PhD open defence held online at Cusat

Kochi: 16.06.2020

The open defence of the first PhD from Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research (ACARR), Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), was done online with the student defending his thesis from Arizona. The candidate, Titu K Samson is undergoing training as a post-doctoral fellow at Arizona State University, USA. He did his PhD work entitled ‘Design, Development, Calibration and Validation of 205 MHz Wind Profiler Radar’ under the guidance of P Mohanan, professor (retd), department of electronics, Cusat, who is also a founding coordinator of the radar project.

Cusat has been conducting its PhD open defence online through open-source Jitsi-based online meeting facilities in their data centre. TNN

Medicos: Made to give consent for exams

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:  16.06.2020

Days ahead of the final examinations, post-graduate students from various private medical and dental colleges in Telangana, on Monday, claimed that they were being forced by the management to sign an undertaking, consenting to the tests.

Junior doctors alleged that at least three private medical colleges from Nalgonda, Karimnagar and Mahbubnagar are coercing final year postgraduation/diploma students to sign the undertaking.

“We are not sure as to what led private college managements to make students sign such an undertaking. We are waiting for the court to take a decision on the matter,” said K Mahesh Kumar, president, Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association.

The final year PG exams in colleges affiliated to Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) are scheduled from June 20. “Already 60 doctors are infected by the coronavirus so far. If the examination is held, more doctors are at the risk of contracting it,” said a junior doctor.

College managements refused collection of such undertaking from PG students. “For any private college, it doesn’t matter if the exams are postponed or not,” said Narasimha Rao, president of Telangana Private Medical and Dental Colleges Association.

When asked, Karunaker Reddy, vice-chancellor of KNRUHS too denied knowledge about any such undertaking. “I have not received any such complaint from students. Any such undertaking is irrelevant as the matter is sub-judice now,” said Reddy.

HC hauls up T govt for cutting pensions, says no law allows it

SagarKumar.Mutha@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:16.06.2020

Making it clear that law does not permit it to tinker with pensions of retired employees, the Telangana high court on Monday wondered as to which provision of the law has enabled the state government to cut it from April this year.

A bench of Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy gave two days’ time to the government to explain its stand while hearing a batch of petitions filed by senior counsel S Satyam Reddy and others.

The CJ said: “Unless the state declares a financial emergency, it has no powers whatsoever to touch pensions. Even the Disaster Management Act does not contain any such provision. That is the legal status.”

Making no bones about his unhappiness at the government’s move, he further said: “Pension is not a charity. Law does not accord you (government) any permission even to defer its payment.”

“The GO issued by you in respect of pensions has no legal basis. It needs to be set aside,” he said while rejecting the government’s counter which, he said, has many “misplaced notions” in it.

Advocate general BS Prasad, while conceding that the government did not have a case legally, however, tried to drive home the impossibilities the Covid-19 pandemic had thrown in the way of the government. He tried to remind the court that the government had modified the cut after its intervention. At this, the bench said the ‘impossibility theory’ is applicable to a contract and not to a service.

‘Committing another wrong not the answer’

After the lockdown was imposed, the government first resorted to a 50% pay deferment to its employees and pensioners. Following the intervention of the high court, the government enhanced the pension payment to 75% and confined the cut to 25%. When hearing the case, the bench did not approve even the 25% deferment and insisted on repaying the deferred portion too.

“The pensioners are at the fag end of their lives. Their children may not look after them. Some of them are staying in old-age hostels as paying guests. If they are deprived of even this facility where will they go,” the bench sought to know. The AG explained that the government was rendered helpless even by the central government which deferred the payment in respect of GST share that ought to have come to the state. Prasad said he would file a detailed counter explaining the difficulties and wanted the court to post the case to July first week.

“If you are wronged there, then fight against it. But committing another wrong is not the answer because two wrongs won’t make a right,” the bench said and posted the case to June 17.

Unless the state declares a financial emergency, it has no powers whatsoever to touch pensions. Even the Disaster Management Act does not contain any such provision. That is the legal status

— R S Chauhan

CJ, TELANGANA HC

Covid-19 deaths undercounted by 500 in Mum?

Mumbai:  16.06.2020

The Covid-19 toll in Mumbai could climb as Maharashtra government has asked the BMC to revisit hundreds of deaths that may not have been added to the toll, report Sumitra Deb Roy & Bhavika Jain.

Multiple sources confirmed to TOI that Covid-19 mortality numbers in the city could jump by 400-500 though civic authorities were tightlipped about the exercise. Mumbai’s toll touched 2,250 on Monday. Principal health secretary Dr Pradeep Vyas issued a notice on June 11 to the civic body stating all municipal corporations and districts had undertaken a data reconciliation exercise.

‘Any Covid toll data mismatch will be viewed seriously’

The letter ended with a caution that “any data mismatch brought to notice subsequently would be viewed very seriously”. Sources told TOI the data cleaning exercise was prompted by concerns that many Covid-19 deaths in Mumbai were not being added to the toll.

Speaking to TOI, Ajoy Mehta said the decision to get the data reconciled was made after discrepancies were noticed in many cases.

BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis alleged on Monday that the BMC has not accounted for 951 Covid-19 deaths in the city. He alleged that of the 951 cases, various hospitals had reported 500 cases as Covid-19 deaths, but the death audit committee, which certifies deaths, is yet to certify them as such.

On the discrepancies, Mehta said, “There was an entry of a Covid-positive patient in our system, but he was neither discharged nor his death added to the tally as he may have died due to other medical complications like a cardiac arrest. But since he was Covid-positive, his death should have been reported as a Covid death,” Mehta said. He added that as per the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, the death of a person who has tested positive for an infectious disease has to be reported as death due to that disease, except in three situations—if the person with the infection died in an animal attack, accident/ crime or suicide. “Even if a death has not taken place due to Covid but the person had Covid, the Act clearly says the death can be due to any cause but if he is having an infectious disease, it has to be reported,” Mehta said.

Bombay HC allows middle seat to be occupied on domestic flights

‘Safety Of Flyers Taken Care Of ’

Swati.Deshpande@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:16.06.2020

The Bombay high court in its final order on Monday permitted middle seats to be occupied on board all domestic airlines. The HC also directed that Air India, Air India Express and all domestic airlines have to strictly abide by the May 31 circular of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other applicable standard operating procedures in place.

The HC also disposed an AI pilot’s interim application which stated that an expert committee’s view to permit middle seat occupancy on flights is “suspect or perhaps compromised”.

The HC considered the panel’s views and clarifications and views of the Air Transport Facilitation committee to hold that it was prima facie satisfied that “safety and health of passengers is adequately taken care of, even if the middle seat of the aircraft is not kept vacant due to passenger load and seat capacity.”

“We cannot allow an individual to instill such fear in the minds of the public, without any scientific basis. We would rather follow the advice of experts, if their opinion is found to be fair and reasonable and not tainted with any arbitrariness or ulterior motive,” said the HC bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and SP Tavade, in a reasoned 50-page judgment.

The pilot, Deven Kanani, had said that middle seat ought to be kept vacant on all flights as part of social distancing to ensure passenger safety. He was initially seeking enforcement of a March 23 DGCA circular on all Vande Bharat Mission flights bringing back stranded Indians from abroad.

The HC said since Kanani had “built his case on the DGCA circular dated 23rd March, 2020, which is not based on any scientific material, the only credible material…are the minutes” of the ATFC and expert panel.

Maharashtra doubles Mumbai airport schedule domestic flight capacity to 100

Mumbaikars will get more domestic flights and a wider network from Tuesday. As reported by TOI, the Maharashtra government has allowed Mumbai to have 50 schedule domestic arrivals and as many departures daily. This doubles the skeletal 25 daily arrivals and 25 departures Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) was allowed to have when schedule domestic services resumed on May 25. By the end of this month, this figure could increase to 100 daily departures and 100 arrivals.

“Starting Tuesday, CSMIA will cater to a total of 100 domestic commercial passenger flight movements, which includes 50 departures and 50 arrivals. The move will also see an increase in the sectors that we are currently handling… we continue to relentlessly work towards ensuring the safety of our passengers,” a CSMIA spokesperson said. TNN

Delhi CM rules out another lockdown

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:16.06.2020

Putting an end to speculation that Delhi may witness another lockdown, Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday that his government had no such plan. “Many people are speculating whether another lockdown in Delhi is being planned. There are no such plans,” the chief minister tweeted.

This is in line with his earlier observation that we have to learn to live with Covid-19 and economic activity needs to be back on track.

Rumours of another lockdown had started floating with coronavirus cases spiralling. What’s worrying health experts is that the cases in Delhi are growing at a rate of 5.2% (seven-day average) as against the country’s average of 3.8%.

Recognising the urgent need to scale up the city’s preparedness to fight the pandemic, Union home minister Amit Shah held two meetings with various stakeholders on Sunday, following it up with an all-party meeting on Monday. He gave an unequivocal message to the all parties to sink their political differences and help in implementing the decisions arrived at the Sunday meeting.

This will add the muchneeded muscle to the fight against the disease even as the city returns to a semblance of normal life. The uncertainty had led to shopkeepers and owners of other establishments like restaurants becoming jittery.

Chennai, suburbs under 12-day intense lockdown from 19^th

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:16.06.2020

The relentless surge in Covid-19 cases forced the Tamil Nadu government on Monday to announce yet another intense lockdown in Chennai and adjoining parts of three neighbouring districts for 12 days starting June 19. The relaxations, however, will be confined to vegetable and grocery shops and fuel pumps. But people have been advised not to use vehicles and to get their essentials within 2km of their residences.

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced the lockdown after a meeting with health experts and later with cabinet members. “Considering the spread of the virus and based on consultations with medical and health experts and cabinet members, we have decided to enforce an intense lockdown from June 19 midnight until June 30 midnight,” the CM said in a statement. He announced ₹1,000 support to all ration card holders in areas under intense lockdown and to the members of unorganised welfare boards and other welfare boards.

There will be full lockdown on June 21 and 28 (Sundays) with no relaxation. Barring milk supply, hospitals, pharmacies, ambulance services, emergency and funeral hearse vans, no other activity will be permitted on Sundays. Private vehicles will be allowed only for emergency medical needs. With Chennai’s Covid cases crossing 33,000 and that of Tamil Nadu surging past 46,000, a worried government took the lockdown decision. Facing flak from the opposition, the government on Friday brought back J Radhakrishnan as health secretary.

On Monday, the cabinet unanimously agreed to the intense lockdown, requesting the administration to give time to people to stock up and to prevent panic buying. “The reason cited was the pace of the virus spread in Chennai and adjoining districts (Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpet). This lockdown will give some space for the administration to focus on the infected streets, besides breaking the cycle,” chief secretary K Shanmugam said.

A healthcare worker at Pudupet in Chennai on Monday