Rly to charge ‘user fee’ at busy stations, tickets may cost more

 Rly to charge ‘user fee’ at busy stations, tickets may cost more

Dipak.Dash@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:18.09.2020

The Indian Railways will soon start levying a “token user fee” from passengers taking trains from busy stations, which will result in marginal increase in the total fare. The user fee, which will be collected for redevelopment of railway stations and modernsation of station infrastructure, will be included in the ticket as it is done in the case of air travel.

“We are going to keep a very small amount for the user charge. We will issue a notification for the user charge for stations including where existing ones are being redeveloped and also those which are not being redeveloped. When the redevelopment of the stations gets completed the user fee will go to the concessionaires and till then the collected user fee will be utilised by railways for providing better facilities to passengers across stations,” railway board CEO and chairman V K Yadav said.

He added the charge will be affordable and won’t pinch the passengers. Yadav said it was important as the Indian Railways is focusing on providing world class facilities.

Responding to a specific question whether this fee will be collected at all railway stations, Yadav said there are about 7,000 stations on the Indian Railways network and the user fee will be levied at barely 10-15% of the stations where the footfall is projected to increase in the next five years. Going by that calculation, the number of such potential stations would be between 700 and 1,000.

Earlier, railway officials had told reporters at several press meets that the user fee would be charged only at developed stations.

A ministry spokesperson said, “The value of the benefits will outweigh the minimalistic user fee when paid.” He added this will be done in a phased manner and bringing 10-15% stations under this scheme is the final possibility.

In a written reply, Union railway minister Piyush Goyal had told Lok Sabha on Wednesday, “A Group of Secretaries (GoS) was constituted for redevelopment and modernisation of railway stations to provide better safety, passenger amenities and services. The GoS interalia suggested the levy of a nominal user fee for redevelopment of stations, which is presently under consideration.”

Full report on www.toi.in

Concessions to senior citizens suspended to stop unnecessary rail travel, HC told

The Southern railway has informed the Madras high court that ticket fare concession to senior citizens was suspended to discourage unnecessary travel in view of the pandemic. It further submitted that between 2016 and 2019, it had incurred Rs 5,475 crore revenue loss providing concessions. “The element of concession extended was varying from 10% to 100% depending upon the category. However, in view of Covid-19, a lot of train services were cancelled ... and it was decided to grant concessions only for four categories – disabled passengers, 11 categories of patients and students,” said counsel for the railways PT Ramkumar. TNN

Salaries from savings illegal: DU principals

Salaries from savings illegal: DU principals

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:18.09.2020

Expressing “hurt” and disappointment with the statement of deputy CM Manish Sisodia on colleges funded by Delhi government not using their funds to pay salaries, the Delhi University Principals’ Association (DUPA) hit back at the government on Thursday saying Sisodia’s suggestion of using the institutional savings to pay salaries was “an illegal idea”.

In a statement, DUPA said it was “dismayed by the immature and misleading press statement of the deputy CM, wherein he made unsubstantiated allegations against the administration of Delhi government-funded colleges, charging them with misappropriation of funds and not paying salary from students’ society account.”

The principals said the needs of the 12 government-funded colleges stood at Rs 270 crore for the 2020-21. “Ideally, 75% of the grants, that is Rs 202 crore, should have been released before July. But only Rs 37.5 crore have been released. This is a violation of the Pattern of Assistance communicated to us on January 8 by the Directorate of Higher Education,” the principals’ body said.

DUPA explained that the government gave grants under two heads: plan and non-plan. “It is clearly mentioned in every sanction letter that funds cannot be transferred from one head to the other, the statement said. Jaswinder Singh, principal, SGTB Khalsa College and president of DUPA, emphasised, “The students’ society fund and development fund are collected by colleges governed by University Grants Commission regulations and are used for organising student activities, never to pay salaries.”

The DUPA meeting on Wednesday, attended by over 30 college principals, resolved to meet CM Arvind Kejriwal to express their concern at the government’s view. Poonam Verma, principal of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, was hurt that “our deputy CM comes and praises us in the college and then says that our college is corrupt”.

Refuting gover nment allegations about the colleges not holding governing body election and obstructing audits, Singh claimed the “democratic process” of forming GBs would be “completed soon”, while clarifying that “no college has any audit pending”.

The six colleges accused to not completing the audit process are Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, SSCBS, Bhagini Nivedita, Aditi Mahavidyalaya, Keshav Mahavidyalaya and Maharshi Valmiki College of Education. However, DU Academic Council member Naveen Gaur contested this, saying that “while Delhi government must release funds unconditionally, all colleges do not get an audit done, contrary to DUPA’s sweeping statement”.

In response, a Delhi government official reiterated that some colleges “are depositing their funds in fixed deposits and incessantly demanding money from Delhi government. According to the pattern of assistance, these colleges need to meet all their expenses from the funds they get from various other sources and only in case of shortages after that will they be compensated by Delhi government.” The official said that when the government asked for the accounts related to sources of income, the colleges demurred. “If the colleges do not disclose how they have spent their money, on what basis can the Delhi government release funds?” the official asked.

AN OFFICIAL SAYS

If the colleges do not disclose how they have spent their money, on what basis can govt release funds?

Fate of three flyovers hangs in the balance

Fate of three flyovers hangs in the balance

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

18.09.2020

The fate of flyovers in Velachery, Medavakkam and Madippakkam Koot Road continues to hang in the balance. They have been idling for a long time, inconveniencing residents and road users.

Work on the three flyovers at Kilkattalai junction (Madippakkam Koot road), Velachery and Medavakkam has been delayed by at least a year, officials said.

The Velachery flyover work kickstarted in 2015 and was supposed to be wrapped up by September 2018. Officials said contractors were terminated in two years and it took another six months to identify the next contractor. “When the work began, the pandemic hit, further delaying the project,” an official said. Work was also halted due to land acquisition issues, officials said.

The Kilkattalai flyover project, work on which began in 2016, was to be completed in two years. Officials said it got delayed because the original contractors were replaced. The flyover is expected to be completed by January 2021. Highway department officials said one side of the flyover at Kilkattalai junction, running from east to west, will be ready by November and the one from west to east will be ready by January next year.

Work on the Medavakkam flyover started in 2018 and was supposed to be wrapped up by September, 2020, but got shelved due to pandemic. It is expected to be completed by January 2021, officials said.

“Delay in completing these flyovers defeats the purpose for which they are being built,” said a road user in Velachery.

Jeyaraj & Beniks deaths: HC denies cop bail, says there’s enough to prove his role

Jeyaraj & Beniks deaths: HC denies cop bail, says there’s enough to prove his role

K.Kaushik@timesgroup.com

Madurai:18.09.2020

Observing that prima facie materials are available to prove that suspended Sathankulam police inspector S Sridhar had instigated his fellow policemen to assault P Jeyaraj and his son J Beniks, the Madras high court on Thursday dismissed his bail plea.

The court was hearing the bail plea of Sridhar, one of the 10 policemen arrested in the twin custodial deaths case. Justice V Bharathidasan observed that it is a case of alleged custodial torture where two precious lives were lost. From the materials available on record, Jeyaraj was taken to the police station by the petitioner, a sub inspector Balakrishnan and a constable Muthuraja. Thereafter, when Beniks came to the police station and inquired about the reason for his father’s arrest, there was a petty quarrel between him and Balakrishnan. The judge said the petitioner came out of his room and directed the police personnel to close the main gate and instigated the other accused to beat Beniks.

The judge noted that the materials available on record would show that the petitioner repeatedly instigated the other accused to beat both deceased. “Brutality continued throughout the night,” observed the judge. The judge added that at least eight witnesses spoke of Sridhar’s involvement in the above said occurrence and that the post-mortem report states that the duo died of complications due to blunt injuries sustained.

Being a policeman, there is reasonable apprehension that he is likely to tamper with witnesses, especially personnel working in the police station. Furthermore, investigation is yet to be completed and it is in a crucial stage, the judge noted and said he is not inclined to grant bail to the petitioner.

TN parties flex muscles in assembly in prep for polls

TN parties flex muscles in assembly in prep for polls

3-Day Session Ends With Neet & NEP Taking Centre Stage

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:18.09.2020

With an assembly election around the corner, the ruling AIADMK and the DMK-led opposition used the brief assembly session, convened amid the Covid-19 pandemic, to showcase their political credentials. A belligerent opposition took on the government for its failure to get Neet exemption and “exposed” the government’s stand on the National Education Policy. For its part, the EPS government passed a unanimous bill for 7.5% Neet quota for government students in its bid to regain lost ground to opponents. The three-day session helped the parties wake up from the Covid-induced hibernation and warm up for elections.

There was good deal of posturing in the assembly with both chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and opposition leader M K Stalin flexing their muscles on Neet, an issue that’s likely to hold centre stage for a while. Stalin accused the government of lacking commitment in taking up the issue with the Centre while the CM tried to lay the blame for introducing Neet on the erstwhile UPA regime, of which the DMK was a constituent.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, Neet and the National Education Policy setting the narrative, Palaniswami and health minister C Vijayabaskar went on combat mode. “The statements of the chief minister and health minister were marked by blatant lies and conveniently hid facts like how the DMK stayed the Neet through legal route until the party was in power and opposed it in the Parliament. We brought out several issues from NEP to scam in PM-Kisan to PMAY to 50% OBC quota in medical admission,” former minister and DMK MLA Thangam Thennarasu said. Even as its attempts to extend the session by seven days failed, the opposition gave more than 30 notices to call the attention of the ministers to urgent matters of public importance, such as reopening of schools, drinking water and ‘lack of support’ to local bodies in Jal Jeevan Mission.

With just months to go for polls, the AIADMK announced its intention to seek amendments to the Indian Penal Code to make stringent the punishment for crimes against women and children. “It gave an opportunity to positively talk about the good things we have done in handling Covid pandemic. Passing 19 bills in a day is a record of sorts,” said minister K Pandiarajan. The creation of a new university, Anna University and reconstitution of an existing university as ‘Anna Technological and Research University is a pathbreaking step and a bill to regulate the Public Trusts has far-reaching implications said the minister. The Congress tried to remain relevant by accusing the government of being scared to take on the Centre on Neet and NEP. The notable absentee was AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran.

68,000 Tamils stuck abroad still await evacuation

68,000 Tamils stuck abroad still await evacuation

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:18.09.2020

Nearly 68,000 Tamils, who have registered for rescue flights, are still waiting to return from nine countries, mostly from the Middle East.

Of the 1.48 lakh people who have registered, 79,000 returned to the state by Vande Bharat flights and charter flights in the past four months, said minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan. The minister mentioned the details in a written reply to a question submitted by Ramnathapuram MP K Navaskani in Lok Sabha.

He also said the Vande Bharat mission has moved into its sixth phase.

Though a little more than 50% of those who registered have reached home, around 40,000 people are still in the UAE waiting to return. Around 60,000 people had registered to return from the UAE, of which 25,572 reached TN in the past four months. Many from the state are still stranded in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore, Japan and Thailand. The number of people stuck in Japan and Thailand is relatively less at 176 and 240. As per the reply submitted in the Lok Sabha, everyone who registered from Iraq, Malaysia and South Korea have returned.

“A lot of people are still requesting for return flights. We have helped many by funding their quarantine stay. A majority are from districts like Trichy, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli and others in the south,” Navaskani said.

Chennai airport continues to receive relief flights from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. However, it is not clear if everyone who registered is returning.

“Relief flights continue to bring people from Dubai, Colombo, Riyadh, Oman, Bahrain, Dhaka, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. More flights are likely in the coming days as Vande Bharat flights are still in operation and people are also coming in charter flights,” said an airport official.

 

TN: WORKERS NEED BOTH MA & MPHIL

With new order, state may lose more mental health professionals

Aditi.R@timesgroup.com

Chennai:

Mental health professionals with postgraduate degrees in psychiatric social work, clinical psychology, etc may not be able to register with the Tamil Nadu State Mental Health Authority (SMHA) as the Mental Health Care Act mandates that they must also have an MPhil degree.

A recent order directed all mental health professionals to immediately and compulsorily register with the SMHA to continue practice. It added that only those who meet the eligibility criteria mentioned in the Act will be recognised. However, implementation of the Act will exclude a large number of professionals practicing with a postgraduate degree and increase scarcity of workers in the state.

This is the first time the SMHA is creating a registry of mental health professionals in TN. Earlier, they would have to register with the Rehabilitation Council of India to practice.

The order has caused both confusion and anger among professionals. “I’m inclined to think the Act has a typo and anyone with a postgraduate upwards will be recognised,” Vaishnavi Jayakumar, a disability rights activist, said adding that the workforce has several young professionals and cutting them off in a sector that is resource and attention deficit would only create more problems.

On one hand, authorities are making postgraduate degrees redundant and on the other, the National Education Policy has done away with MPhil programmes, further confusing students, experts said.

The other question is whether only those with PhD degrees be recognised as mental health professionals in clinical psychology and psychiatric social work. Many are still awaiting clarification on this matter.

“There is already a dearth of professionals and doing away with the postgraduate degrees will not help,” said P Nalini Rao, chairperson of the SFL school of social work and social policy, the Banyan Academy of mental health.