Corrupt govt staff are like weeds, must be nipped early: Court

Corrupt govt staff are like weeds, must be nipped early: Court

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  21.01.2021

Government servants who demand bribe are like weeds that need to be nipped early for the general public to have faith in the system, observed a special court in Chengalpet while sentencing a city traffic police inspector to three years imprisonment under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Iyappan, who was with the Valasaravakkam police station, had demanded bribe from the staff of a contractor hired by the city corporation after seizing his two-wheeler.

According to the prosecution, during the early hours of November 19, 2018, Thangadurai was overseeing stormwater drain work along Arcot Road when the inspector seized his two-wheeler stating they did not have police permission to carry out the work. Despite several attempts to meet the inspector at the station, he was unavailable, and a week later, when Thangadurai requested the two-wheeler, the inspector demanded ₹10,000 bribe. The contractor alerted DVAC (Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption) officials and Iyappan was caught red-handed while taking ₹8,000 near a traffic signal along Arcot Road, the prosecution submitted. The prosecution submitted 17 witness statements.

In response, the counsel for the tainted police official submitted that the prosecution has not submitted enough evidence to prove the allegations against the inspector and contended that the complaint itself was fabricated due to previous enmity. The counsel further argued that the seized money was not sent for chemical analysis.

After perusing all submissions and documents, A K K Rajini, principal sub-judge, Chengalpet, said the arguments by the inspector’s counsel were far-fetched and stated that if the inspector did not have the intention to take a bribe, there was no reason for him to have seized the two-wheeler and kept it in custody for over a week. Based on the evidences submitted, the special court held Iyappan guilty and sentenced him to three years imprisonment with a fine of ₹10,000.

117 MBBS seats, 459 BDS seats wasted due to delay in intake

117 MBBS seats, 459 BDS seats wasted due to delay in intake

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  21.01.2021 

At least five MBBS seats in government medical colleges and 112 seats in self-financing medical institutions are vacant in TN this year after two rounds of counselling. This is not because of the dearth of qualified students but because of the state’s own admission policies and “early” deadline for admission procedure due to the pandemic.

The state selection committee says it will not be able to allot these seats as the deadline set by the National Medical Commission for the admission process ended on January 15. Besides, 12 undergraduate dental seats in government colleges and 447 management seats in self-financing dental colleges are vacant. In the second round, students were allowed to “upgrade” seats — take admission in colleges where seats weren’t available during first allotment. The committee could not fill the vacancies created, particularly in government colleges, with giving the option of “upgrade” to other students.

On January 15, when the second round of counselling ended, one seat each at Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital and Government Vellore Medical College Hospital and three at Rajah Muthiah Medical College were vacant. “All seats in colleges were taken in the first round. During the second round, a student allotted a seat in Kilpauk Medical College, opted for Christian Medical College. We can’t allot the vacant seat to the next student without giving “upgrade option” to all students below his rank,” said selection committee secretary Dr G Selvarajan. The council didn’t have time to fill 112 lapsed NRI MBBS seats and 469 BDS seats. The state has set a separate fee structure for lapsed NRI seats, he said. The counselling process was also slowed because officials had to ensure pandemic protocols were followed.

The directorate of medical education has now moved the Supreme Court seeking additional time for mop-up counselling. “At least 23,000 students had applied for government quota seats and more than 14,000 students had applied for management quota seats. A week-long mop up will give others a chance,” said director of medical education Dr R Narayanababu. The case is likely to come up for hearing on Thursday.

While states such as Karnataka have also reported vacancies in MBBS/BDS seats this year, student counsellors say TN has not just been “slow” with counselling, but also did not plan ahead of time.

5 months on, MTC patronage yet to touch pre-Covid levels

5 months on, MTC patronage yet to touch pre-Covid levels

Reopening Of Schools Pushes Footfalls To 18L A Day; Corporation Has Not Deployed Full Fleet

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

21.01.2021

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation resumed bus services in Chennai five months ago, but daily passenger footfalls crossed the 20-lakh mark only on Tuesday.

While this can be largely attributed to post Pongal crowd and reopening of schools for Classes 10 and 12, average daily patronage for MTC buses remains at 17 lakh-18 lakh, almost half of pre-lockdown levels.

With many offices yet to reopen, ticket sales on key stretches like Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) — where the number of services dropped from 450 a day to 250 a day — and Mount-Poonamallee Road were much lower than normal, said an MTC official.

With local trains too resuming operations, demand for MTC buses along GST Road, Avadi High Road and Marina Beach Road too dropped. As a result, MTC has diverted some buses to suburban areas like Walajabad (579A), Thiruvallur (572) and parts of north Chennai.

Patronage for small buses too has dipped, forcing MTC to operate just 110-120 of the 200 buses. Operated along interior roads to boost last mile connectivity, these buses are causing heavy losses to a corporation already under a financial crisis.

Official data shows that MTC, on average, spends ₹40 per kilometre to operate a small bus, but is not able to get even half of this back through ticket sales. Passengers on the other hand say that only if the timings are regular can MTC gain their trust and more of them will start using the services.

Share auto drivers have taken advantage of the prevailing situation and increased their rates from ₹5-₹10 per head in areas where MTC has reduced services. T Sadagopan, a transportation activist from Avadi, says there is so much anger when MTC increases fares by ₹2-₹4, but there is literally nothing when it comes to share autos. “Why doesn’t the government take any initiative to regularise this mode of public transport,” he wonders.

The cab industry appears happy. Drivers in Chennai say there was a 25% increase in bookings last week. Apart from the fact that it was a festival weekend, there were two ‘muhurtham days’ (considered auspicious for weddings) last week, increasing their daily income to ₹3,500.

Excluding those days, the average daily booking increased from mere two or three last month to 10-12 now. “A majority of these bookings are in core city areas like Anna Nagar, Adyar, Royapuram and railway stations. More importantly, 100-odd business trips happen from Airport to industries in suburbs every day. This has boosted the morale of drivers,” said T Ramanujam of the Tamil Nadu Call Taxi Drivers Association.

CAB DRIVERS SAID THEY HAVE SEEN A 25% INCREASE IN BOOKINGS IN THE PAST WEEK DUE TO THE FESTIVAL AND WEDDING SEASON

தொடரும் 'சர்வர்' பிரச்னை ரேஷன் கார்டுதாரர்கள் அவதி

தொடரும் 'சர்வர்' பிரச்னை ரேஷன் கார்டுதாரர்கள் அவதி

Added : ஜன 19, 2021 23:02

சென்னை:ரேஷன் கடைகளில், விற்பனை முனைய கருவியை இயக்கும், 'சர்வரில்' ஏற்பட்ட பிரச்னையால், இம்மாதத்திற்கான அத்தியாவசிய பொருட்களை வாங்க முடியாமல், ரேஷன் கார்டுதாரர்கள், ஏமாற்றத்துடன் திரும்பிச் சென்றனர்.

தமிழகத்தில், 2020 அக்டோபர், 1ல், 'ஒரே நாடு; ஒரே ரேஷன் கார்டு' திட்டம் அமல்படுத்தப்பட்டது. அத்திட்டத்தின் கீழ், ரேஷன் கடைகளில், கார்டுதாரர்களின் கைரேகை பதிவு செய்து, பொருட்கள் வழங்கப்பட்டன.கைரேகை பதிவில் தொழில்நுட்ப பிரச்னை ஏற்பட்டதால், அக்., இறுதியில், அத்திட்டம், தற்காலிகமாக நிறுத்தப்பட்டு, ரேஷன் கார்டு, 'ஸ்கேன்' செய்வது உள்ளிட்ட பழைய முறைப்படியே பொருட்கள் வழங்கப்பட்டன.

பின், விரைவாக கைரேகையை பதிவு செய்யும் வகையில், தொழில்நுட்பம் மேம்படுத்தப்பட்டு, டிசம்பர் இறுதியில், மீண்டும் செயல்படுத்தப்பட்டது.இருப்பினும், அரிசி கார்டுதாரர்களுக்கு, தலா, 2,500 ரூபாய் ரொக்கம் அடங்கிய பொங்கல் பரிசு தொகுப்பு வழங்கும் போது, பிரச்னை ஏற்படக்கூடாது என்பதற்காக, கைரேகை பதிவுக்கு பதில், பழைய முறையே பின்பற்றப்பட்டது.

ரேஷன் கடைகளில், நேற்று முன்தினம் முதல், இம்மாதத்திற்கான ரேஷன் பொருட்களும், விடுபட்ட கார்டுதாரர்களுக்கு, பொங்கல் பரிசு தொகுப்பும் வழங்கப்படுகின்றன.இந்நிலையில், ரேஷன் ஊழியர்கள் கடைகளை திறந்து, விற்பனை முனைய கருவியை, 'ஆன்' செய்த போது, அதன் மென்பொருள் இயக்கம் செயல்படவில்லை. தொடர்ந்து, அவர்களால், பொருட்கள் விற்பனையை பதிவு செய்ய முடியவில்லை.

இதனால், காலை முதல் சுட்டெரிக்கும் வெயிலில், கால்கடுக்க காத்திருந்தும், பொருட்களை வாங்க முடியாமல், கார்டுதாரர்கள், ஏமாற்றத்துடன் திரும்பி, சென்றனர். டிசம்பர் மாதத்திலும், அதே பிரச்னை காரணமாக, கார்டுதாரர்கள் பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருந்தனர். ரேஷனில், 'சர்வர்' பிரச்னை தொடர் கதையாவதற்கு, ஒப்பந்த நிறுவனத்தின் அலட்சியமே காரணம் என்ற, புகார் எழுந்துள்ளது.

Not backdoor entry but luck of the draw, says NBE

Not backdoor entry but luck of the draw, says NBE

DNB Seats: ‘Strictly Going By Principles Of Relocation’

Rema.nagarajan@timesgroup.com

20.01.2021 

The National Board of Examination has responded to an article in TOI about two candidates with very low ranks being given DNB seats in some of the most sought after institutions stating that these were not a case of “backdoor entry”.

According to NBE, after allotting these students immunohaematology and blood transfusion in Nayati Hospital in Mathura, when the accreditation to the hospital was withdrawn, it was found that there were no vacant seats in the same specialty available anywhere in 2020 and in the three years before that.

Since all rounds of counselling including the mop-up round were completed, “as a last resort and in the interest of the trainees as there was no fault of the trainees in this matter and they could not have been allowed to suffer, NBE allowed them to choose their specialty and seat from the vacant available left over seats”.

The NBE statement said it is “strictly adhering” to its principles of relocation of doctors and that there was no discrimination or backdoor entry. During the relocation process, some candidates are adversely affected due to nonavailability of seats in their preferred institute and may get allocated to an institute not at par with the institute they were originally assigned, it stated. It added that such unavoidable circumstances were created due to a few vacant seats being left at the end of counselling and the inability to create extra seats in any other NBE accredited hospitals “as it would be discriminatory and prejudicial to the other candidates who participated in the merit-based counselling and would never have a chance to opt for the extra seats so created”.

In some cases, candidates got better options when relocated due to availability of vacant seats which were not available during original allotment, stated NBE, adding that “since relocation is an exceptional and undesirable situation, it can have some aggrieved candidates who are adversely affected by such relocation”.

The NBE statement does not refute any of the facts in the TOI article except to reject the accusation of some DNB candidates about two candidates with poor ranks being given “backdoor entry” into highly sought-after institutions and specialties.

One of the candidates relocated from Nayati Hospital with rank 34,655 was given a radiodiagnosis seat in Ganga Ram Hospital, considered one of the best in the country for DNB training. Post graduate seats in radio diagnosis, one of the most high-demand specialties, cost crores in private medical colleges. The other with rank 36,335 was given an ophthalmology seat in Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, a government hospital in Delhi. Ophthalmology too is a high demand specialty and government hospitals are among the top preferences of DNB candidates as there is no worry of non-payment of stipend (Rs 70,000 plus in Delhi) and there are enough patients.

The NBE had received complaints about Nayati Hospital from students from the second half of 2019 onwards and from the Association of DNB Doctors in November 2019 after the students’ complaints were not heeded. However, the NBE conducted an inspection only in August 2020. It claims the delay in inspection was due to Covid, though the complaints pre-date Covid by several months. Further, despite the inspection being completed in August, the DNB seats in Nayati Hospital were included even in the mop-up round, when these two candidates were allotted there. The seats of several other institutions whose accreditation was withdrawn were removed from the mop-up round. Nayati's accreditation was withdrawn only on October 9, after all the students had been allotted the hospital.

Till date, the NBE has not put out its policy of relocation of candidates or even a final list of how many candidates were relocated each year and to which institutions in the public domain. So candidates do not know what principles NBE has used to make these relocations.

NBE claims that guidelines for relocation have been passed by the accreditation committee and governing body of NBE this year, but they are yet to be put in the public domain.

The NBE statement also accused this correspondent of not waiting for a response from the board. The fact is that the report was published two weeks after sending mails and messages to the NBE after it failed to respond.

The association of DNB doctors have complained to the NBE about the arbitrary allocation of the two candidates to premier institutions in Delhi “without any formal counselling, which is against merit and principle of justice”

Log on to MTC’s revamped site for live info on buses

Log on to MTC’s revamped site for live info on buses

Passengers To Get Details On Fares As Well

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai: 20.01.2021 

After a four-year delay, Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has launched its revamped website with live info on bus routes, fares and timings. The site which resembles the one maintained by Bengaluru Transport Corporation, aims at assisting regular commuters and those who are new to the city.

Earlier, if someone wished to travel from Guindy to Kandanchavadi on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) and was not familiar with the bus route numbers, he or she had no other option but to seek help from other passengers waiting at the bus stop. Language barriers made such commuting even more difficult.

The new website helps passengers avoid all this. All one needs to know is the source and destination. On entering these details in the drop-down menu, the site will display the list of direct bus options available between these two points. Once the route number is displayed, a separate tab is provided to check the fares and timings (updated on a real-time basis).

“By this, we hope the commuting experience becomes hassle-free. At present, stagewise information is made available and soon bus stop-wise will be uploaded,” said an MTC official. A bus stage is a major transit point, which is located between five to seven bus stops.

Besides this, a separate link has been provided to assist passengers from other cities who wish to travel to tourist destinations, hospitals, religious and educational institutions. On selecting a particular place, list of all MTC buses crossing through that point are displayed.

Efforts are underway to introduce live bus tracking option in this page. This feature will be available in the ‘Locate and Access My Bus’ (LAMB) mobile app as well. Following a successful trial run, the app is getting ready for launch. Currently, final phase of testing is in progress, the MTC official added.

However, MTC is yet to introduce online services for applying students/senior citizen bus passes and seasonal passes, said R Rengachari, a transportation activist. “Till date , public have to wait in queues at bus depots to buy Travel As You Please (TAYP) monthly tickets and renew concession passes,” he said.

Deemed medical universities auction seats to highest bidders despite cap on fees

Deemed medical universities auction seats to highest bidders despite cap on fees

TNN | Jan 16, 2021, 04.48 AM IST

MUMBAI: Wanted: NRI candidates. Deemed medical colleges have been hunting for genuine NRI aspirants who will shell out premium rates for seats.

This year for the first time, Government of India has not permitted deemed universities to charge NRI seat fees to Indian students. That has not changed much for these colleges, though, as the cash component or donations have made a comeback this admission season.

This year, when online admissions by the medical counselling committee closed, a total of 2,463 (1,090 MBBS) seats in deemed universities remained vacant, most of them, 764, under the NRI quota. Compare that with 2019 when fewer seats, 1,112, remained untaken.

“Financial constraints have not permitted candidates to opt for the NRI quota. While we allowed colleges to convert their NRI seats to management quota (three times the regular fees) so that students are saved from travelling to various campuses, we did not see that conversion happening,” said an official from the Directorate General of Health Sciences.

Students camping outside deemed universities for the stray (college-level) admission round were told they are “shortlisted”. The final admission result would largely depend on their “financial submission” at 4.45pm on Friday, January 15, the last day for admissions.

Interestingly, vacant seats were allegedly auctioned to highest bidders. “My daughter will take the exam next year now,” said Mulund’s Mrinalini P who applied to every college where the fee was in the range of Rs 15 lakh a year. “At one college, the management told us the total package is Rs 1.16 crore, with Rs 50 lakh cash component,” she alleged. With a score of 475, and a budget of about Rs 70 lakh for the MBBS programme, she held no chance of getting a seat. Similar is the case with OBC candidate Pratik P who scored 505. “Clearly, they gave seats to the ones who quoted the highest rate,” he told TOI. “College officials said the overall package is Rs 1.6 crore. One parent said he quoted Rs 1.05 crore. Someone else offered Rs 1.25 crore,” said a student.

Former DMER head Dr Praveen Shingare said, “There is a dichotomy as state governments are allowing private colleges to charge NRI fees from Indian students. If deemed universities charge merit fees, how will they sustain themselves?”