip to a sub-registrar’s office. The property certificate will soon feature a QR code that will make it available at the click of a button.

The manual seal and signature of the sub-registrar authorising the encumbrance certificate would be replaced by the QR code containing the name of the sub registrar office, registration officer, date and time, which can be read through electronic devices.

After the facility is launched, Encumbrance Certificate would be issued within minutes through online in contrast to the manual process that consumes about a week’s time.

Registration department sources said that introduction of the online facility needs an amendment to the rules of the Registration Act, 1908.

“The existing rules mandate the signature and seal of the sub registrar, wherein general public should file an application for the purpose. An amendment is being made to this rule to allow usage of QR code instead of signature and seal in the encumbrance certificate,” a top registration official said.

The government order facilitating changes to the rules of the Act is in the advanced stage and excepted in a couple of weeks, sources added.

“We are likely to launch the facility by the first week of September, after executing a test run of the QR enabled Encumbrance certificate,” the official added.

Though encumbrance details are available online, the authorised copies of encumbrance certificates can be obtained only from the sub registrar offices.

Sources said that the encumbrance certificates is demanded by those purchasing a new property and land mortgaging.

An encumbrance certificate contains all the registered transactions of a particular property for the period required by the applicant. It provides all the information pertaining to the previous transactions relating to the property, which will help an applicant to know the current owner of the property. “Generally, people get the encumbrance details for the past 30 years, ahead of investing in a property. It takes a week for issuing the encumbrance certificate for a plot,” another registration official added.

A fee of ₹. 30 for the first year and ₹10 for every subsequent year, besides computer fee of Rs. 100 is collected from those applying for signed Encumbrance Certificates.

As per government data for the financial year 2017-2018, about 30.78 lakh encumbrance certificates were issued, generating revenue to the tune of ₹141.80 crore. Official sources said, the QR Code would also continue to be a paid service.

NEWS DIGEST

Law univ to hold 9th annual convocation in September

TIMES OF INDIA 06.08.2018
Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University said the ninth annual convocation will be held in September. Eligible candidates are requested to apply on or before August 20 to receive their degrees or diplomas from colleges affiliated to the varsity, said a press release. Applications are available at the respective colleges.

300 students attend architecture seminar: Nearly 300 students and aspiring architects attended ‘Architecture 4.0’, a seminar on the future of architecture technology organised by MARG Institute of Design and Architecture on Saturday at Music Academy. The seminar was hosted by Canada Research Centre president and chairman Anuj Sharma. Young architects need to educate themselves on emerging technologies and incorporate them in their designs in a creative manner, Sharma said.

Special low-fare tickets on Go Air: GoAir has announced special low-fare tickets across all sectors with fares starting at ₹1,099 (all-inclusive) for travel from August 4 to December 31. The tickets will be available for purchase till August 9. Customers can also avail exclusive deals of up to ₹3,000 if they book tickets on GoAir website or mobile app.

How Anna univ gave ₹62-crore contract to 15-day-old startup
DVAC Probe Based On Higher Edu Secy’s Plaint

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:06.08.2018

An Anna University committee that met in January to discuss what it called ‘confidential printing’ accounts found ₹84.71 crore was spent between October 2016 and December 2017.

Digging deeper, the panel found the university had given a ₹62.34-crore contract in October 2016 for printing marksheets with ‘added security features’ to a Chennai-based startup without calling for open tenders. The company, incidentally called Incognito Forensic Foundation, was found to have been incorporated only 15 days before the controller of examinations called for quotations.

The directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC), which is probing the cash-for-marks scam, suspects that the company might not have applied for the contract by the due date. DVAC is inquiring on a complaint filed by then chairman of the university’s convenor committee and higher education secretary Sunil Paliwal on February 28. A case would be filed soon, said sources.

On August 19, 2016, then controller of examinations (CoE) G V Uma sent letters to nine firms asking them to give quotations for supplying marksheets and various certificates. These were to reach her office on or before September 12, 2016.

“No particular time on the last day was indicated. The required security features (on the certificates) were not indicated in the letter. Hence the firms offered their rates based on different security features. Some did not indicate any feature,” the complaint said. Quotations from four firms had proper dates, but IFF’s quotation did not bear any date. This raises suspicion that the rates quoted by others were informed to the winner and they quoted accordingly, Paliwal’s complaint said.

When questioned by the convenor committee, Uma sent a note on September 15, 2016, giving a list of three firms which had responded. However, IFF was not part of this list. Anna University had not even sent a letter to one of these three firms, the complaint said. “IFF’s name was separately mentioned in the note. It was scribbled with a pen,” a source said.

Then convenor of the committee and higher education secretary A Karthik raised a query on September 20 as to how IFF was selected. Two days later, Uma said letters were sent to nine companies, but only five responded. But, the name of one of the three firms that she listed in her initial note a week ago did not make it to this list of five, the complaint said.

However, IFF made it to this list. Uma told the committee that of the five that sent the quotations, two refused to share the source code of QR application. “But the letters from these two companies did not indicate any such condition,” the complaint said.

When the files were checked, it was found that a comparative statement of rates of these five firms had been prepared only on October 6, 2016. Officials said she should have given the comparative rates in her earlier notes to the committee, dated September 15 and

22. October 6, incidentally, was the date on which the orders were given to the selected firm.

The orders were placed for 20 lakh certificates which includes grade sheets, provisional certificates and degree certificates, while the university needed only 2 lakh per year. “The then convenor did not stop the process and the payment was made,” said a senior university official. Neither Karthik nor Uma could be reached; they did not respond to text messages from TOI.

IFF director K Ganesan told TOI that they had sent the quotation in time. He said he would share more details, but declined to take further calls.



DMK wants senior IPS officer to investigate scam

Chennai:

The DMK has demanded that the state government appoint a senior IPS officer to probe the ‘cash for marks’ scam that has come to light in the ‘re-evaluation’ of answer sheets of students of Anna University The party also wants a committee comprising vice-chancellors to recommend a foolproof method to check such malpractices. “The ‘cash for marks’ scam has brought to light the extent of deterioration of higher education and to what level the system has become rotten,” said DMK working president M K Stalin in a statement on Sunday. While re-evaluation has been a normal practice in all universities, the scam has placed the attempts of even genuine students for re-evaluation under a cloud. “Hence, this calls for a thorough probe and the state government should appoint a senior IPS official as the investigation officer to look into the scam,” Stalin said. TNN

CASH FOR MARKS

₹62cr Anna univ contract to startup under DVAC lens

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:06.08.2018

The directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption is investigating a ₹62.33 crore contract awarded to a two-month-old Chennai-based startup in October 2016 for supplying markshe ets with security featu res to Anna University.

Then controller of examinations (CoE) G V Uma did not follow a tender process, according to then chairman of the university’s convenor committee and higher education secretary Sunil Paliwal in a complaint filed in February.

When initially questioned by the convenor committee, Uma’s note did not even have the winning firm’s name in the list of applicants and the rates offered by various firms were only compared after taking approval from the committee. The reason cited by Uma for ruling out a couple of firms was also found to be baseless after examining the quotations sent by them.

The contract was for 20 lakh certificates, which is 10 times the university’s yearly requirement. Despite raising questions, the then convenor committee cleared the award of the contract.

 தினகரன்

வேளாண் பல்கலை முதலாமாண்டு வகுப்பு ஆக.13ல் துவக்கம்

  தினகரன்

 

கோவை: தமிழ்நாடு வேளாண் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் 14 உறுப்பு மற்றும் 26 இணைப்பு கல்லூரி என மொத்தம் 40 கல்லூரிகள் மூலம் 12 இளங்கலை பட்டப்படிப்புகள் வழங்கப்படுகிறது. இதில் 3,422 இடங்கள் உள்ளன. இதற்கான,  முதல்கட்ட ஆன்லைன் கவுன்சலிங் கடந்த மாதம் நடந்து முடிந்தது. மீதமுள்ள இடங்களை நிரப்ப 2ம் கட்ட ஆன்லைன் கவுன்சலிங் கடந்த 1ம் தேதி துவங்கி நேற்றுடன் நிறைவடைந்தது. வரும் 13ம் தேதி முதல் இளங்கலை மாணவர்களுக்கான முதலாமாண்டு வகுப்புகள் துவங்கும் என வேளாண் பல்கலைக்கழகம் அறிவித்துள்ளது.

RGUHS declares MBBS results in record 30 minutes

Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has broken its own record by announcing the results within 30 minutes of the completion of MBBS practical and viva voce exams.
 
Published: 06th August 2018 04:27 AM | 



By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has broken its own record by announcing the results within 30 minutes of the completion of MBBS practical and viva voce exams.

RGUHS stated, “The theory exams of mainstream phase 1 MBBS commenced on July 3 and practical and viva voce exams were conducted in various medical colleges spread across the state from July 25 to August 5.”

A total of 8,174 students appeared for phase 1 MBBS exams. All six papers of the exams were subjected to approximately 61,000 valuations.

Dr M K Ramesh, Registrar Evaluation for RGUHS, said, “Earlier too we announced the results in 30 minutes of the competition of exams. But then, it was just 850 students. This time, it comes to 61,000 scripts and the (evaluation) was done in record time.”