Home loan scam: Banker,4 builders get three-year jail

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:01.06.2019

A bank manager and four builders, involved in a ₹10 crore scam between 2005 and 2007, have now been found guilty of the fraud by a CBI court and sentenced to three years of imprisonment each, besides being fined up to ₹10 lakh.

In four orders, special judge S Jawahar of the XI additional special court, convicted former manager of Anna Nagar branch of State Bank of Saurashtra (now SBI) Pinaki Bhattacharya and sentenced him to a three-year jail term and impose a fine of ₹9.75 lakh in all the four cases where charges of corruption, forgery and cheating were framed against him.

The builders in the four cases — N Ramji of Balaji foundation, P Vazhuthi of Om Ayangaran, T Karthik Prakash of SK Constructions and Subhash Chandran of Saravana Foundation — were sentenced to undergo imprisonment for three years each, besides a fine of ₹5 lakh each.

Apart from this, M Shanmugasundaram, a technician of Southern Railway’s Loco workshop, K Madhivanan a worker at Chennai Port Trust, and M Jayakumar, a tailor at the Ordinance Clothing Factory (OCF) in Avadi, were also convicted and sentenced in the case.

The banker and bosses of real estate companies connived with the railway employees and offered to build houses for gullible clerical staff in various central government entities during 2005-2007.

M V Dinaker, CBI senior public prosecutor, told TOI all the four cases had a similar modus operandi where the manager conspired with the real estate company owners and others to identify 40-50 lower level central government employees. Though they were ineligible for housing loans, the accused forged their payslips and other documents to get loans sanctioned in their names. The loan sums were then directly transferred into the accounts of the real estate bosses.

The houses that the companies promised to build were in Tiruninravur in Tiruvallur district, in an area where water and electricity connections were not available. “The money was then diverted by the accused to their other projects elsewhere,” Dinaker told TOI.

As a result, many of the accounts turned non-performing assets (NPA) as the loans were not paid.

Most of the gullible people tricked inot the scam were employed in Southern Railway, Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Ordnance Clothing Factory (OCF), Heavy Vehicle Factory (HVF) Avadi, Chennai Port Trust and other such central agencies.

Annamalai varsity class of ’69 honours teachers

Chennai:01.06.2019

With heads held high, the class of 1969 left Annamalai University in Chidambaram filled with great hopes and dreams. While they set out on different paths, they promised to stay in touch. And they did. “We stayed in touch though life took us to different places,” said P Balasubramanian, a 73-year-old industrialist and alumni of engineering. The ‘students’ got together again on Friday at Ambassador Pallava hotel to celebrate 50 years of leaving college, but this time celebrated it by honouring their teachers. “We are what we are today because of our teachers. We planned this for long,” he said. About 44 students from the batch gathered with their spouses to honour eight teachers, who they had traced. They held Guruvandhanam – a thanksgiving ceremony to their teachers, who were aged above 80. “A teacher’s role is crucial in shaping students. I am happy to see that all my students are well established and leading prosperous lives,” said S Sadique, an 84-year-old former professor. TNN

Asset case: PCB official placed under suspension

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.06.2019

The pollution control board has placed under suspension one of its senior officials two days before his retirement on Friday, for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.

A Thanga Pandian, an additional chief environment engineer in Chennai, posted in Tuticorin in 2005-2008, gave approval for the expansion of Sterlite company.

After gathering evidence against Thanga Pandian, the vigilance department recommended his suspension.

Generally, in a case where a government employee is found to be involved in smaller offences, the vigilance department recommends to initiate departmental action.

In this case with solid evidence, the department has recommended for suspension.

An official said a couple of cases was already pending against the official over the last decade. However, he was promoted to the rank of additional chief environment engineer.

So far, no officer in this rank has been placed under suspension in the board, the official added.

Audio clips on ‘bribery’ in university recruitment process go viral

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

BALLARI, JUNE 01, 2019 00:00 IST

The process for recruitment in Vijayanagar Sri Krishnadevaraya University has been bogged down by allegations of corruption with two audio clips going viral as far as the ongoing recruitment for non-teaching posts is concerned.

However, Vice-Chancellor M.S. Subhas has dismissed the allegations stating that the process of recruitment for teaching and non-teaching posts is going on in the most transparent manner.

One of the two audio clips has a voice of a woman and a man, identified as Fathima and Ramesh, both said to be working as contract employees in the university and who had applied for non-teaching posts, discussing in Telugu about payment of bribe to get appointment. The woman is heard saying that Rs. 10 lakh had to be paid for the post, while the man asks her to be cautious to ensure that the money did not go into the wrong hands. He also asks her how she could arrange for the money.

In another audio clip, a man, identified as Chidananda, also a contract employee and a candidate, is heard requesting a librarian, identified as Kattimani, to talk to the Vice-Chancellor to get him a job.


Meanwhile, Mr. Subhas, after coming to know about the audio clips, summoned all the four — Ramesh, Fathima, Chidananda and Kattimani — and terminated them from service on the charge of indulging in activities that tarnished the image of the university. After that, Ramesh was reportedly manhandled by some people for releasing the audio clip. However, he has not lodged any police complaint in this connection.

When contacted, Mr. Subhas told The Hindu that the allegation of bribery, as shown in the audio clip, is false and baseless.

Mr. Subhas also said that it was the outcome of a tussle between two groups of contract employees with one wanting the recruitment process to go on while the other was against it.

“We have initiated action against all the four involved in the two audio clips. The written exam for the non-teaching posts was held as per schedule on Saturday and another will be held on June 3,” he said.

The allegation of bribery, as shown in the audio clip, is false and baseless. It is the outcome of a tussle between two groups of contract employees with one wanting the recruitment process to go on while the other is against it, says Vice-Chancellor of Vijayanagar Sri Krishnadevaraya University M.S. Subhas

Economic reservation in MBBS won’t affect 69% quota: Minister

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.06.2019

Tamil Nadu is yet to take a decision on implementing reservation for economically weaker sections in medical admissions. Even if the state has to implement it as per the Centre’s announcement, it will not affect the existing 69% reservation, health minister C Vijayabaskar said on Friday.

“The Union health ministry has asked us to identify and inform it about 10% seats for the quota. It’s a policy decision that will be made after discussion with the chief minister and the chief secretary,” he said. As of now, it will not affect the existing quota. “This would mean that the state will have 79% of its seats reserved and 21% for admission under the open category. We will seek additional seats to accommodate students under the new quota.”

This year, the state will have 24 government colleges and 16 self-financing colleges offering 3,400 medical seats. There will be 2,250 seats in government colleges. Last week, the minister said the state would conduct MBBS counselling online, as done by Delhi-based Directorate General of Health Services. This year, however, the selection committee is likely to make only the application process, not allotments, online. “For this year, it may be difficult to verify details like nativity,” the minister said.

The state, meanwhile, has been talking to the Centre regarding NEET-based admission for AYUSH courses. “This year, it is mandatory to admit students who are NEET-qualified as the law has been amended. As a matter of policy, we are against NEET. We are talking to the Centre for exemption,” he said.

This year, the state will have 24 govt colleges and 16 self-financing colleges offering 3,400 medical seats

Govt to rejig doc postings to better use specialists

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:

The Directorate of Medical Education has initiated a process to shuffle and post 900 doctors, including specialists who have been posted at places that do not utilise their potential.

The directorate said many specialists in the state, particularly those on the clinical side (such as ophthalmology and paediatrics), were posted at nonclinical wings because either there were no doctors available for the posts or the doctor had requested such a posting.

“We are making amends. We want to place the right specialists at the right places,” said director of medical service Dr A Edwin Joe.

“We have enough doctors in most specialities. If we don’t need specialists in a particular department, we send them to district headquarters hospitals. This would mean they will have work for the directorate of medical services. This will also ensure specialty services in rural areas.”

Recently, several doctors were redesignated to suit Medical Council of India norms. “Several assistant professors were designated as associate professors. Some associate professors were made professors. This has created some vacancies which we need to fill,” he said. Counselling for the new postings will be held for a week.

The restructuring would mean that several doctors in the city could be asked to work in medical college and hospitals in rural areas. This has upset the government doctors’ association.

“Under a process of restructuring, MBBS and diploma holders will be posted in peripheral hospitals but specialists are asked to work in rural medical colleges. Why should they retain junior doctors and transfer seniors? Officials have said attendance at counselling is compulsory,” said Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association president Dr K Senthil.

“If existing doctors are expelled from the medical college to district hospitals, what will be the fate of doctors doing PG courses now?” he asked. He said if there is saturation in a speciality, the government should decrease the number of PG seats.


The restructuring would mean many city doctors could be asked to work in and hospitals in rural areas. This has upset the government doctors’ association

TN comes up with dress code for staff to ‘maintain office decorum’
Julie Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:01.06.2019

The Tamil Nadu government believes clothes maketh the man, and woman. It has brought in a dress code for those working at Fort St George, the seat of its power.

Women will have to wear “saris or salwar kameez or churidar with dupatta of sober colour” and men will have to wear “formal shirts with formal pants”. There’s no word on whether ‘veshties’ are allowed.

An order issued by the personnel and administrative reforms department signed by chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan on Tuesday sought to amend the dress code prescribed in Tamil Nadu Secretariat Office Manual to “suit the present-day circumstances and to maintain the decorum of the office”.

“When the elected representatives wear veshti, why insist on pants,” asked an official. The order says a male officer who makes an appearance before a court or tribunal or any other judicial forum should wear a “short buttoned up coat with full sleeves, with trousers”. If the officer prefers an open coat, he should put on a tie as well and the clothes should be sober and subdued in colour and design. A woman officer should wear a sari or salwar kameez or churidar with dupatta of a sober colour.

What’s the trigger for the order? Apparently, officials had turned up in court shabbily dressed and this had evoked criticism. “The government may have taken a decision to preserve Tamil culture. Let everyone abide by the order,” said Tamil Nadu secretariat association chief Peter Anthonysamy.

‘Not sure whether veshti can be worn’

Chennai: “A section of youngsters prefers Tshirts and jeans, which don’t go well with the prescribed norms. Formal attire will evoke the respect of the public visiting the secretariat. Not sure if veshti can be worn,” an official said, pleading ignorance of the office manual. It remains to be seen if government agencies and departments elsewhere will follow suit.