Bank worker steals ₹8.2L from ATM

Bank worker steals ₹8.2L from ATM

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  02.06.2020

An employee of a private bank opened its ATM at Maduravoyal using a password unchanged for more than three years and fled with Rs 8.2 lakh on Sunday, police said. West Mambalam resident D Sivanandhan, who was arrested on Monday with the help of CCTV camera footage, entered the ATM kiosk posing as a man spraying disinfectant. A court is set to send him to jail.

A police officer said Sivanandhan, 39, whose wife is an employee in the state home department, told investigators that he decided to steal from the ATM as he was unable to pay off the loan he had taken to construct a house in his native town of Tuticorin. The password he used to open the ATM was the one that was set three years ago when he was at the Maduravoyal branch, police said. He was later transferred to the Ambattur branch of the bank.

At 12.30pm on Sunday, the officer said, Sivanandhan entered the ATM kiosk of the bank branch on MMDA East Main Road in Maduravoyal. His face was masked and he carried a spray can. Telling the security guard he had to sanitize the kiosk, he entered and used the old password. The cash chest opened and he began bundling the cash.

A customer waiting outside the kiosk to withdraw the money noticed Sivanandhan opening the cash chest, but he remained silent as he thought that he could be employee. It was only after he saw the man rush out of the booth and board an autorickshaw in a hurry that he realized something was amiss.

The customer immediately contacted the branch manager Rajkumar who arrived, made a check and found Rs 8.2 lakh missing. Based on his complaint, the Maduravoyal police registered a case and arrested Sivanandham after a hunt.

A police officer said Sivanandhan, 39, whose wife is an employee in the state home department, told investigators that he decided to steal from the ATM as he was unable to pay off the loan he had taken to construct a house in his native town of Tuticorin

Tamil Nadu introduces cashless ticketing system in govt buses

Tamil Nadu introduces cashless ticketing system in govt buses

Used As A Trial On Two Routes, It May Be Expanded Across The State

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:02.06.2020

As a step towards moving to digital payments, Tamil Nadu Transport Department on Monday launched cashless ticketing system in government buses.

This trial run, introduced in two city buses (T Nagar to Secretariat and Saidapet to Secretariat), will soon be expanded to other routes across the state depending on the feedback, said MR Vijayabaskar, state transport minister.

QR codes were pasted near the entrance and conductor seat. Passengers were instructed to scan this code using their smartphone as soon as they enter the bus through the rear entrance.

After taking their seats, the conductor will enquire about their destination and suggest the ticket amount to be paid for the travel.

Passengers can pay using Google Pay, PayTm, Amazon Pay or any other Unified Payments Interface (UPI) recognised by banks.

A ‘Soundbox’ in the bus, integrated with the conductors’ mobile, will confirm the payment. Passengers and conductors will also get their usual text messages from their respective banks for every payment made or received. This gives a double confirmation, said a Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) official. “On Monday, only government employees travelled in these two special buses and there was not much confusion. But when the plan is extended to rural areas, we are not sure whether all passengers will have smartphones. So we are formulating a way to overcome this situation,” he added.

As many as 5,659 government buses hit the roads on Monday after a gap of two months due to lockdown. These buses were operated from 6 am to 9 pm. Though government said that only 60% of seats should be used, in some areas, the crowd was more than expected and social distancing norms weren’t followed. Conductors had a tough time in restricting excess passengers, who were waiting for long, from boarding the vehicle at bus stops.

Minister Vijayabaskar said there was not much response in most districts but number of buses will be increased along routes in which demand was high.

Minister also said that additional special buses will be operated for Class X state board students, who might it find difficult to reach their exam centres. Secretaries of both school education and transport departments had a meeting regarding this recently.

MIND THE GAP: While government said that only 60% seats should be used, some buses were crowded and social distancing norms couldn’t be followed

Low occupancy helps train passengers keep physical distance

Low occupancy helps train passengers keep physical distance

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  02.06.2020

Inter-city train services resumed in a small way across Tamil Nadu on Monday with eight trains running half empty. The bar on trains to Chennai remains.

Occupancy was around 50% or less on most of the trains. Though e-pass was compulsory, special desks at railway stations helped passengers obtain them for their further travel by road.

In Coimbatore, people started to reach the station much earlier than the stipulated 90 minutes before departure.

While the Coimbatore-Katpadi train’s air-conditioned coach was nearly empty, the AC coach on Jan Shatabdi to Mayiladuthurai had occupants. Of the 183 people expected to board the Katpadi train, only 117 turned up. The Shatabdi saw 69% of its seats being booked, but actual occupancy numbers were less.

“Many passengers who booked did not turn up because of confusion over e-passes. However, we are allowing those without e-passes to travel after taking down their addresses,” said Coimbatore deputy station manager, commercial, Chitti Babu.

With low occupancy, it was easy for passengers to maintain social distancing. While families sat next to each other, the row in front of them was left empty. Some travelling alone managed to get a whole row for themselves.

Similar was the situation at Madurai and Trichy. On the first trip, the Trichy-Nagercoil Superfast daily special had 227 passengers, an occupancy of only 35%, while around 50passengers boarded the Madurai-Villupuram Intercity Superfast special at Trichy. The Coimbatore to Mayiladuthurai special train arrived at Trichy at 11.05 am, with around 500passengers. On the return journey, 410 boarded at Trichy junction.

The Madurai-Villupuram intercity express had only 22% occupancy because a majority of the passengers on the route are usually headed to Chennai. The Coimbatore-Mayiladuthurai Express witnessed 39% occupancy.

Though, the Madurai district administration had arranged epasses instantly for rail passengers, rail users have appealed to the state government to revoke the order mandating e-passes as all the trains are travelling across various zones.

J Michael, 50, said no one asked him for an e-pass when he boarded the train at Coimbatore. “After arriving at the Trichy junction railway authorities asked me to produce it. But there was a special desk at the station where I got a pass to proceed by bus to my village,” he said.

HUGE CROWDS, TRAFFIC SNARLS A WELCOME SIGHT

GIFHTING COVID-19

HUGE CROWDS, TRAFFIC SNARLS A WELCOME SIGHT

Commuters Are Back In Urban Areas After Two Months, But Buses Run Near-Empty Across TN. Industrial Units Face Shortage Of Workers And Shops Record Poor Sales

TEAM TOI  02.06.2020

Tamil Nadu on Monday marched a step closer to easing of restrictions, opening up a new set of services at the beginning on lockdown 5.0.

After more than two months, several arterial stretches in towns and cities were tied up in traffic snarls as more people stepped out of homes. Cabs joined autorickshaws on the roads as private offices resumed operations with larger workforces.

As government buses too wheeled out of depots, the state appeared to have bounced back to near normalcy. Dozens were seen entering and leaving railway junctions too as train services resumed after a long gap.

All major textile shops and jewellery outlets reopened, albeit without air conditioning. Some branded jewellery outlets chose to remain shut.

In Coimbatore, about 60 % of outlets in the shopping hub of Cross Cut road opened, while in Townhall and Oppanakara Street, about 80 % of shops were open. In Trichy, except for gyms and movie halls, most establishments including major textile outlets on NSB Road, at Singarathope and West Boulevard resumed business. “We advised employees and customers to maintain at least six feet distance between each other. Customers were told to avoid touching handrails,” said M Sharath, managing director, Sarathas, Trichy.

Almost all shops in the commercial hubs of Madurai were open. “My wife’s birthday falls on June 7. I was desperate for the shops to reopen,” said R Jaysingh of Simmakkal in the temple town, stepping out from a textile showroom.

However, there was a clear lack of patronage. Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) authorities in Coimbatore had to cut short number of buses and even limited the trips since the number of passengers was low. “There was no need to enforce social distancing at all. Most seats were empty,’’ said a TNSTC officer. A bus from Yercaud to Salem had to ply without even a single passenger. Cabs and autorickshaws drivers too said they were disappointed.

People like Jaysingh did visit the textile showrooms or electronic gadget outlets, but they were far and few. Ashraf Tayub, secretary of Tamil Nadu Textile Merchants Association, said textile stores witnessed only 15 % of usual sales and that it would not help them pay employees’ salaries and meet running charges. “But how long can we remain shut,” he asked, hoping that the situation would change in the coming days.

Industrialists say that although government allowed them to open their units with 100% employees, most of them had functioned only with 50% of staff strength. “Guest workers have left in large numbers. Besides, the supply chain is yet to resume and we couldn’t ramp up production due to raw material shortage,” said Kappalur Industrialists Association president P N Ragunatha Raja.

However, resumption of public transport system has renewed hope that economic activities would soon revive. Construction workers and those from the unorganized sector who were stuck without any means of transport have started moving out for jobs. Government officials as well businessmen hope more people will come out their houses in the coming days and that business will pick up.

SOME SEMBLANCE OF LIFE: As life crawled back to normalcy in Chennai, shoppers and errant motorists returned on the roads

The QR code-based ticketing has been introduced on a trial basis in two buses on the Secretariat route

M R Vijayabaskar |

TRANSPORT MINISTER

We advised employees and customers to maintain at least six feet distance

M Sharath | MANAGING DIRECTOR, SARATHAS, TRICHY

Fatality rate dips amid rising cases & deaths

Fatality rate dips amid rising cases & deaths

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:02.06.2020

With a larger proportion of Covid-19 patients recovering, the case fatality rate, or the percentage of deaths of the total cases, has declined steadily to 2.83% from 3.3% around 45 days ago, even as the health ministry recorded the biggest singleday spike so far with 230 new deaths and 8,392 fresh cases till 8am on Monday.

The death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 5,394 and the number of cases have climbed to 1,90,535 in the country. Of the total cases, 93,322 are under active medical supervision, whereas 91,818 patients are rid of the disease. In last 24 hours, 4,835 people who underwent Covid-19 treatment were discharged.

“The recovery rate in the country is progressively increasing and has reached 48.19% amongst Covid-19 patients. On May 18, it was 38.29%, on May 3, it was 26.59% and on April 15, it was 11.42%,” the health ministry said. The recovery rate is significant as it indicates timely detection and treatment, adequate medical infrastructure and clinical protocols.

Variations remain from state to state, but the overall picture now shows the case fatality rate at 2.83%. On May 18, it was 3.15% and on May 3, it was 3.25%.

‘Govt strategy is to widen testing, ensure patients recover’

“A steady decline can be seen in the case fatality rate in the country. The relatively low death rate is attributed to the continued focus on surveillance, timely case identification and clinical management of the cases,” the ministry said.

Officials said cases were expected to rise as migrant workers return home and the lockdown eases. The focus of the government strategy is to widen testing and ensure patients recover. The rise in cases continues to be influenced by

states like Maharashtra and Delhi though there is increased incidence in several other states too. As long as the fresh cases do not become a torrent, the case load can be managed, it is felt.

Comparing India’s case fatality rate with other countries with high number of deaths, the ministry said the global case fatality rate was 6.19%. It was highest in France at 19.35%, followed by Belgium at 16.25%, Italy at 14.33% and the UK at14.07%.

It also said the testing capacity had increased in the country through 676 laboratories, including 472 government and 204 private ones. Cumulatively, 38,37,207 samples have been tested so far, whereas 1,00,180 samples were tested on Sunday.

Officials said cases were expected to rise as migrant workers return home and the lockdown eases

Amid TN plan to hike docs’ pay, tally zooms past 23,000; toll 184

Amid TN plan to hike docs’ pay, tally zooms past 23,000; toll 184

Under Revised Pay Structure, Docs To Get ₹60k

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:02.06.2020

Tamil Nadu moved to raise the pay of its doctors as Covid-19 numbers surged past 1,000 for the second day, touching 1,162 cases on Monday with 967 in Chennai alone. Eleven people were reported dead, pushing the toll to 184.

Amid reports that states such as Maharashtra are attempting to lure away doctors, Tamil Nadu is hurriedly revising its pay structure for doctors. Doctors, who were promised up to ₹40,000 salaries are likely to get ₹60,000. “Doctors are working very hard. Many of them who were infected have not just donated blood plasma for clinical trial but have also reported back to duty,” said health secretary Beela Rajesh.

On Monday, the state tally touched 23,495, and Chennai’s 15,770. Chennai’s neighbours Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur together recorded 90 cases. Fifty of the new cases were returnees from other states, including 32 from Maharashtra and 10 from Delhi.

Coimbatore, which had not recorded a case since May 2, reported three cases, all migrants, on Monday. Its neighbour Nilgiris, which had no cases since May 9, reported one from within. Tiruvannamalai and Salem reported 10 cases.

CURED CASES CROSS 10K MARK

‘Severe cases will be reserved for medical colleges’

On Monday, Stanley Medical College professor of general medicine Dr Ravi was back on duty. “I was wearing PPE and I was careful. Once day I developed fever. The next day, I was coughing. I also had fatigue. Test turned positive. I took treatment as per government protocol. I even had kabasura kudineer,” he told reporters. “My results were negative after 12 days. I am back to work now,” he said.

Meanwhile, all peripheral hospitals will treat mild and moderate cases while severe cases will be reserved for medical colleges, health minister C Vijayabaskar said. Those who had no symptoms or had very mild symptoms will be taken to Covid-19 care centres, he said after reviewing the new Covid ward at Stanley. “The state would add at least 400 more beds in Stanley Medical College Hospital,” he said.

Greater Chennai Corporation nodal officer Dr J Radhakrishnan said the city will track, test, isolate or quarantine as many cases as possible in the coming days. “In the absence of vaccines that will be our only tool to battle the disease in a crowded city like Chennai,” he said.

At the end of the day, 413 people were discharged, and the number of people cured so far is13,170. There are10,138 active cases.

Of the 11 people who succumbed to the illness, three people died within 24 hours. The youngest patient was a 31-year-old woman with chronic kidney disease and hypertension, who died at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on Sunday, two days after admission. A 45-year-old man died of respiratory failure on Saturday, eight days after admission at a private hospital. The oldest was an 80-year-old man with hypertension and renal failure who died on Monday at the RGGH.

“We are going through one of the worst pandemics. It is important for us to keep everyone calm and safe,” said the health minister.

The business of law

The business of law

Corporate law offers incredible opportunities to work on a myriad issues

01/06/2020, VIVEK SINGH

Special Arrangement

Corporate law — also known as company law, business law and enterprise law — is one of the fastest growing fields of law in India. High domestic demand, improved infrastructure, rising penetration of the Internet and smart mobile devices, and various government initiatives such as Startup India and Make in India are continuously giving a boost to domestic as well as multinational corporations in India.

Corporate law in India, or any other country, deals with laws governing the rights of the businesses and their people and legally empowers them in the establishment, funding, dispute settlements, ownership of titles, and all the legalities necessary for their successful operation.

Rising demand

Be it issues related to finance, offshore operations, licensing in the international market, insurance of assets and capital, or mergers and acquisitions between various entities, the help and assistance of a corporate lawyer is the need of every business organisation today. In addition, a corporate lawyer or consultant also guides the client in resolving various pending cases in different tribunals and in preparing various deeds, contracts and negotiations.

Apart from the blue-chip and multinational corporations, there are more opportunities for corporate lawyers.

Handsome packages

A fresher’s package in India usually depends on the market value of the institution from where he/she acquired the degree. For example, if one is a pass-out from a top-level National Law University (NLU), then he/she has chances of beginning with an annual package of ₹12-15 lakhs. After five-seven years of work experience, it may reach up to ₹25-30 lakhs.

On the other hand, a fresher from mid-level NLU usually begins with an annual package of ₹7-10 lakhs. In general, remuneration depends on work experience.

Many multinational companies also hire Indian corporate lawyers for their overseas subsidiaries. Moreover, Legal Process Outsourcing (LPOs) recruit law graduates for their processes dealing with laws in the US or the UK.

Qualifications

One can opt for a three-year law course after graduation or a five-year course after high school. However, more people now prefer the latter. The The LLB course is regulated by the Bar Council of India. Specialisations are done at master’s, M.Phil or PhD stage and pursued by those who are interested in academics.

Corporate law offers incredible opportunities to work on a myriad issues. Besides providing financial stability, it also improves contacts in the industry and helps to develop good connections in the society.

The writer is an advocate, Supreme Court of India.