Tripura University V-C resigns 
 
Sting operation by local TV channel showed him taking bribe

08/09/2019 , Syed Sajjad Ali, Agartala

The Vice-Chancellor of Tripura University, Vijaykumar Laxmikantrao Dharurkar, resigned on Saturday two days after a local news channel carried out a sting operation that showed him accepting a bribe to favour contracts. University sources have confirmed his resignation.

The university’s senior-most faculty, Sangram Sinha, who was in Kolkata, has been appointed as interim V-C till the Ministry of Human Resource Development announces permanent selection for the post, sources added.

Registrar’s request

“The Registrar has requested me to return immediately,” Dr. Sinha told The Hindu before boarding a flight for Agartala.

Prof. Dharurkar took over as V-C in July last year and his tenure was for five years.

He replaced Prof. A.K. Ghosh, who too had landed in controversy over corruption charges.

The local news channel had played multiple videos and audio clips showing Prof. Dharurkar negotiating and accepting cash from a representative of a Kolkata-based printing company.

Woman loses jewellery worth ₹10L on flight
 
08/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, Bengaluru

A 40-year-old woman filed a complaint alleging that her jewellery worth ₹10 lakh was stolen from her bag while she was travelling from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in to Jodhpur via New Delhi on Thursday.

The victim, Shanthi Coni, a resident of Hosur, discovered the theft only after landing at Jodhpur when she found that someone had tampered with the lock on her bag. She filed a complaint with the Jodhpur police who transferred the case to the airport police here. “The theft did not take place at KIA. We have verified footage from CCTV cameras and confirmed that the theft may have occurred at another airport,” said a police officer.

Power shutdown tomorrow

08/09/2019 , Staff Reporter, BENGALURU 

 

There will be an interruption in power supply on Monday from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. in areas fed by 66/11-kV Kadugodi MUSS owing to “emergency line clear” on transformer 2 for maintenance work. 

According to a Bescom release, the areas to be affected are Nagondanahalli, Immdihalli, Mythri Layout, Dinnur, Vijayanagar, Gandhipura, Immadihalli, ITPL Main Road, Kadugodi Industrial Area, Ambekarnagar, Sai Layout, Prashanth Layout, Upkar Layout, Vinayaka Layout, Byrappa Layout, and Borewell road.

Spurt in IVF queries from elderly couples

08/09/2019 , G. Venkataramana Rao, Vijayawada

In-Vitro Fertility (IVF) centres in have seen a spurt in enquiries from “overaged couples” , putting doctors in a dilemma.

A doctor requesting anonymity told The Hindu that the new found interest may be the result of the successful conception by a 73-year-old woman who gave birth to twin girls at a hospital in Guntur on Thursday.

“The news seems to have kindled hope in the hearts of several elderly couples. Some of them are quite desperate, have started making enquiries again putting specialists in a spot,” said a doctor who runs an IVF centre.

The Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction (ISAR), Indian Fertility Society and the Academy of Clinical Embryologists in a joint statement on the Guntur case, “strongly condemned this act of mindless misuse of IVF technology”.

Between 18 and 45

According to the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2017, “The Assisted Reproduction Technology services shall not be available to a woman below the age of eighteen and above 45”.

IVF specialist at the Nova IVI Fertility Y. Swapna, who has worked at the Jessop Fertility Centre in Sheffield, U.K., said IVF centres needed proper regulation with qualified staff and required equipment.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HEFA) provided clear guidelines and if any centre was caught violating the guidelines, it would immediately be stripped of the licence, she said.

Flight diverted to Madurai

08/09/2019 , Special Correspondent, Thoothukudi

The Chennai – flight was diverted to Madurai after visibility plummeted due to a dust storm that lashed the airport area on Saturday evening.

As severe dust storm hit the airport area, the Chennai – Thoothukudi flight that left for its destination with 71 passengers onboard at 2.40 p.m. was diverted to Madurai.

Consequently, the return flight service to Chennai from Thoothukudi was also cancelled, much to the hardship of 68 passengers waiting at the Thoothukudi airport.

While some of them cancelled their trip, alternative arrangements were made to send other passengers to Madurai from where they took the flight to Chennai.

Rainfall may increase from Tuesday: IMD
 
08/09/2019 , Special Correspondent , CHENNAI

Chances of rainfall over the State, particularly coastal areas may increase from Tuesday, according to the Meteorological Department.

N. Puviarasan, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, said there was a possibility of upper air circulation forming over the Bay of Bengal next week. It was expected to move westwards towards Tamil Nadu. The system and convective activity may synchronise to bring fairly widespread rainfall across the State from Tuesday or Wednesday. This would mean up to 75% of the weather stations may get light to moderate rains.

Chennai, the Nilgiris and Kanniyakumari are among the districts that have recorded over 20% above average rainfall this southwest monsoon. Tirunelveli and Theni which received 95% and 71% more rains than normal for the season topped the chart of districts with excess rainfall.

HC judge makes his office transparent, literally

08/09/2019 , Mohamed Imranullah S., CHENNAI

Justice S.M. Subramaniam of the Madras High Court has made the functioning of his office transparent, literally. After efforts to get a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installed in his chamber failed, he has affixed clear see-through glass on doors to his office.

Any person walking through the corridor that leads to his chamber, on the second floor of the heritage building of the High Court, can now see everything that happens inside.

On February 14 he passed a judicial order directing the Registrar (Administration) of the High Court to install a CCTV camera inside his chambers in two weeks. The direction was issued before making a “strong recommendation” to install similar cameras inside the chambers of all bureaucrats.

Recalling the words of Mahatma Gandhi that “an ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching,” the judge said he would want a CCTV camera to be affixed in his chambers first before making a similar recommendation to the government to avoid complaints of sexual harassment.

Disposing of a batch of writ petitions related to a complaint of sexual harassment lodged by a woman Superintendent of Police against her superior in the rank of an Inspector General of Police, Justice Subramaniam said CCTVs inside the chambers of bureaucrats would help safeguard the interest of women employees. Though nearly seven months had elapsed since that order was passed, the High Court administration did not affix a CCTV camera. When he called for an explanation, the Registry told the judge that his verdict on the writ petitions had been taken on appeal to a Division Bench. Hence, there was a delay in implementing the directive.

Not wanting to wait any more, he instructed the PWD, which renovated his chambers recently, to avoid tinted glasses on the doors to his chambers and sought see-through glass sheets.