Cyclonic storm: Red alert issued in 4 districts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kochi:01.12.2020

IMD and Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) have asked people to stay away from beaches and coasts as the sea will turn rough from Tuesday. The weather report said that a depression – formed in the southeast Bay of Bengal – is moving toward Kanyakumari and south Kerala coasts which will later become a cyclonic storm at night on Wednesday.

The IMD on Monday issued orange alert (very heavy rainfall of 11-20cm) for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki on Wednesday. Red alert (extremely heavy rain of over 20cm) has been issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha on Thursday with an orange alert in Kottayam, Ernakulam and Idukki. The winds on these days would become gales (speeds reaching 70-80km/hr and gusting to 90 km/ hr). Kerala has imposed a total ban on fishing in the Arabian Sea and all fishermen have been asked to return to the nearest coast. Squally weather with wind is likely over southwest Bay of Bengal, Kerala coast, southeast Arabian Sea, Maldives and Lakshadweep by Wednesday.

District disaster management authority of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Idukki are on alert. KSDMA officials informed district teams to ensure that trees, likely to be uprooted, be trimmed down with help of fire brigade.

All hoarding and boards are being removed to prevent damages and people have been told not to park cars under trees. Travel to high ranges is being discouraged for the next few days.

Control rooms will be opened in all taluk offices with deputy tahsildars. Irrigation department officials have been asked to monitor water levels in rivers, dams and reservoirs.

Bees settle on aircraft at Kolkata airport, flights delayed

Tamaghna Banerjee & Subhro Niyogi TNN

Kolkata:01.12.2020

A swarm of bees settled in on two Vistara Airlines aircraft parked in the same bay at Kolkata airport 16 hours apart, forcing an hour’s delay in the flights and deployment of fire-fighting water bowsers on both occasions to drive them away.

This is the third instance of bees taking a fancy to planes in Kolkata. Last September, bees had swarmed an Air India aircraft. The incidents on Sunday evening and Monday morning occurred at bay 25, leading to the airline requesting the airport operator to allocate another bay for the time being. The problem first occurred around 4pm on Sunday, just before boarding was to commence for the Delhi-bound flight. As the swarm settled on the plane’s exterior, boarding was put on hold and the fire services department alerted.

“Within minutes, lakhs of bees had settled on the plane as though ready to build a hive. Water jets had to be sprayed for a good 30 minutes to dislodge them. The flight ultimately took off at 6.30pm instead of 5.30pm,” said an airline official.

Vistara ground staff were in for a shock on Monday morning as well when they found the bees back on another aircraft. Though there were other planes in adjoining bays, the bees chose the Vistara aircraft scheduled to leave for Port Blair at 10.30am.

Full report on www.toi.in

Surappa probe: HC wants govt to produce all files

Surappa probe: HC wants govt to produce all files

Kaushik.Kannan@timesgroup.com

Madurai:01.12.2020

The Madras high court on Monday directed the Tamil Nadu government to produce all the files relating to complaints against Anna University vice-chancellor (VC) M K Surappa and a GO to constitute a probe panel.

A division bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and B Pugalendhi sought to produce the files in a public interest litigation filed by Manithanigai Kumar, a resident of Kanyakumari district who challenged the GO passed by the state government to initiate a probe against VC Surappa.

During the course of hearing, advocate general Vijay Narayan submitted that retired Madras high court Justice P Kalaiyarasan was appointed to probe into the complaints. He also argued on the maintainability of the petition.

The petitioner stated that A Suresh from Trichy district had sent a complaint to the chief minister's special cell making baseless allegations that the VC and the deputy director of the centre for constituent colleges had received money for recruiting temporary teaching staff at the university and constituent colleges.

He stated that the nature of such serious allegations could be ascertained only after conducting a preliminary inquiry. However, without even conducting a preliminary inquiry, the GO was passed.

The petitioner stated that Surappa had improved the quality of technical education in the state by taking various revolutionary and reformatory steps for the functioning of the university. Manithanigai stated that by making financial reforms, the VC had cut down the expenditures.

Depression may intensify into cyclone, bring heavy rainfall

Depression may intensify into cyclone, bring heavy rainfall

Southern Districts To Get Drenched

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.12.2020

A week after Cyclone Nivar made landfall near Marakkanam, another cyclonic storm may cross Tamil Nadu bringing widespread rainfall in the state, including heavy rainfall in southern districts from December 1.

Weathermen have forecast that the a depression which has formed over Bay of Bengal on Monday, may intensify into a cyclonic storm in 24 hours crossing north Sri Lanka, Comorin area and south Kerala. If it strengthens into a cyclone, it would be called Cyclone Burevi, a name given by Maldives used to refer black mangroves. The system may bring heavy rainfall in parts of southern districts of Tamil Nadu like Kanykumari, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli, which have deficit rainfall so far this northeast monsoon season, and light to moderate rains in Chennai and its suburbs from December 1.

As on 8pm on Monday, IMD said the depression over southeast Bay of Bengal has moved westwards at 7kmph speed in six hours and centered over southeast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, about 640km east-southeast of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, and 1,040km east of Kanyakumari. It is likely to intensify into a deep depression in the next 12 hours and a cyclonic storm in the subsequent 12 hours. “It is very likely to move west-northwest and cross Sri lanka coast close to Trincomalee during December 2 evening/night and westwards thereafter emerging into the Comorin area on December 3 morning,” said IMD’s evening bulletin.

Starting from December 1, the system is likely to bring heavy rain at isolated places over Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts, and Karaikal. The intensity of rainfall is likely to increase on December 2 and 3 to extremely heavy rain at isolated places over Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Tenkasi, Kanyakumari and Ramanathapuram districts and heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over Pudukottai, Sivagangai, Virudhunagar, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts and Karaikal area. Parts of Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts are likely to get heavy spells. Chennai and suburbs are likely to receive thunderstorms with light to moderate rain with sky conditions generally cloudy for the next 48 hours. Temperatures are likely to hover around a maximum of 30 deg C and a minimum of 24 deg C. M Rajeevan, secretary, ministry of earth sciences under which IMD functions tweeted, “As per present model forecasts, it (the system) may not be severe like Nivar.”

Squally winds could reach 45-55kmph, gusting to 65kmph over Comorin area, Gulf of Mannar and south Tamil Nadu-Kerala coast from December 2 noon and gradually increase to 55-65kmph gusting to 75kmph over these regions from December 3 morning.

Weather blogger Pradeep John said the system, while crossing the TN coast could pull the easterlies into the land bringing rainfall to Chennai and its neighbouring districts. “We will have rain from December 2 to 6. Historically, any weather system crossing the Gulf of Mannar has brought widespread rainfall including in Chennai. We have seen it in Cyclone Nisha in 2008 and during a low pressure in November 2017,” he said.

IMD PROJECTION: Expected path of the depression, according to the India Meteorological Department

HC upholds exam fee collection by AU

HC upholds exam fee collection by AU

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.12.2020

Refusing to interfere with Anna University’s decision to collect fees for examinations cancelled due to the pandemic, the Madras high court dismissed a batch of pleas challenging the same.

“Even though examination was not conducted, the fact that the students are declared as passed from the stage of first year to pre final year, has the effect of writing the examination and clearing the same. Therefore, it cannot be held to be completely illogical to demand payment of examination fees from the students for declaring their results,” Justice N Anand Venkatesh said. The state government itself has authorised the universities and academic institutions to collect the semester fees as well as the examination fees before publishing their results, the court added.

Pointing out that already 378 non-autonomous colleges affiliated to Anna University have paid the fee collected from students, the court said, “It is only after the interim orders were passed by this court, students stopped paying the fee.”

Therefore, when the majority of the institutions and students have already paid fees and got their results published, it will not be in the fitness of things to grant an exception only to those who have approached this court, the judge said.

“To interfere with this decision at this point of time, will open floodgates and it will result in a chaotic situation more particularly since many colleges affiliated to Anna University have collected the examination fees and paid it to the University,” Justice Anand Venkatesh added.

Dec 19 last date to get nod for engg courses

Dec 19 last date to get nod for engg courses

Chennai:01.12.2020

Engineering colleges seeking permanent affiliation for courses need to submit admission details and affidavit to Anna University on or before December 19. Inspection will be carried out to confirm to verify if they were eligible to get the affiliation for the academic year 2020-21. Colleges should have sent out at least six consecutive batches and admitted more than 50% of their sanctioned intake in the past two years, and faculty and classroom shortage should not exceed 10% to be eligible. TNN

Colleges: Online exams ahead, not wise to ask students to travel now

Colleges: Online exams ahead, not wise to ask students to travel now

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.12.2020

Universities, colleges across the state are busy preparing campuses and deciding on SOPs to follow when final year students of undergraduate courses return on December 7 after months of lockdown. This comes even as several colleges have scheduled online semester exams from December second week for UG final year students.

In the first step towards switching back to in-person classes, UG final year students will return to campuses on December 7. Medical colleges and paramedical colleges are allowed to open up to all UG and PG students from next Monday. The state government has also waved a green flag to reopening campus hostels.

“All universities/colleges including arts and science, engineering, agriculture, fisheries, and veterinary sciences are allowed to conduct classes for the undergraduate final year students by following standard operating procedures,” chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said in an announcement on Monday.

Classes for the first-year students to start from February 1, 2021.

State universities have conducted meetings with hostel wardens, campus directors and deans on making arrangements.

“We have instructed hostel wardens to keep hygiene in mind, making arrangements for hand sanitizers and to facilitate social distancing. Body temperature of hostel students will be checked frequently and any student with Covid-19 symptoms will be isolated and given proper medical care,” said S Gowri, vice-chancellor of Madras University.

Likewise, Anna University also held meetings with officials on making arrangements for accommodating research scholars and PG students.

“Many colleges have declared study holidays. We can reopen for final year students only from the next semester as many dont want to risk returning to campuses during exams,” principal of a city college said.

Engineering colleges also plan to conduct online proctoring tests for third, fifth, and seventh-semester students in December. “The state government gave its permission to conduct online semester exams for UG and PG students. In a circular on Monday, Anna University asked autonomous colleges to conduct semester exams online. So, final year UG students will come to colleges only from next semester and it is also not advisable to ask them to travel during study holidays,” principal of an engineering college in the city said.

Engineering colleges that have many boarding students want the 14-day mandatory quarantine rule for hostel students relaxed. “It will be difficult for colleges to quarantine students in hostel rooms. We can instead make Covid tests mandatory and let them inside the hostels,” another principal said.