CITYLIGHTS

CITYLIGHTS

Service, with more than a smile

This reporter, while vacationing in a tier-2 city, experienced unparalleled customer service at a cooperative textile shop. On Christmas eve, the reporter and her friend went clothes shopping. However, post shopping, there was a hiccup when all ride-sharing apps cancelled trips as there was traffic congestion during the holiday season. After multiple failed attempts to book a taxi, the shop owner, who saw how distressed they were, ordered his staff to drop the customers home. The reporter was pleasantly surprised to get such customer service, and realised that even the most advanced technology is no match to the warmth of human kindness.

— Mamtha Asokan

How far away is Chennai?

Signboards are meant to help you but, on our highways, sometimes they only serve to confuse you. On Mudichur-Gandhi Salai, one such board says that you are 19km away from Guindy. Just a few 100m away, near the police outpost, another signboard says that Guindy is 16km away. And yet another, on Gandhi Salai-GST Road junction, says that Guindy is just 12km away. While locals may just ignore these signboards, they would definitely confuse migrant workers and people coming from other states. The highways department should take note of it and make the necessary changes.

— A Selvaraj

Meet the Coronnials

We've had the baby boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z, the millennials... well, the latest to join the alphabet soup seems to be the 'Coronnials', or babies born in 2020, the year of the pandemic. Don't stop the presses yet. It's still unofficial, but doing the rounds nonetheless. I saw a new mother the other day, walking with her little baby strapped inside a pram. She was stopped by a couple who were excited to see the baby. "Oh my, is she a Coronnial? You know what we mean, babies born in the time of Corona?" they enquired enthusiastically. The new mother stared back bewildered. Not me, though, for I had got a little nugget for this column.

— Kamini Mathai

Number confusion

People booking railway tickets online were really confused recently to see two trains with the same numbers showing up on the website. The railways was quick to address the issue but numbering of trains is proving to be a big challenge for officials. The reason? Railways is in the process of resuming most of the express trains that were running before the pandemic. These trains have been slotted as 'specials' and cannot have their original number along with the names though they run as per the pre-Covid timetable. This is because the railways don't want to declare that scheduled trains are back on track until they get a final clearance from the ministry for normal operations.

— V Ayyappan

Unauthorised halts slow TNSTC buses

Unauthorised halts slow TNSTC buses

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:25.01.2021 

Passengers returning from Villupuram, Vellore and Puducherry and other nearby cities to Chennai in government buses this weekend had a harrowing time.

Many point-to-point and deluxe services, which are supposed to be operated as limited stop services, stopped frequently at unauthorised bus stops after reaching the city’s outskirts, according to several passengers. These buses are operated by TNSTC Villupuram.

Almost once every five kilometres, buses stopped to pick up passengers to Tambaram and Koyambedu. As a result, it took almost three-anda-half to four hours to travel from Tindivanam to Chennai, whereas other buses cover this distance in three hours, said T R Pandian, an activist from Anna Nagar, who frequently travels on this route.

“If drivers and conductors are going to stop in all the bus stops, then what is the point in running deluxe services and charging more?” he asked.

In response, a TNSTC Villupuram official said that the demand for mofussil buses was high during weekends and they have instructed staff to transport as many passengers as possible. “Deluxe services not necessarily mean they shouldn’t stop at intermediate stops,” said the official, who agreed to look into the issue of point-to-point buses stopping at unauthorised stops.

However, official documents suggest that mofussil buses charge ₹3-5 extra for deluxe services for every 10 km compared to ordinary services which halt at all designated bus stops.

TNTSC drivers and conductors said that picking up more passengers meant that they earned more money.

Convocation

 

Sasikala 'put on oxygen' after testing positive for coronavirus, shifted to hospital

Sasikala 'put on oxygen' after testing positive for coronavirus, shifted to hospital

Victoria Hospital had repeated her RTPCR test to confirm her COVID-19 status after Sasikala's CT scan of the chest indicated 'severe' infection.

Published: 21st January 2021 10:31 PM 

By Bala Chauhan

Express News Service

BENGALURU: VK Sasikala - the jailed close associate of former Tamil Nadu chief minister Late J Jayalalithaa has tested positive for COVID-19. She has been shifted to the trauma care centre (TCC) at the Victoria Hospital, which is exclusively for COVID patients. “She is not on ventilator support. We are closely monitoring her,” said Director cum Dean of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), Dr CR Jayanthi.

Sasikala, who was keenly looking forward to return to Chennai on her release from the prison on January 27 will now have to stay put in Bengaluru until her complete recovery. Her COVID positive result has

thrown the prison authorities at the Bengaluru Central Prison in a tizzy. “We don’t know how she contracted the virus. She is sharing a room with co accused and sister-in-law Ilavarasi in the prison, which

is in a high security block,” said sources in the prison department.

Sasikala was on Thursday shifted to Victoria Hospital from Bowring Hospital for CT scan as the latter doesn’t have the facility. She was being treated for suspected severe acute respiratory infection (SARI)

after her rapid antigen and RTPCR tests for COVID at the Bowring Hospital had come negative.

Victoria Hospital had repeated her RTPCR test to confirm her COVID-19 status after her CT scan of the chest indicated 'severe' infection and showed “areas of ground glass opacity and consolidation in bilateral lung fields,” stated the medical bulletin of Sasikala’s health from he Victoria Hospital. “She has dry cough and is breathless. She has been put on oxygen and is being closely monitored,” the hospital sources had stated.

Sasikala’s oxygen saturation level at the time of admission in the morning was 78 per cent. It had marginally improved by the evening. “She has been put on Remdesivir, Heparin, steroids, insulin and other supportive drugs. She suffers from diabetes, hypertension and hypothyroidism,” the hospital stated.

In the morning Sasikala’s nephew and founder of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) TTV Dhinakaran along with some other relatives and party well-wishers had come to the Bowring Hospital to visit her. They demanded that she should be shifted to a premium private hospital for better treatment and care but were assured of quality treatment at the premium government hospital.

She has been lodged in judicial custody at the Bengaluru Central Prison along with J Ilavarasi and nephew VN Sudhakaran since February, 2017 after they were convicted and sentenced with four-year imprisonment in the disproportionate assets (DA) case.

Amid stir, RMMCH to be closed indefinitely

Amid stir, RMMCH to be closed indefinitely

A circular by the management directed the inmates to vacate the hostel without prior notice.

Published: 22nd January 2021 05:41 AM 

By Express News Service

CUDDALORE: As the students’ protest have been protesting for more than 40 days now, Annamalai University on Thursday abruptly announced an indefinite closure of Rajah Muthiah Medical College and Hospital (RMMCH).

A circular by the management directed the inmates to vacate the hostel without prior notice. Speaking to Express, the inmates said that they had paid hostel fees of Rs 90,000 for the term that ends only in June 2021. The students of medical and dental courses of Rajah Muthiah Medical College Hospital (RMMCH) have been protesting for the past 43 days against the exorbitant fees, even though the college is under the State government.

A protesting student said, “We have met all higher officials and ministers to revise the fees to be on par with that of government colleges. Although all of them promise action and claim the process is underway, no action has been taken.” “Instead of Rs 13,600, which is the fees fixed for MBBS students in other government colleges, students in the college are currently paying Rs 5.6 lakh, which is higher than the fees collected by private medical colleges, which charge Rs 3.8 lakh from an MBBS student.

Meanwhile, several students have not received their stipends regularly,” the student added. On the other hand, as the students have been asked to vacate the hostel abruptly, the protest in the college campus intensified on Thursday.

University of Madras professor protests alleging pay discrepancy

University of Madras professor protests alleging pay discrepancy

He claimed he has not been paid for the last seven months, and up to `18 lakh has not been released from his pension fund. “I will be retiring in June.

Published: 22nd January 2021 05:47 AM | Last Updated: 22nd January 2021 05:47 AM | A+A A-

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Noted professor and head of the Politics and Public Administration department at the University of Madras, Ramu Manivannan, staged a sit-in protest at the campus on Thursday alleging salary discrepancies.

Manivannan has been known to openly criticise incidents of corruption, improper management of funds and malpractice. Manivannan told Express that he’s being targeted to be silenced and, “to teach a lesson to others who want to challenge the system.” He claimed he has not been paid for the last seven months, and up to Rs 18 lakh has not been released from his pension fund.

“I will be retiring in June. They have said there is a discrepancy of pay only a few months before I’m leaving,” he said. In late 2019, the university intimated that he was wrongly promoted to the post of associate professor, Manivannan said. “In 2006-07 nationally there was a change in nomenclature of my designation to associate professor as mandated by the UGC. It was not technically a promotion.

All those who worked with me had the changed title,” he said, adding that his salary base has been cut since 2009. “The syndicate had also passed a resolution saying it was the mistake of the university and therefore, the university must pay this. Yet Rs 18 lakh has been deducted from my pension funds,” he rued.

Speaking to Express S Gowri, the Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of the University of Madras said there are issues with the financial audit and that the university is looking into them. “There is an audit objection,” he said.

Colleges forcing students to attend in-person classes?

Colleges forcing students to attend in-person classes?

No official communication sent out, but students in Chennai pressured to show up

Published: 22nd January 2021 06:50 AM 

By Sushmitha Ramakrishnan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Some arts and science colleges in Chennai have mandated that final-year students attend classes physically, even as the government has said in-person attendance should be voluntary. While these colleges have refrained from issuing official circulars, they informally told teachers and members of the college student senate to notify all students about compulsory physical attendance.

The State government permitted colleges to be reopened for final-year students and research scholars from December 7. However, according to the government’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), in-person classes will be voluntary and colleges should make provisions to continue facilitating education in distance mode. A third-year psychology student from a college in Nungambakkam told Express that in the second week of January, the class representative had said on the “class group chat” that attending college physically was made mandatory from January 20.

The student, who hails from a neighbouring state, was confused as no official circular was issued. “When my classmate called my class teacher, she said the college was making in-person classes compulsory only because the government had issued orders along those lines,” the student said, adding that it made sense for students with laboratory sessions to come to college, but was unfair to make all students come.

A final-student from another arts and science college in Gopalapuram was marked absent as she decided to complete her final semester from her hometown in Kerala. “My college stopped online classes in January. So I thought I’ll study on my own. But I was marked absent,” she told Express. The principal of a college in Velachery said they had to cancel online classes as it became hard for the faculty to conduct in-person classes as well.

“When teachers are teaching in person, how can they teach online also? Most of our students are day scholars, and only 15 per cent are from the hostels. We asked students to stay at home if they are sick,” he said. University of Madras vice chancellor S Gowri said the government has not issued any circular mandating physical classes. “Colleges should facilitate classes in both physical and distance mode. That is what we do at the university. Students cannot be forced to come,” he stated.

A senior official from the higher education department told Express they are mulling issuing a clarification that even if colleges cannot conduct online classes for final-year students, they should allow distance mode of education. S Apoorva, principal secretary of the higher education department, said the department is looking into the problem.