Lufthansa to raise capacity in business class in flights from city

PTI

Published Jul 31, 2019, 5:30 pm IST

The move by the airliner comes in the backdrop of the 50 per cent expected growth of international passengers in the country by 2020.

The Lufthansa Group recently celebrated 25 years of service in Chennai. (Photo: AFP)

Chennai: German airline Lufthansa Group Wednesday said it has lined up plans to increase capacity in business class on its flights operating from the city.

The move by the airliner comes in the backdrop of the 50 per cent expected growth of international passengers in the country by 2020, a press release said.

The Lufthansa Group recently celebrated 25 years of service in Chennai.

Having commenced the regional operations in 1994 with bi-weekly flights from city, the airliner currently operates daily flights from Chennai to Frankfurt.

"In the 25 years since Lufthansa commenced its operations in Chennai, the city has become a flourishing global hub for IT and heavy industries", Lufthansa Group Airlines South Asia, Senior Director Sales, George Ettiyil said.

"We at Lufthansa are proud of the role that we have played in enabling this growth", he said.

Ettiyil said that over the next five years, Lufthansa aims to strengthen its presence in the city to capitalise the growth opportunity.

"The airline has already announced its plans to increase the capacity in the Business Class on its flights from Chennai summer 2020 with a different seat configuration", the airliner said.

Ettiyil said Chennai and the larger Tamil Nadu region remain key markets for Lufthansa.

"We plan to build on the success that we have earned here by facilitating more premium offerings and experiences for Lufthansa customers from Chennai", he said.

Tamil Nadu gets 150 more seats in new medical college

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedAug 1, 2019, 3:10 am IST

The campus has hostel facilities, built at a cost of Rs 71 crores, a 200-seater auditorium and 11 surgical departments.

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami inaugurates the government medical college at Sanapiratti, Karur on Wednesday through videoconferencing from the Secretariat, Chennai on Wednesday. (Photo: DC)

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami inaugurated the government medical college at Sanapiratti, Karur on Wednesday through videoconferencing from the Secretariat, Chennai.

Built on an area of over 17.45 acres, the college has been constructed at a total cost of Rs 115.71 crores.

The campus has hostel facilities, built at a cost of Rs 71 crores, a 200-seater auditorium and 11 surgical departments.

The six-floor medical college and hospital will also have an 800-bed facility, along with classrooms constructed over an area of 3.20 lakh square feet.

The Karur government medical college is the 23rd medical college in the state.

The construction of the college began in March last year.

The state government has sanctioned 150 medical seats to the college. Classes are set to commence from this academic year.

Meanwhile the Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday announced that Arasu Cable TV subscription would be available for a monthly charge of Rs 130, excluding GST, from August 10.

The Chief Minister said after the request from the public, the government has decided to offer the Arasu Cable channels at a monthly subscription of `130 + GST across the state, excluding Vellore constituency.

Athi Varadar darshan now in standing posture

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | A. MURUGAN

Published  Aug 1, 2019, 3:21 am IST

He is 12-feet tall, two-and-half feet wide.

The doors of Vasantha Mandapam, where the deity had been placed for worship all these days, were closed at 5 pm on Wednesday after the administration provided prior notice to the public about the closure of darshan during the change of posture.

Kancheepuram: At dawn on Thursday, Athi Varadar will offer darshan in ninra thirukolam (standing pose) to bless multitudes of his devotees pouring into this temple town from all over the country and even beyond.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had announced this change from the Lord's sayanam (reclining) posture after being taken out of the Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple tank on July 1 for public worship through 48 days before immersion on August 17.

The doors of Vasantha Mandapam, where the deity had been placed for worship all these days, were closed at 5 pm on Wednesday after the administration provided prior notice to the public about the closure of darshan during the change of posture. The doors would be opened at five in the morning to resume darshan, but in standing position for the next 17 days, officials said. He is 12 feet tall, and two-and-half wide.

They said close to 45 lakh devotees have had the divine darshan so far and the crowd density could increase further as the day of immersion draws close - there is also a serious debate and strong recommendation from certain influential sections of Hindu seers to retain Athi Varadar in the temple instead of returning the deity to the slushy tank bed that could be further polluted by human interference. "We are expecting more than two lakh bhaktars (devotees) per day for the remaining 17 days", said an officer, adding that no decision has been taken, yet, on the demand to retain the deity in the temple.

On Monday, Satakopa Ramanuja Jeeyar of the Manavala Mamunigal Mutt had told media persons that Athi Varadar should not "buried" in the slush of the tank bed. He also claimed that several other mutt heads too held a similar view; besides, Krishna Premi of Mangalasasana Divyadesa Samrakshana Trust (Kancheepuram) had told him that Athi Varadar had appeared in his dream and said he should not be buried again. The Trust has petitioned the HR&CE to give up the idea of sending the deity back to the tank bed, claiming that the practice had begun centuries ago due to the fear that Muslim invaders could damage the idol - this argument attracted criticism from certain Muslim parties and leaders who saw in it an attempt to denigrate their community.

Doctors working round the clock not paid and honoured enough: HC

A division bench of the Madras High Court has observed that the role of doctors in a society is incomparable with that of the others, but they are less honoured.

Published: 01st August 2019 04:37 AM 

Madras High Court (Photo | D Sampath Kumar, EPS)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A division bench of the Madras High Court has observed that the role of doctors in society is incomparable with that of the others, but they are less honoured. The bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and V Parthiban made the observation while passing further interim orders on a PIL petition filed in 2017, by one AK Velan, seeking to restrain the doctors from going ahead with their agitations to protest against the alleged irregularities in the admission of candidates for PG courses.


Why are the doctors not properly paid? What is the salary paid to them? What about the pay scale of police and teachers? - were the other questions the bench asked. “Can you equate a doctor’s profession with others? Working round the clock, they should be paid more. Their lives are also at risk and there is no security for them,” the bench said, adding that they should be given preference.

Rush of devotees pushes up Kancheepuram room tariffs

Even budget hotels are quoting upwards of ₹8,000 a night

01/08/2019, SANJAY VIJAYAKUMAR,CHENNAI

About 34 lakh devotees have visited Sri Devarajaswamy temple so far.

As thousands throng the Sri Devarajaswamy temple in Kancheepuram to catch a glimpse of a fig wood idol of Varadaraja Perumal, even a stay at a budget hotel is an expensive proposition for visitors.

Online hotel booking sites show tariffs in ordinary hotels quoting upwards of ₹8,000 per night, with over 90% already booked.

According to the State government, about 34 lakh devotees have visited the temple for a darshan of the wooden idol of Varadaraja Perumal, popularly known as Athi Varadar, which is taken out of the temple tank once every 40 years and displayed for 48 days. It has been attracting devotees since July 1.

The numbers are expected to go up as the idol is moved to a standing position from Thursday.

An online hotel booking site claimed that Kancheepuram was the top choice for those looking for rooms between July 31 and August 4. “Prices might be higher than usual for the dates you've selected,” it warned.

Expensive stay

For a three-star hotel, the prices for a night’s stay ranged from ₹8,100 to ₹11,000 plus taxes on July 31. On Booking.com, The Naagaa Residency Deluxe quoted a rate of ₹11,718 plus taxes for a room and said only limited rooms were available. When contacted, an official at the hotel said bookings could be done only through online sites.

Parents protest, stall second round of medical counselling
They say a college’s prospectus listed the wrong annual fee

31/07/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

The second round of the single-window counselling for admissions to medical and dental courses was stalled around 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday as sections of the aspirants’ parents protested demanding their wards be admitted to a private college.

On Tuesday, counselling began for 261 MBBS and BDS seats that were returned from the all-India quota to the State by the Directorate General of Health Services and the vacancies arising from students not joining in allotted colleges. A total of 20 seats were allotted on Tuesday.

However, parents complained that the Rajah Muthiah Medical College, a private medical institution, had in its prospectus mentioned the annual fee as ₹5.80 lakh, whereas at the counselling they were informed the fee was only ₹4 lakh. Citing this, some of them said they had not originally opted to be wait-listed for the college as the fee was high.

“Now, we hear the fee is only ₹4 lakh. I could have managed to pay it. But since we had not opted to get wait-listed during the first round of counselling, we are being denied a seat,” a parent from Namakkal, whose daughter had secured a NEET score of 468, said.

Medical Selection secretary G. Selvarajan said the private college had reduced the fee structure just two days ahead of counselling, following a Supreme Court ruling.

Though the prospectus listed the old fee, candidates who opted for the college were informed during the counselling about the change, he said.

One section of parents said had the government opted to implement the 10% Economically Weaker Section quota in medical admissions, the State would have gotten more seats.

Officials said only 1,054 of the 2,246 eligible candidates attended. Counselling for the remaining seats would be held on Wednesday and Thursday.

Siddhartha cremated in family estate

Body was recovered from Nethravati river near Mangaluru; 

thousands pay their last respects

01/08/2019, 

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,

HASSAN/MANGALURU/CHIKKAMAGALURU

Search ends: The body of V. G. Siddhartha being removed from the banks of Nethravati river near Hoigebazar on Wednesday. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTSPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Café Coffee Day founder and billionaire entrepreneur V.G. Siddhartha, whose body was traced in Nethravati river near Mangaluru 36 hours after he went missing, was on Wednesday cremated in his family’s coffee estate in Chatanahalli village in Hassan district.

His eldest son Amartya Hegde lit the funeral pyre after the last rites were performed in an atmosphere marked by quiet grief, as his mother Malavika Hegde and grandfather and former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna struggled with their emotions.

Earlier in the day, thousands of people paid their last respects to Siddhartha at Coffee Day Global Ltd, a firm owned by him in Chikkamagaluru. Siddhartha’s biggest entrepreneurial innovation, CCD, had its roots in the coffee-growing hilly districts of Chikkamagaluru and Hassan, where his father owned large estates.

Mobile phone recovered

It was in the early hours of Wednesday that the body of Siddhartha was found by a group of local fishermen in Nethravati river.

He had gone missing from the bridge across the river on Monday evening and an intensive, all-day search by a 300-strong team on Tuesday had failed to find the body. Three fishermen found it floating near the Hoigebazar area, where the river joins the Arabian Sea, at 6.30 a.m. They brought it ashore and informed the police. The police have also recovered his mobile phone.

The police are continuing investigations into the circumstances leading to his death, with a letter purportedly written by him blaming the Income Tax Department for his “succumbing to the situation”.