Call for more rail services on Tiruvarur-Karaikudi section

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

TIRUVARUR, AUGUST 01, 2019 00:00 IST

Under-utilised:Rail users want resumption of long distance trains that were withdrawn when the gauge conversion work was taken up 15 years ago.File Photo

People in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts disappointed over rejection of regular and additional services on the new broad gauge line

The reported rejection of the plea for regular and additional passenger services on Tiruvarur-Karaikudi section at the Southern Railway’s Divisional level officials has dampened the spirit of people in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts.

Rail users in Pattukottai, Adhiramapattinam, Muthupettai, Peravurani, Aranthangi and Tiruvarur have been demanding early introduction of passenger services on the Tiruvarur-Karaikudi section apart from resumption of long distance services that were withdrawn when the gauge conversion work was taken up 15 years ago.

The railway officials, at the Divisional Rail Users Consultative Committee meeting held at Tiruchi on July 30, while responding to the demand for launching new train services on the Tiruvarur-Karaikudi section, had reportedly said that a pair of DEMU passenger special was being operated now and there was no proposal to introduce new trains.

“Rail users in Tiruvarur-Karaikudi section are eagerly awaiting early resumption of passenger services on the newly-laid broad gauge line,” said president of Pattukottai Taluk Rail Passengers’ Welfare Association N. Jayaraman. In the absence of train services, people were forced to use the very few bus services to far-off places such as Chennai or take multiple short-distance buses, much to their discomfort.

So the rejection of the plea to operate more train services on this section was most disappointing and unacceptable.

The divisional railway authorities have to convince the headquarters to resume the regular services that were in operation before gauge conversion.

New forum floated

A new forum - Karaikudi-Pattukottai-Tiruvarur BG Line Federation of Rail Users Association - had been formed to put forth the demands of rail users, Mr. Jayaraman said. Gatekeepers must be posted at level crossings to ensure smooth operation of the Tiruvarur-Karaikudi DEMU service with running time of three hours instead of the present seven hours. If the railways adopted a step-motherly attitude with respect to this section, the federation would resort to a legal route, he said.

Meanwhile, the Adirampattinam Rural Development Association has approached the Chief Operating Manager of Southern Railway in Chennai, seeking resumption of Chennai-Karaikudi/Rameswaram service. It has also suggested change in timings for the DEMU service so that passengers got a link to Mannai Express, Karaikal Express and Chennai Express at Tiruvarur.

Revising the departure timing from Tiruvarur to 5 a.m. and the return service from Karaikudi to 2.30 p.m. would benefit school and college students and office-goers, it said.

Thanjavur District Railway Users’ Association has raised its voice for additional services between Thanjavur and Tiruchi citing the fact that electrification of the 50 km track had almost been completed.

Leading a demonstration near Thanjavur Junction recently, Association secretary V. Jeevakumar demanded rail link to Thanjavur from Pattukottai and Ariyalur and also provisioning of basic facilities at Budalur and Alakudi railway stations on the Thanjavur-Tiruchi section apart from the demand for increase in number of daytime services between Thanjavur and Tiruchi.

Temporary stoppage at Melmaruvathur

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

TIRUCHI, AUGUST 01, 2019 00:00 IST

In view of Aadi Pooram festival, the following trains will stop for a minute at Melmaruvathur from August 2 to 5:

Chennai Egmore – Tiruchi – Chennai Egmore Rockfort Expresses; Chennai Egmore-Madurai – Chennai Egmore Vaigai Expresses; Chennai Egmore – Madurai – Chennai Egmore Pandian Expresses; Chennai Egmore – Shencottah– Chennai Egmore Pothigai Expresses; Chennai Egmore – Mannargudi – Chennai Egmore Mannai Expresses;and Tambaram – Nagercoil – Tambaram Antyodaya Expresses.

No helmet, no petrol’ from today

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

MAYILADUTHURAI, AUGUST 01, 2019 00:00 IST

All fuel stations in Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam district have been instructed by the police department not to supply fuel to two-wheeler riders who come without wearing helmets with effect from Thursday.

A meeting of petrol pump owners was convened by the police department at the office of the Deputy Superintendent of Police to discuss the implementation of the measure.

For the last few days, hoardings informing the public that no petrol will be sold to two-wheeler riders who do not wear helmets have been put up at vantage points at the filling stations. The police department has reportedly provided assurance to the petrol pump owners that motorists who create trouble will be identified through CCTV footage and subjected to legal action.

The initiative for road safety will be carried out in the town limits to begin with, Mayiladuthurai DSP K. Velladurai said. Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, states that riding two-wheeler without wearing a helmet is a violation of law and can draw imprisonment up to six months under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 188.

“Of course, there is likely to be a slump in our transactions. Nevertheless, we will follow the instructions of the police with the safety of motorists in mind,” Sivaprakasam, a proprietor of a filling station, said.

“It cannot be said that the information has reached every motorist in the town. Arguments between motorists with workers at the filling stations cannot be ruled out. We have to wait and see,” Ganesh, a Mayiladuthurai-based photographer said.

Chief Minister inaugurates Karur Govt. Medical College

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

KARUR, AUGUST 01, 2019 00:00 IST

It is the 23rd such institution in Tamil Nadu

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami inaugurated the Karur Government Medical College — the 23rd government medical college in the State — on Wednesday.

Through video conference, the CM declared open classrooms and buildings for the new college, constructed at a cost of Rs. 115.71 crore. He also inaugurated the first-year classes.

The opening of the college triggered celebrations on the campus, where Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar distributed sweets to students and the public, in the presence of Collector T. Anbazhagan, Dean Rosy Vennila and others.

‘Dream fulfilled’

The new college has an intake of 150 students in the M.B.B.S. programme. “A long-felt need and dream of the people of Karur has been fulfilled with the medical college coming into existence today,” a visibly elated Mr. Vijayabhaskar told reporters after the inaugural ceremony.

The opening of the college at Sanapiratti also marks a personal triumph for the Minister as there was much political wrangling over the site for establishing the college. The former Transport Minister, V. Senthil Balaji, while in office, had favoured the establishment of the college at Kuppichipalayam. The decision was reversed after Mr. Balaji — now with the DMK — was dropped from the State Cabinet and stripped of the post of Karur district secretary of the AIADMK.

It was argued back then that the Kuppuchipalayam site was too far from Karur, and subsequently, the State government selected the Sanapiratti site, which is located within the town limits, and issued an order for establishing the college at a total cost of Rs. 269.58 crore.

Mr. Vijayabhaskar said the new college had been provided with all necessary infrastructure as per the Medical Council of India’s norms. It has a 1,000-bedded hospital, including emergency and other departments.

As many as 985 permanent posts have been created to meet the MCI requirement. The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation is in the process of purchasing necessary equipment for the college at a cost of Rs. 25.64 crore. Besides, Rs. 6 crore has been allotted in the current year’s Budget for the purchase of an advanced MRI scanner for the college hospital.

A long-felt need and dream of the people of Karur has been fulfilledM.R. VijayabhaskarTransport Minister

Ex-IAS officer resigns from varsity V-C search panel

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

COIMBATORE, AUGUST 01, 2019 00:00 IST

Former Higher Education Secretary K. Ganesan, who was last week appointed as the government’s nominee on the three-member search committee to shortlist names for the post of Vice Chancellor at Bharathiar University in Coimbatore, has resigned citing personal reasons.

His nomination to the Search Committee had earlier drawn criticism from a section of academics. They alleged that incompetent persons were appointed as Vice-Chancellor to some State universities during the erstwhile DMK regime when Mr. Ganesan was heading the Higher Education Department.

Confirmed

Sources in the Bharathiar University Vice-Chancellor Search Committee confirmed to The Hindu on Wednesday that Mr. Ganesan had resigned.

Earlier, he had informed the university Registrar that he would not be in a position to meet the Tamil Nadu Governor-Chancellor for a meeting that was scheduled on Wednesday evening.

The other members of the Search Committee are Syndicate nominee S.P. Thyagarajan, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras, and Senate nominee C. Subramaniam, a former Vice-Chancellor of Tamil University, Thanjavur.

A section of academics expressed concern that Mr. Ganesan’s resignation would further delay the process of shortlisting names for the post of Vice-Chancellor for the university, which is headless for over one-and-a-half years.

However, Association of University Teachers State president N. Pasupathy said the Syndicate and Senate nominees to the Committee were elected six months ago and only now the Government named its nominee. It would be better if the Government were to dissolve the search committee and constitute it afresh.

That it would take another two or three months for the constitution of a new search committee did not matter because the Bharathiar University academic community had already spent more than one-and-half years without a Vice-Chancellor.

Sri Ramachandra varsity launches B.Tech courses

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, AUGUST 01, 2019 00:00 IST

Sri Ramachandra University has launched two B.Tech engineering courses. The two courses will each admit 60 students. The branches offered are: B.Tech Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence and B.Tech Cybersecurity and Internet of Things.

The four-year programme will include practical and theory sessions, according to provost of engineering programmes V. Raju. Students will have equal hours of theory and practical sessions. Those who had taken Cybersecurity and IoT would also be trained in AI, according to him.

“The courses have a lot of potential to bridge the gap in technology in the country,” said Pratyush Panda, a faculty from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, who would also be teaching the students.

He said it was a wonderful opportunity for the university, which also had a medical college and hospital, to develop a centre of excellence.

High Court dismisses plea filed by Raj Bhavan official against

transfer

Legal Correspondent

CHENNAI, AUGUST 01, 2019 00:00 IST

He had alleged mala fide intention behind the move

The Madras High Court on Wednesday dismissed a writ petition filed by an Under Secretary in the Governor’s Secretariat accusing Additional Chief Secretary R. Rajagopal of having transferred him from Chennai to the Raj Bhavan at Udhagamandalam with a mala fide intention of punishing him.

Justice V. Parthiban agreed with Advocate General Vijay Narayan that the petitioner S. Nagaraj had failed to prove the allegation of mala fide beyond any pale of doubt and the court could not interfere with a transfer order, passed due to administrative exigency, on the basis of conjectures and surmises.

“Such presumption can be dislodged by the petitioner only if he comes with much stronger case of bias or malafide against His Excellency the Governor of Tamil Nadu and also the first respondent (Mr. Rajagopal) in his personal capacity,” the judge said while upholding the transfer order issued on May 29.

“The plea of mala fide is easier to make against the officials but it is difficult to prove. And unless proof is presented to this court to substantiate that the very foundation of transfer was for a mala fide consideration, this court cannot per se act on such apprehended malice on the part of the officials concerned,” he added.

The judge pointed out that the petitioner was originally appointed as a Steno Typist in the Animal Husbandry department of the State government in August 1983 and got absorbed in the Governor’s Secretariat after being shifted there in 1989. In 1997, there was an attempt to send him back to government service as he was on deputation.

He challenged the repatriation before the High Court and succeeded in obtaining favourable orders from the High Court as well as the Supreme Court in 2013. He also filed a contempt of court petition in 2014 which was listed for hearing in February this year when a Division Bench took serious note of the issue.

It was only after that the petitioner was promoted on February 19 as Under Secretary and given all service benefits, he was posted to the Raj Bhavan at Udhagamandalam. However, on the same day another order was issued cancelling the posting and letting him work in Chennai.

Explaining the reason for the cancellation of the February 19 transfer order, the A-G told the court that it was done because of the visit of the President to the Raj Bhavan in Chennai.