Former HR&CE chief arrested in idol case
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.03.2019

The idol wing officials have arrested former commissioner of HR&CE department for not maintaining records of donors who offered gold to sculpt idols of Lord Somaskandar and goddess Elavarkuzhali at the Ekambareswarar temple in Kancheepuram.

The arrested man, M Veera Shanmuga Moni, was produced before the special court for idol theft cases in Kumbakonam and remanded in judicial custody on Friday. Inquiries revealed that Moni ordered replacement of the old idol of goddess Elavarkuzhali idol with a new one. Kavitha, joint commissioner of HR&CE department, was arrested earlier in the case, had also signed in the order copy. The old idol weighed about 65kg, while the new one was 63kg.

Likewise, Kavitha ordered to replace Lord Somaskandar idol with a new one weighing 111kg. Altogether the idols weighed 174kg, of which 5% — 8.770kg gold — was to be mixed with the panchaloha. However, the IIT-M experts who inspected the idols found no trace of gold in them. Inquiry reveal that the arrested officials collected more than 100kg of gold pitched in by devotees for the idols. Police had earlier arrested chief sculptor Muthiah Sthapathi.

School cracks down on app-delivered food

Aditi.R@timesgroup.com

Chennai:16.03.2019

Three days ago, during the lunch break, a Chettinad Hari Shree Vidyalayam student went to the reception to collect a food parcel brought by a delivery man, ordered and paid for by her parents through an online app. The child later shared the food with friends.

Noticing this, principal Gowri Sivashankar immediately sent out an email to parents of all students from Classes II to XII. The message read: “It has been brought to our notice that parents order through Swiggy and Ubereats for food to be delivered in school for their children, for various reasons during lunch breaks. This will not be entertained and the ordered food will be sent back. The reception has been instructed to not accept these deliveries.”

The first-of-a-kind crackdown on consumption of junk food through food delivery apps was widely received. “One day as I was going to drop lunch for my son, I saw a few food delivery personnel outside the gate handing over parcels to students. I was surprised, because earlier parents used to do the job,” said Sukumari K, a homemaker whose child is a Class 8 student of the school.

In 2015, the Delhi high court restricted sale of foods high in fat, salt and sugar in and around schools. In November last year, the National Commission For Protection of Child Rights wrote to its state representatives to inspect and ensure that school children do not consume such foods.

“But what do we do when parents have found an easier way to feed them, that too through delivery apps,” asked a teacher, on condition of anonymity. “Off late we noticed that many parents have resorted to feeding children food available on these apps and not home-cooked meals. This is a problem.”

The principal added that it was ok to eat outside food once in a while, but nutrition can only be provided by home-cooked food. “We don’t want to open avenues where children lose their discipline and become dependant on instant food.”

The first-of-a-kind crackdown on consumption of junk food through food delivery apps by a school has been widely received

FOR ₹2,500

Get a monthly pass and take multiple rides on metro rail

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.03.2019

Commuters can now enjoy rides on metro trains multiple times in a day as Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has launched a monthly pass. Passengers will have to pay ₹2,500 with an additional refundable fee of ₹50 to purchase the ‘tourist card’.

“With this card, commuters can travel to any station at any time of the day for an entire month,” an official said.

While smartcards were introduced for commuters to avoid waiting in queues, metro rail officials said the new monthly tourist card is for office-goers and tourists who use the metro rail facility multiple times in a day.

The launch of the new

tourist card comes a month after the last leg of the 45km phase-1 started operations and the CMRL is taking efforts to introduce new commuter facilities like feeder services to increase the footfall in its 32 stations. Now, metro service has an average ridership of 90,000 per day.

At present, the CMRL offers a tourist card for ₹100 + ₹50 as refundable fee that allows unlimited rides only for a single day. There is also a trip card that allow passengers to a set specific number of trips within a specific number of days between two stations.

The CMRL also tested their smartcards with MTC’s electronic ticket machines in an effort to introduce a common mobility card that will enable smooth transition of commuters across different modes of transport. The ETMs were upgraded with a software to conduct the trials. The same card can also be used to avail CMRL feeder services and at station parking lots.

‘Nursing council letter on power of recognition illegal’

tnn | Feb 22, 2019, 05.22 AM IST

Nagpur: 

The Private Nursing Schools and College Management Association in the state and other such associations across the country have strongly objected to the Indian Nursing Council (INC) letter stating that INC still has the power to inspect all nursing colleges for infrastructure, manpower etc for recognition of colleges. The association has claimed that this is contempt of the Supreme Court and hence the associations will be challenging this soon in the court.
The INC has also stated that the students passing out from these colleges cannot practice outside the state. The SC order on January 22 has clearly stated that the students can practice anywhere in country. SC has also stated that the power for recognition of degree courses will lie with the respective state nursing councils. The respective health universities and state boards will only have the other powers of holding exams and registration of the students. According to SC, nursing graduates can practice anywhere in the country.

The president of the association Balasaheb Pawar told TOI that the directives issued by the INC were completely illegal and violation of the SC order. “When SC has demarcated the jurisdictions, INC stands nowhere. The SC has only interpreted the INC Act which never actually had the power to give recognition to the nursing colleges. The INC has been trying to amend the Act but the issue was never cleared by the Parliament,” he said.

R Mali, former president of the state association, says that though INC was expected to be an autonomous body its present chairman Dilip Kumar has been misleading the council.

Advocate Chandrakant Jadhav from Aurangabad High Court where the case was first filed by the association also terms the present INC letter as contempt of court.

Not disclosing pendency of criminal case will cause rejection of application: HC

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedMar 15, 2019, 2:09 am IST

A person having criminal antecedents will not fit in this category.

Madras high court

Chennai: The Madras high court has held that the failure of a person to disclose in the application form, either his involvement in a criminal case or the pendency of a criminal case against him, would entitle the appointing authority to reject his application on the ground of concealment of a material fact, irrespective of the ultimate outcome of the criminal case.

Justice R.Mahadevan gave the ruling while dismissing a batch of petitions from M. Malaiselvam, which sought to quash the orders of the authorities, denying appointment to the post of grade II police constable and police band party on the ground of suppression of involvement in criminal case or pendency of the same in the application form.

The judge said when the failure of a person to disclose his involvement in a criminal case when the application form is filled up, is fatal, his subsequent disclosure will not cure the defect and the same would give right  to the appointing authority to reject his candidature on the ground of   suppression and antecedents.

"The police force is a disciplined force. It shoulders the great responsibility of maintaining law and order and public order in society. People repose great faith and confidence in it. It must be worthy of that confidence. A candidate wishing to join the police force must be a person of utmost rectitude. He must have impeccable character and integrity. A person having criminal antecedents will not fit in this category. Even if he is acquitted or discharged in the criminal case, that acquittal or discharge order will have to be examined to see whether he has been completely exonerated in the case because even a possibility of his taking to the life of crimes poses a threat to the discipline of the police force", the judge added.

The judge said if the facts of the present cases were analyzed, this court has no hesitation to hold that the decision taken by the authorities concerned in rejecting the candidature of the petitioners was in any way actuated by mala fides or suffered on any other ground.

"The decision on the question of suitability of the candidates, in my considered view, was absolutely correct and did not call for any interference", the judge added.

Villupuram division of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation reverts deluxe buses to ordinary services

Nearly after four months, the ticket fares in select rural services have been reduced as the buses converted back into Express/Ordinary services.

Published: 15th March 2019 04:34 AM

For representational purposes (File Photo | EPS)

By B Anbuselvan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Followed by stiff opposition by a section of bus commuters, Villupuram division of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) has converted some deluxe services into express/ordinary bus services, recently.

The ticket fare between Chennai and Arani has now come down to Rs 116 in Express buses as against Rs 135 in Deluxe services. Similarly, some of the deluxe services operated in Chennai - Kancheepuram section have also been converted into ‘Express’ category. The per kilometer price of ordinary mofussil buses is 58 paise while the Express and Super Deluxe buses charge at the rate of 75 and 85 paise, a kilometer, respectively.

The move that has been taken up in a phased manner since January, has brought down the ticket fares by `25 to `45 up to 300 km-travel. Citing escalated operational costs and higher fuel prices in October last year, the Villupuram, Salem and Coimbatore divisions of TNSTC had converted majority of the ordinary bus services into Express and Deluxe bus categories. The move to convert the buses into higher fare categories, did not go well among the regular commuters as majority of buses were in poor condition. Ticket fare increased by Rs 35 to Rs 55 per ticket upto 75 to 200 km distances.


Nearly after four months, the ticket fares in select rural services have been reduced as the buses converted back into Express/Ordinary services.

With over 50 depots, the Villupuram division of TNSTC caters to commuters in Vellore, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore and Villupuram districts.

It is learnt that select services of deluxe buses operated by Chidambaram, Vellore, Sholingur, Konavattam, Kattumannarkoil, Arani and Sankarapuram depots have been converted into ordinary services. These services mostly operate in rural pockets.

Official sources attributed the move to reduction in fuel prices and not for any other reason. Diesel prices touched an all-time high of Rs 79.5 a litre in October 2018 against Rs 62.94 in January the same year. As a result, the seven transport corporations incurred additional expenses of Rs 3 crore a day.

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Madurai Kamaraj University delays salary of guest lecturers in constituent colleges

More than 300 guest lecturers are working on an hourly basis and they are getting Rs.125 per hour. Hardly, they will earn Rs.7000 per month.

Published: 14th March 2019 03:42 PM |

Main building of Madurai Kamaraj University (File Photo | EPS)

By Express News Service

Madurai Kamaraj University is delaying to pay the salary to the guest lecturers working in constituent colleges and MKU college. Under Madurai Kamaraj University as many as 45 self-financing colleges, 11 aided non-autonomous colleges, six constituent colleges, one MKU college and four MKU evening colleges are functioning in the districts of Madurai, Virudhunagar, Theni, Dindigul.

More than 300 guest lecturers are working on an hourly basis and they are getting Rs.125 per hour. Hardly, they will earn Rs.7000 per month. This month, MKU did not make payment for their salary for the month of February.

A guest lecturer requesting anonymity, said, "More than five years we are getting Rs.125 per hour. It was a very low amount, in due course cost of living and at present bus fare also increased. In this condition, we did not receive the February salary until now. In this situation, we forced to get debt from others to run our family expenses and meet out our to and fro charges. MKU authorities need to take steps to pay on time-" he added. The higher officials at MKU were not available to comment.

(This article was originally published on EdexLive)