U.S. not to allow Chinese flights from June 16

U.S. not to allow Chinese flights from June 16

04/06/2020

U.S.-Chinese relations have soured in recent months amid tensions surrounding the novel coronavirus pandemic and Beijing’s move to impose new national security legislation for Hong Kong.

The order applies to Air China, China Eastern Airlines Corp, China Southern Airlines Co and Hainan Airlines Holding Co, as well as smaller Sichuan Airlines Co and Xiamen Airlines Co. Chinese carriers are currently flying four round-trip flights to the U.S. weekly.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have asked to resume flights to China this month, even as Chinese carriers have continued U.S. flights during the pandemic.

Delta said in a statement on Wednesday that “we support and appreciate the U.S. government’s actions to enforce our rights and ensure fairness.”

United said it looks forward to resuming passenger service between the U.S. and China “when the regulatory environment allows us to do so.”

China “remains unable” to say when it will revise its rules “to allow U.S. carriers to reinstate scheduled passenger flights,” a formal order signed by the Department of Transportation’s top aviation official Joel Szabat said.

Nod for physical hearings in taluk courts

Nod for physical hearings in taluk courts

04/06/2020, LEGAL CORRESPONDENT, CHENNAI

The Madras High Court on Wednesday permitted conduct of physical hearings in the taluk courts too in nine districts — Dharmapuri, Nilgiris, Krishnagiri, Tiruvarur, Theni, Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam, Karur and Sivaganga — from Thursday with a rider that only five lawyers, including State counsel, would be permitted at a time in a court hall.

An official notification issued by the Registry stated that it had already permitted the courts in the nine district headquarters to hold physical hearings from Monday.

Now considering the inputs received from the Principal District Judges from those districts, the High Court administration decided to permit a similar arrangement at Taluk courts.

Shanmugam gets 3 months extension

Shanmugam gets 3 months extension

04/06/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, CHENNAI

The Centre on Wednesday approved the extension of service of senior IAS officer and Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary K. Shanmugam for three months.

According to a communication from the Union Department of Personnel & Training, Mr. Shanmugam's services have been extended between August 1 and October 31. Mr. Shanmugam was set to retire next month.

A senior officer said the proposal for his extension of service as the Chief Secretary was on the cards and the prospects became bright after the Centre in April extended the tenure of Union Health Secretary by three months, in view of COVID-19 situation.

Fisheries University receives 43 applications for V-C post

Fisheries University receives 43 applications for V-C post

04/06/2020, R. SUJATHA, CHENNAI

Forty-three persons have applied for the post of Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University. Applicants include academicians from West Bengal, Karnataka and Kerala.

Nearly 20 academicians from various departments of the university have also applied for the coveted post. The last date to apply was June 1.

The Indian Council for Agricultural Research has ranked the institution among the top 25 State agricultural universities. Quite a few applicants have degrees in subjects such as botany and zoology. Several applicants are also listed by their names and residential addresses, without details of their qualifications.

An official said that academicians who have held high posts, former V-Cs and those who have held the post of director at a research institution were eligible to apply for the post.

Senior academicians and those in V-C search committees in the State had demanded that qualifications of candidates be published along with their names so that applicants’ potential could be assessed.

An applicant said that anyone with the required qualifications could apply for the post. “It is an administrative post requiring the capability to run an institution. A degree or qualification in the subject which the university deals with is not important,” a candidate pointed out.

Applicants feel that the number of aspirants would have been higher but for the COVID-19 pandemic. “There are a lot of qualified people who have not applied,” said an applicant.

Statute amended

A senior academician said that the university had recently amended its statute, prescribing a four-year Bachelor of Fisheries Science, a professional degree, as a prerequisite for the post.

A university official said that the amendment had been introduced in the Assembly earlier this year but had not received the consent of the Governor, who is also the chancellor of the State university.

“It is possible that not many are aware of the requirement,” he said.

TRANSTAN lists norms for hospitals to resume organ transplants

TRANSTAN lists norms for hospitals to resume organ transplants

04/06/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, CHENNAI

The Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN) on Wednesday issued guidelines for hospitals that wish to re-start organ transplants in their facilities, post the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

Hospitals must give a written undertaking that they will follow the guidelines in letter and spirit and that they will ensure that the patients and their attendants will follow the rules the hospitals have framed.

TRANSTAN has ruled that hospitals providing treatment for COVID-19 infection and organ transplant shall have separate passageways for doctors and other hospital staff. Hospitals should have separate wards, theatres and intensive care units for transplant surgeries.

Brain-dead patients, who are considered potential donors, should not be admitted to the same ward as patients admitted for suspected COVID-19 infection.

Hospitals should have a separate, dedicated team of surgeons, consultants, nurses and other paramedical and medical specialists who should not be allowed to handle other patients.

The entire team involved in transplant surgeries should undergo periodic checks as per the guidelines of the Indian Council for Medical Research. Hospitals should ensure that personal protective equipment and disinfectants are made available for patients and their attendants at all times.

Operation theatres, ICUs and equipment used for surgeries must be duly cleaned using quality disinfectants.

The Kovai Medical Centre in Coimbatore has started offering renal transplant procedure following the guidelines laid down by the government, a release added.

State moves SC seeking 50% quota for BCs in medical courses

State moves SC seeking 50% quota for BCs in medical courses

Govt. accuses Centre of violating right to fair education

04/06/2020, KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL,NEW DELHI

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court for a direction to the Centre to implement 50% reservation for Backward Classes in the State in All India quota seats for medical and dental courses.

The government accused the Centre of violating the “right of the people of Tamil Nadu to have a fair education” by not implementing the 50% quota for Backward Classes and Most Backward Classes for the All India Quota seats in medicine and dental science courses — both undergraduate and postgraduate levels — offered by institutions within Tamil Nadu.

“Though regulations stipulate that reservation is to be followed as per the reservation rules of the State where the medical college is situated, the medical counselling committee and the dental counselling committee, through which the admissions are done for the undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses, do not apply the 50% reservation for seats shared by Tamil Nadu in the All India quota as per the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 1993,” the State’s petition, represented by Additional Advocate General Jayant Muthuraj and advocate Yogesh Kanna, said.

The petition said the action of the Centre and the Medical Council of India to fill up All India quota seats reserved for Backward Classes from the open category was unconstitutional.

“The Director General of Health Services is neither following the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 1993 to provide 50% reservation for OBC candidates in All India Quota in undergraduate as well as postgraduate medical courses in Tamil Nadu nor providing 27% reservation for OBC candidates in All India Quota in undergraduate as well as postgraduate medical courses to other States,” the petition said.

It said the provisions of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation and Admission) Act, 2006, to grant reservation of 27% to OBC candidates only in Central educational institutions is an anomaly as the institutions run by States and private parties would be treated as a “different class having a different rule of reservation”.

Deadline to pay power bill extended in four districts

Deadline to pay power bill extended in four districts

Tangedco asks its staff to begin door-to-door billing

04/06/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has extended the last date for paying electricity bill for domestic consumers to July 5.

As the State government had extended the lockdown till June 30, domestic consumers in Chennai city and neighbouring districts of Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu can pay their electricity bills without penalty till July 5.

For the other parts of the State, the last date for paying electricity charges without penalty is June 15. Tangedco has fixed June 15 as the last date for high tension consumers who have not paid the electricity charges for March, April and May.

Tangedco has begun assessment of electricity meters in the city.

The meter reading was stopped because of lockdown from March 25.

Meter reading

Now, despite the increase in the number of cases of COVID-19, Tangedco has asked all its revenue officials to take up meter assessment.

A senior official said except in containment zones, assessors have begun reading domestic meters in all parts of the city and three nearby districts, including Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu from June 1.

Assessment for low-tension commercial connections, which are billed every month, was started in May first week, he added.

Tangedco had advised domestic consumers to pay previous month bill amount for April and May cycles. It had issued a circular for calculating the electricity bill for June and July cycles.

As per the formula, the average of the total units consumed for the two bi-monthly cycles of April and June would be arrived at and billed as per the slab system.

Based on that, the amount paid for the April month (as per the previous bill) would be deducted and the balance would have to be paid, the officials said.