Jet Airways crisis makes dent in Chennai airport’s earnings

The Airports Authority of India is now giving away slots that Jet is not able to operate to Indigo and SpiceJet.

Published: 04th July 2019 06:02 AM 

By C Shivakumar

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The grounding of Jet Airways has chipped away 10-15 per cent of Chennai airport’s earnings. The Airports Authority of India is now giving away slots that Jet is not able to operate to Indigo and SpiceJet. Thanks to the Jet crisis the aviation sector’s performance has been sluggish this financial year, and Chennai airport is planning strategies to overcome the challenges, says airport director S Sreekumar.

It’s learnt that the airport is losing out on landing and parking charges and other rental revenues from Jet. Operators and fuel suppliers, too, have lost a big customer.

Being one of the largest private airlines, Jet had a fleet of 119 aircraft and operated 600 flights a day before the liquidity crisis came to the fore on December 31.

The domestic airline traffic in April declined for the first time in six years, as per International Air Transport Association’s data. India’s air traffic fell by 0.5 per cent in 2019 compared to the previous year, primarily due to the Jet impact.

Sreekumar, however, is worried about how Chennai airport will handle the growing traffic in future. Works are being undertaken to enhance operational capacity. Rapid taxi-ways and new, parallel taxi-tracks are being constructed to handle more flights.

“This will ensure that flights get take-off clearance faster, thereby helping us operate more flights per hour. The works are likely to be completed within six months,” says Sreekumar. This, however, may not be enough. Chennai airport is likely to reach its saturation level in the next 5-8 years. The runway capacity will hit the saturation point by 2025. A masterplan made for the Chennai-Bengaluru industrial corridor by Japanese agency JICA stresses on the need for an additional airport.

It says a second airport is necessary in Chennai as the passenger demand is likely to surpass the capacity of the current one by 2020-21. Sreekumar says the government has identified certain land parcels for a second airport, but he is not aware of further developments.

Currently, Chennai Airport is going in for a major expansion under the second phase .

3K medicos fail to send documents, rank list delayed

According to Health department officials, this made the selection committee delay the release of rank list tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.

Published: 03rd July 2019 06:21 AM |

By Sinduja Jane

Express News Service

CHENNAI : The Directorate of Medical Education, which introduced online submission of MBBS and BDS applications on June 7 for the first time, faced a new challenge after about 3,000 candidates, who filled and submitted applications online, failed to send hard copies of the necessary documents to the selection committee even after the lapse of the June 21 deadline.

According to Health department officials, this made the selection committee delay the release of rank list tentatively scheduled for Tuesday. Over 3,000 candidates goofed up by just applying online, but failing to send photocopies of documents including NEET UG mark-list, Plus-Two mark-sheet, transfer, community and nativity certificates.

Meanwhile, the selection committee, in its website notification on Monday, requested the candidates to send the certificates by email immediately. “Don’t forget to mention their online application number. The documents can be mailed to mbbsbds20191@gmail.com”, the notification said.


Dr G Selvarajan, secretary, selection committee, said,”We have asked the candidates to send the certificates by email since there is no time to send by post. We have given time till 7 pm on Wednesday. By Tuesday we have received documents from many candidates and we hope we will receive from all candidates before the deadline”.Meanwhile, Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar said in the Assembly that the rank list would be released in one or two days.

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter down globally, users in a fix

On Facebook, users reported that specific posts or photos did not appear, but that the page was loading.

Published: 03rd July 2019 10:48 PM |

By IANS

NEW DELHI: Millions of users worldwide, including in India, were left clueless on Wednesday evening when Facebook and its family of apps including WhatsApp and photo-sharing platform Instagram entered a global outage. Users also reported about glitches on Twitter.


"Everyone moved to twitter when Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp get down, including me!" tweeted one Indian user.

"Social media breakdown is the only thing that unites the world," said another user. Users faced specific problems rather than the entire app not working.

We’re aware that some people are having trouble uploading or sending images and videos on Instagram. We're sorry for the trouble and are working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. #instagramdown
79.8K
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On Facebook, users reported that specific posts or photos did not appear, but that the page was loading.

Millions of users had problems sending photos, videos and voice messages on WhatsApp in India. Only the text messages were being shared on the mobile messaging service.

At Instagram, people failed to upload photos in various parts of the world. Online outage tracker Down Detector logged several complaints from across the world including in India.

Facebook said in a statement that confirmed there is a problem with its apps, and it's "working as quickly as possible" to fix it.

PIL in Madras high court to provide equal reservation to OBC students

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedJul 3, 2019, 3:10 am IST

The reservation in general and more specifically in educational institutions is a right that flows from the constitution.

Madras high court

Chennai: A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Madras high court to restrain the authorities from proceeding with the counseling, admitting the students to the course of MBBS/BDS course without providing equal reservation to OBC students in all institutions to be admitted under the All India Quota for medical admission under UG courses.

The PIL filed by Dr.G.R.Ravindranath, which also sought to quash Clause 5 (a) of the Information Bulletin issued by National Testing Agency for admission to MBBS/BDS courses for the academic session 2019-2020 and consequently direct the authorities to provide equal reservation to OBC students in all institutions to be admitted under the All India quota for medical admission under UG courses without any discrimination, is likely to come up for hearing tomorrow.

According to E.Vijay Anand, counsel for the petitioner, the present lis is questioning the denial of “Other Backward Class Reservation” to institutions other than central educational institutions in respect of All India Quota in Medical admission for both MBBS/BDS courses and MD/MS/PG Diploma courses.

The reservation in general and more specifically in educational institutions is a right that flows from the constitution.

The said right cannot be taken away or waived or negated in any manner as it is a fundamental right guaranteed under our constitution of India. Any action in contra to the above will have to be curbed as an action against constitution.

As such it is done in our present case wherein the reservation guaranteed under constitution has been restricted to central institutions alone, which is unreasonable and amounts to discrimination of Constitutional right. Therefore, the petitioner has filed the present petition. The petitioner has filed a similar petition in respect of PG courses admission, he added.

27 employees of private university get Madras high court reprieve

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

Published    Jul 3, 2019, 3:17 am IST

According to petitioners, pursuant to a notification issued by the University, they applied for the post of Skilled NMR.

Manonmaniam Sundaranar University

Chennai: Coming to the rescue of 27 employees of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, who had put in 9 to 10 years of service as Skilled NMR on daily wages initially and thereafter on consolidated appointment, but were issued with disengagement memo, the Madras high court has directed the University to consider their representations, to be made afresh, in accordance with law and also in the light of regularization made in respect of similarly situated persons, within 4 weeks.

Justice R.Mahadevan gave the directive while disposing of the petitions from V.Srinivasan and 26 others.

According to petitioners, pursuant to a notification issued by the University, they applied for the post of Skilled NMR. The University, after completion of selection process, such as certificate verification, written examination and interview, appointed them as Skilled NMRs and after sometime, they got consolidated appointment. In the minutes of the meeting held on February 7, 2015, the Syndicate sub-committee held that the consolidated skilled NMRs, on completion of five years of service, would be made permanent/regularized and in accordance with the recommendation, they made a request to absorb them as Junior Assistant. But the University rejected their claim. While so, to their shock and surprise, the University issued a notification calling for application for various posts. Consequently, disengagement memos were issued against them, they added.

The judge said though it has been submitted that the appointment of the petitioners were not in accordance with the constitutional scheme of employment and the constitutional scheme of employment requires public notification, inviting applications from all eligible candidates, the fact remains that the petitioner were appointed as skilled NMRs by public notification, after undergoing certificate verification, written examination and interview. Thereafter, they were appointed on consolidated basis in the year 2009 and completed 9 to 10 years of service in the University. Even though it was stated on the side of the university that the University has the authority to engage temporary employees in emergent situations, the question now arises for consideration was, how long the emergent situation would remain. If the petitioners have been appointed in an emergent situation, this court was unable to understand as to why the University has not taken steps to fill up the regular vacancies, even at this length of ti
me, the judge added.

The judge said the authorities would have very well aware of the statutory rules of the University as well as the other rules in force, which may come to the aid of the incumbents like that of the petitioners, if they put up their services up to a certain period. In the circumstances, the University should have been cautious enough, and had they been cautious, this type of situation would have been avoided. The university has all along been permitting the petitioners to work all these years, coupled with the fact that the similarly situated persons have been given regular appointment. This led to a legitimate expectation in the minds of the petitioners that they would be given regular appointment. “In these circumstances, this court is of the view that a duty is cast upon the respondents (University) to review their orders impugned herein by considering the plight of the petitioners, if they are otherwise found eligible”, the judge added.

Coimbatore: Docs, nurses go on strike protesting attack by mob

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedJul 4, 2019, 3:53 am IST

Kin of patient assault medical fraternity

Doctors who examined her declared her ‘brought dead’, upon which angry relatives attacked the duty doctor, Laxmana Kumar, nurse Mahalaxmi and attender Kumarasamy. (Representational Image)

COIMBATORE: Doctors and nurses at the Mettupalayam government hospital went on a strike on Wednesday after the family members and relatives of a patient who died in a road mishap, attacked their colleagues on Tuesday evening.

According to police, Rajan (43), a daily wage labourer residing at Kuttaiyoor near Mettuplayam was returning home on his bike along with wife Rukmani (36), after darshan at Bannari Amman temple on Tuesday evening. While nearing a cinema theatre on Karamadai road by around 6 pm, a speeding truck knocked down the bike and the couple suffered serious injuries.

Motorists crossing the stretch rushed them to the Mettupalayam government hospital. After providing first-aid, doctors asked their relatives to take Rukmani to the Coimbatore Medical College hospital (CMCH) for further treatment. While their relatives took Rukmani to a nearby private hospital at Mettupalayam, doctors there directed them to rush the patient back to Mettupalayam government hospital, since her condition was very serious.

As they were heading back to Mettupalayam government hospital, Rukmani allegedly died on the way. Doctors who examined her declared her ‘brought dead’, upon which angry relatives attacked the duty doctor, Laxmana Kumar, nurse Mahalaxmi and attender Kumarasamy.

They also ransacked the ward and blocked traffic in front of the hospital, raising slogans demanding action against the duty doctor for allegedly taking time to treat the patient.

Following a talk with Periyanaickenpalayam DSP Mani, the mob withdrew their protest and road-roko. Traffic on the stretch was affected for more than an hour, while the body of Rukmani was sent to the Coimbatore Medical College hospital (CMCH) on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, doctors and nurses of the Mettupalayam government hospital went on a strike on Wednesday by around 11 am, condemning the attack and demanding action against the gang that assaulted their colleagues.

Two special teams have been deployed to nab the offenders based on CCTV camera footages received from cams installed in the hospital.

More than 100 policemen were deployed on duty at the hospital premises. The doors of the out-patient (OP) ward remained closed on Wednesday, while hundreds of outpatients gathered at the hospital premises for treatment. Department higher officials gathered at the spot and held discussions.

‘Probe administrative and academic irregularities in MKU’

STAFF REPORTER

MADURAI, JULY 03, 2019 00:00 IST

Appointments made in violation of UGC norms: PIL petition

Calling for a probe into the appointments made to various posts in Madurai Kamaraj University during the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor P. P. Chelladurai, a public interest litigation petition was filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday.

The petitioner, M. Lionel Antony Raj of Madurai, said that the appointments made between May 2017 and June 2018 were in violation of UGC norms. No rule of reservation was followed, either, he alleged.

Further, the petitioner said advertisements were not published, as mandated, calling for applications from eligible candidates to posts that included Guest Lecturer and Office Superintendent. Even Guest Lectures were appointed to constituent colleges without the knowledge and approval of the Syndicate, the petitioner said.

The violations were duly pointed out in the audit report for the period 2017-18. Ineligible teachers were also promoted during the said period through the Career Advancement Scheme.

Under such circumstances, a resolution was adopted by the Syndicate to constitute a high-level committee to enquire into the violations.

However, despite repeated petitions submitted by the Save Madurai Kamaraj University Coalition to the present Vice-Chancellor, there was no progress, the petitioner said. He sought a direction for constituting a high-level committee headed by a former High Court Judge to probe the academic and administrative irregularities.

A Division Bench of Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and B. Pugalendhi directed the Department of Higher Education to consider the representation made by the petitioner and take appropriate action within 12 weeks.