City residents flummoxed as e-pass website yet to function

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  05.05.2020

Even as the Chennai Corporation announced that those employing house helps and cooks can apply for online passes for them, residents found that the website tnepass.tnega.org is still under renovation.

Self-employed workers such as plumbers, electricians, air conditioner servicemen, carpenters, home care providers for people with special needs and others were also told to apply for permission on the same website.

However, several residents complained that the website was not working. “When I tried accessing the website, it read that the relaxations announced are in the process of being incorporated and that we can continue to apply online according to existing guidelines,” S Gokul, a resident of Madipakkam, said.

The existing guidelines allow public to access the website only to apply for inter-state and inter-district travel passes, which are issued only on the following grounds — death of direct blood relation, extreme medical emergency of family member and pre-fixed marriage (only direct blood relatives).

On one hand, workers and house helps are worried that they would be held up by authorities if not in possession of a pass while the public question the necessity of passes for domestic helps.

“The centre’s guidelines are clear that there would be free movement of people in all zones, except in containment areas, between 7 am and 7 pm,” said S Karthik, a resident of Velachery.

When asked, a senior official with the City Corporation said that states have the authority under the disaster management act to not comply with the centre’s suggested guidelines and can issue orders restricting public movement. The official also added that they are working on the website and that pending passes are being approved. While clarifying the legal grounds, the official accepted that there is no concrete thought behind the decision to restrict movement of domestic help and requiring them to apply for passes.

Anna Univ may do online verification for affiliation of engineering colleges

Physical Inspection Of Universities Not Possible Due To Covid-19 Crisis

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:05.05.2020

Anna University may switch to online verification of details instead of physical inspection of colleges for granting affiliation due to Covid-19 crisis. For next academic year (2020-21), 536 engineering and standalone MBA, MCA colleges in the state sought the extension of affiliation from Anna university.

The inspection of engineering colleges started in the first week of March and it was stopped after two weeks following the Covid-19 spread. Sources said the inspection was conducted in more than 200 colleges before it was stopped.

“In view of Covid-19, it is not possible to resume inspection of engineering colleges this year,” sources said.

The inspection committees check on infrastructure facilities like lab and classrooms, faculty-students ratio, cadre ratio in departments and also verify PhD degree certificates. Citing the Covid-19 crisis, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has granted extension of approval for institutions based on self-disclosure if there is no change in their applications from last year’s approval.

Further, AICTE has also gone to the Supreme Court seeking extension of time till June 15 for scrutinising the applications from colleges with changes in intake, seeking approval for new courses and establishing new institutions. As per the approval process handbook, the deadline for granting approval was April  30. AICTE also announced that it would use online meeting platforms for conducting the scrutiny of applications for institutions intend to start new courses or for establishing new institutions.

“We intend to follow AICTE’s approval process for granting affiliation this year,” said M K Surappa, vice-chancellor of Anna University.

Koyambedu pushes many dists back to red

Mayilvaganan.V@timesgroup.com

5.5.2020

The Koyambedu wholesale market, that attracts people from across Tamil Nadu looking to sell their produce or seeking jobs, has become a super spreader of Covid-19, pushing many districts back into the red zone from the orange zone as infections rise.

From Cuddalore in northern Tamil Nadu to Dindigul in the south, people who visited the 65-acre Koyambedu market in Chennai that also receives trucks from all over the country, have started testing positive in droves.

Almost all the 122 positive cases reported in Cuddalore on Monday can be traced back to Koyambedu. Test results of 450 more Koyambedu contacts are awaited. Forty-nine people from Villupuram who visited the market tested positive on Monday, while 33 had tested positive on Sunday.

Now, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Dindigul and Tenkasi are all likely to be reclassified as red zones. These were among the 14 districts in TN that had moved from red to orange just a few days ago.

The Koyambedu cluster has sent the official machinery in the districts into overdrive – border control has been stepped up to stop, test and isolate people coming from Chennai.

Villupuram superintendent of police S Jayakumar said four centres have been set up to quarantine 459 people who visited Koyambedu market and 287 of their close contacts.

District authorities of Tirupur and Salem have issued advisories and helpline numbers asking people linked to Koyambedu to come forward for testing voluntarily.

10 of 100 from city tested +ve in Dindigul

Dindigul collector M Vijayalakshmi said of 100-odd people who returned from Koyambedu and were tested, 10 tested positive on Monday, “Tracing and screening of their contacts is being done,’’ she said.

Collectors and health officials in western districts have also raised their guard. In Tiruppur, two loadmen who travelled in a truck carrying watermelons from Koyambedu two days ago have tested positive. In Coimbatore, 28 people with travel history to Koyambedu have been traced so far, while in Nilgiris 43 have been traced.

Deputy director of health services Dr G Ramesh Kumar, said the 28 people traced in Coimbatore are from Mettupalayam, Sirumugai and Pollachi.

“They will be tested for Covid-19 tomorrow,” he said.

Ariyalur and Perambalur, the two districts in central Tamil Nadu had all these days maintained single-digit positive cases. No more. Over the past four days, the number of positive cases shot up from eight to 34 in Ariyalur and nine to 36 in Perambalur. And, all of them are linked to Koyambedu. Since there are few employment opportunities for villagers in these two districts, they do odd jobs at Koyambedu market to supplement income from their farmland.

(With inputs from Bosco Dominique, Karal Marx, Devanathan and Deepak Karthik)

TTD resumes operations on a cautious note

Employees told to strictly adhere to norms

05/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,TIRUPATI

Employees arriving at the TTD administrative building in Tirupati on Monday.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) began resuming its operations on a cautious note from its administrative building here on Monday after a partial relaxation of the lockdown.

The administration was functioning in ‘work from home’ mode ever since the lockdown was imposed, with only a skeletal staff coming to work at the administrative building.

‘Follow guidelines’

Joint Executive Officer P. Basanth Kumar said that employees reporting at the administrative building would have to compulsorily wear masks.

He also laid down several guidelines, such as entering through the thermal scanner at the main entrance, wearing a mask for the entire duration of their working hours, and maintaining a distance of six feet from fellow employees.

“Meetings shall be avoided and in case of an emergency, video-conferences shall be conducted,” he said.

 As the departmental and section heads started arriving from Monday, the temple, treasury, accounts, health, vigilance and security departments are required to have 100% attendance, while others continue to function with one-third of the actual strength and the rest working from home.

OP services resumed

At Balaji Institute of Surgery, Research and Rehabilitation for the Disabled (BIRRD), the TTD’s orthopaedic superspecialty hospital, outpatient (OP) services resumed on Monday.

BIRRD Director Madanmohan Reddy said that the hospital would follow the norms prescribed by the government while registering and treating patients. OP tickets will be generated at five counters from 8 a.m. to noon from Monday and all patients with valid tickets will be provided medication, Dr. Reddy said.

Govt. asks all departments not to propose new schemes

State announces measures to curb expenses amidst pandemic

05/05/2020, ALOK DESHPANDE,MUMBAI

The State finance department on Monday announced belt-tightening measures to free up funds for fixed expenditure such as salary payments, as the virtual halt in economic activity has hit revenues..

The State government has asked all departments to not propose any new scheme in the current fiscal. It will also not be spending on any scheme it had undertaken from the start of the current financial year.

Public health, medical education, food and civil supplies and relief and rehabilitation have been designated as the priority departments. All others have been barred from issuing new purchase orders or tenders.

All departments have been directed to not undertake any construction activity, except that required for pre-monsoon work. Officials with the authority to give technical clearance have been asked not to do so.

Recruitment in all departments, except public health and medical education, has been stopped. All transfers of officials have been suspended, given that they would need to continue with relief work even after the pandemic is over.

Government officials’ transfers cost the State exchequer ₹100 crore to ₹200 crore as each official has to be given travel allowance to the new place of joining, sources said.

Departments have also been asked to return unspent money in their bank accounts to the State treasury before May 31, 2020. Officers who fail to do so will face a departmental enquiry, a government resolution (GR) said.

The resolution issued on Monday spelling out these guidelines, recorded that the State's current financial condition is likely to remain for the next two three months and revitalising the economy is a challenge..

“These measures are being taken as the decision to disburse March salaries to government employees in two instalments has not been a good enough measure,” said the GR.

Salary deferment Ordinance challenged in High Court

Various employees’ organisations file petitions

05/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,KOCHI

The recently promulgated Ordinance that empowers the government to defer payment of salary and allowance of employees of the government and government-owned institutions has been challenged before the Kerala High Court.

The petitions have been filed by various employees’ organisations including the Kerala NGO Association and Higher Secondary School Teachers Union.

25% of pay

According to them, the Kerala Disaster and Public Health Emergency (Special Provisions) Ordinance has provided for deferment of the pay in part in the event of disaster and public health emergency in the State. In fact, 25% of the pay could be deferred every month as per the Ordinance.

Circumvention

The petitioners point out that it was issued to circumvent an order of the High Court staying a government order which sought to deduct six days’ salary every month from April to August. The petitioners allege that there was mala fide intention on the part of the government in issuing the Ordinance.

The payment of salary and other service conditions of government employeess are governed by the Kerala Service Rules (KSR) and Kerala State & Subordinate Service Rules (KSSS) formulated under Article 309 of the Constitution.

Rights and benefits

Unless the service rules are amended in accordance with the law, the rights and benefits conferred on the employees could not be taken away. The remuneration paid to the government employees for the service rendered by them should be paid in a month and not in part.

It is the right of property of every government employee and in view of Article 300(A) of the Constitution that right could not be deprived of except in accordance with the due process of the law.

Therefore, the Ordinance is illegal and arbitrary, the petitioners contended.

UGC panels’ suggestions disruptive: Gurukkal

‘Many do not have Internet access’

05/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER,THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Kerala State Higher Education Council vice chairman Rajan Gurukkal has termed the recommendations made by two expert committees constituted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on the academic calendar and online education ‘pointedly disruptive’ to the State’s higher education scenario.

According to Prof. Gurukkal, the proposals by the panels chaired by the Central University of Haryana Vice Chancellor R.C. Kuhad and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Vice Chancellor Nageshwar Rao have sought de facto switching over to virtual learning. The Mr. Rao-headed panel had recommended to the UGC that all open universities, universities with NAAC grading above 3.0 and the top 100 National Institutional Ranking Framework-ranked universities be permitted to conduct undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in online mode.

UGC norms

However, the move differed with the UGC Regulations of 2018 under which only universities with a NAAC score above 3.26 could offer stand-alone online courses, while the rest of the universities could tag only 20% of their programmes to massive open online courses (MOOCs). Now, the panel has proposed a hike to 40% in the particular criterion, thereby pushing at least 200 universities to go fully online and forcing an unprecedented number of teachers to a mode unfamiliar to them. Besides, the committee has also proposed a single online podcast of course material for various courses except engineering, medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and architecture.

Internet access

“While online teaching and evaluation are being projected as the new normal on the pretext of the pandemic crisis, the mode is unfeasible in the case of about 30% of students for want of Internet connectivity at houses. As such, it upsets the State’s avowed objectives of access, equity, and excellence in the higher education sector. Further, this massive shift to online mode could leave one third of the teaching faculty redundant. There is an implicit intention to cut public expenditure on higher education by replacing a huge portion of the teaching faculty component. Moreover, administering of courses online on short notice will compromise quality,” he cautioned.