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.

High Court lawyers rally behind Tahilramani
She resigned after being transferred
 
08/09/2019 , Legal Correspondent, CHENNAI 


 
Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani

Scores of lawyers practising in the principal seat of the Madras High Court in Chennai as well as its Madurai Bench have rallied behind Chief Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani, who has tendered her resignation in protest against her transfer from the chartered High Court to the relatively new and smaller High Court of Meghalaya.

While one section of lawyers has decided to stage a demonstration outside the High Court campus on Monday to impress upon the Supreme Court collegium to withdraw its decision to transfer her, many others decided to convene the general body meeting of their associations to discuss the further the course of action to be taken.

The Madras High Court Advocates Association (MHAA) in Chennai as well as the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court Bar Association (MMBA), represented by its secretary N. Ilango, have individually convened extraordinary general body meetings of their respective associations on Monday afternoon to discuss the issue.

“An unprecedented situation has arisen in the country with the Chief Justice putting in her papers in protest against her transfer.

“A majority of our members want to express solidarity with her and impress upon the Supreme Court collegium to reconsider its decision on transfer. However, a final decision will be taken by the general body,” Mr. Ilango said.

‘Liver transplantation to begin at GRH in 6 months’
Work on to set up a wing to treat transgenders: Dean

08/09/2019 , Staff   Reporter, MADURAI

The Government Rajaji Hospital will begin liver transplants in the next six months, according to Dean K. Vanitha.

Speaking at a press conference here on Saturday, she said several patients were coming to the hospital with liver-related problems.

Since the start of the new Surgical Gastroenterology department at the Super Speciality Ward in the GRH, S. Padmanabhan, Head of the department, said that they had dealt with over 400 cases.

“One such case was of a 60-year-old patient from Bodi, who came after consulting at several private hospitals in and around Madurai after complaining of abdominal pain, hunger and weight loss. After performing tests, we discovered that the patient had a tumour in his liver through preoperative diagnosis. The tumour was indeed large and successfully removed eight days ago,” Dr. Padmanabhan said.

He said the operation which lasted over six hours saw usage of expensive and technically advanced equipment.

“Through a 3-D laparoscopic surgery, we could detect and remove 60% of the liver and the gall bladder. The rest is healthy. The tumour weighed 6.5 kg,” he said. He said that such cancer was caused because of excessive drinking, obesity, the presence of fatty liver disease as well as Hepatitis B and C.

“Usually, chemotherapy and radiology are not effective. Only surgery works,” he added. Dr. Vanitha said the anaesthesiology department worked in tandem with the surgical gastroenterology department to ensure the operation was successful.

She added that works were under way to set up a wing to treat transgenders and a skill development unit near the trauma care centre.