Having old vehicles can now be expensive affair

Having old vehicles can now be expensive affair

Dipak.Dash@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:03.02.2021

Holding on to 15-year-old vehicles will become an expensive affair once the voluntary vehicle scrapping policy is rolled out from next year. While the cost for getting a fitness certificate for such commercial vehicles will go up by up to 62 times, the fee for renewal of registration of private vehicles will increase by up to eight times. Moreover, states will impose green tax over and above the road tax that every vehicle owner needs to pay.

The road transport and highways ministry will announce the scrapping policy in the next two weeks. Sources said the fitness certificate fee for commercial vehicles that are more than 15 years would increase from the current Rs 200 to approximately Rs 7,500 for cabs and nearly Rs 12,500 for trucks. As per the motor vehicle law, renewal of fitness certificate is mandatory annually once it’s more than eight years old. “These hiked fees will kick in once such vehicles are of 15 years. Paying such a high charge every year will discourage people to keep their old vehicles,” said a source. On top of this, states can levy a green tax, which can be 10-25% of the annual road tax. This will be in addition to the normal road tax a vehicle owner pays.

Similarly, in the case of 15-year plus private vehicles, the registration charge would go up for two-wheelers from the current Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 and it would increase from ₹600 to ₹5,000 for cars. The states can levy green tax on such vehicles for five years, which would be in addition to the road tax. “All private vehicles need to renew registration after 15 years and subsequently every five year. This is expected to work as a disincentive for vehicle owners,” the source said. In both the cases, vehicles failing in the automatic fitness test will be deregistered from Vahan, the central database of vehicles.

Covid claims lives of 162 docs, 107 nurses

Covid claims lives of 162 docs, 107 nurses

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:03.02.2021

Covid-19 has claimed lives of 162 doctors, 107 nurses and 44 Asha workers in India till January 22, minister of state for health Ashwini Choubey told Rajya Sabha on Tuesday based on information received from the states on insurance claims under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package.

Given the vulnerability of health and front-line workers at the forefront of the Covid fight, the government has also prioritised this category for receiving vaccination. So far, over 40 lakh healthcare workers have received the first dose of the Covid vaccine in the country, whereas the Centre has asked states to start inoculating front-line workers from this week.

“The process of insurance disbursement has been de-centralised under the PMGKP insurance scheme. Accordingly, the verification of a person who is affected or died due to Covid-19 vests with the state government and central government authorities concerned,” Choubey said.

The central insurance scheme provides a comprehensive cover of ₹50 lakh to healthcare providers, including community health workers, who may have to be in direct contact and care of patients suffering from Covid-19 infection and who are at risk of being impacted. It also includes accidental loss of life on account of contracting Covid-19.

The scheme also covers private hospital staff, volunteers, local urban bodies, contract daily wagers and outsourced staff requisitioned by states. The insurance provided is over and above any other cover being availed of by the beneficiary.

Pallavaram has toll free no. for plaints, but no feedback

Pallavaram has toll free no. for plaints, but no feedback

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:03.02.2021

Residents of areas under Pallavaram municipality have been given a toll free number they can call to complain about civic problems but they have no idea if anyone is taking action.

Official data shows that the municipality on the city’s southern fringes on GST Road, which comprises 80,000 households, outsourced operation of toll free number 18004251600 to a private firm, which acts as the consultant.

There are five public grievance operators and one supervisor in charge of ensuring complaints are taken from residents 24x7 in a system to maintain which the municipality pays ₹15 lakh annually.

Around 700 complaints are registered every month on the helpline but there is no feedback mechanism.

Social activist David Manohar on January 27 raised a complaint about aggressive stray dogs on Pillaiyar Koil Street. “I have no idea whether the issue has been resolved or not. When we call the number, they ask us to contact the municipality official,” he said.

A call to the number showed the process was exactly as Manohar said. The call centre executive gave the contact number of the sanitary inspector saying he would respond.

Pallavaram municipality commissioner C Mathivanan told TOI resolution of complaints depended on the issue.

“We got 248 complaints regarding street lights in January. A majority were regarding cables and were resolved within 48 hours,” he said.

However, complaints about water supply or a block in the main sewage line are more complex and could take up to 15 days to resolve, Mathivanan said.

The civic body was also in the process of collecting contact numbers of all households and linking them to their property tax numbers, so that they could be intimated when such issues were notified through the helpline, the commissioner added.

NEET fraud: Dentist, daughter get bail

NEET fraud: Dentist, daughter get bail

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:03.02.2021

The Madras high court on Tuesday granted bail to a dentist and his MBBS aspirant daughter, who were arrested for forging NEET score to secure admission. Justice V Bharathidasan granted the relief while allowing the bail applications moved by K Balachandran and his daughter B Deeksha.

Balachandran and Deeksha, natives of Paramakudi, had allegedly forged the NEET scorecard and the provisional rank list to secure a medical seat for Deeksha. The girl had scored only 27 marks in the test, but appeared for the counselling claiming to be another aspirant, who had scored 610 marks. They submitted fake documents to the selection committee of the Directorate of Medical Education to support their claim. However, the committee found that the documents were forged and filed a complaint with the Periamet police. Subsequently, the father-daughter duo failed to appear before the investigating officer despite repeated summons. On January 2, Balachandran was arrested from Bengaluru. When the bail applications came up for hearing, counsel for the petitioners submitted that Balachandran has been in jail for over 30 days now and even custodial inquiry of the duo was over. They further submitted to abide by any condition imposed by the court to enlarge them on bail. Recording the same, the court granted the relief and directed Balachandran to appear before the investigation officer daily till further orders.

Balachandran and Deeksha had allegedly forged the NEET scorecard and the provisional rank list to secure a medical seat for Deeksha. The girl appeared for the counselling claiming to be another aspirant

‘Rajini didn’t say he’s quitting politics forever’

‘Rajini didn’t say he’s quitting politics forever’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:03.02.2021

Actor Rajinikanth’s associate and Gandhiya Makkal Iyakkam founder Tamilaruvi Manian on Tuesday said the actor could not enter electoral politics now, but has not said he would never enter politics. He has also not disbanded the Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM), Manian said in a statement. “If tomorrow Rajinikanth says he is entering politics, Gandhiya Makkal Iyakkam will associate itself with him on his journey. If Rajinikanth does not enter politics also, it will continue to function as a sister organization,” Manian said.

Interestingly, this was the first statement Manian made after December 30, 2020, when he had announced that he was quitting politics forever and would never return until his death. His statement came a day after Rajinikanth expressed his inability to enter electoral politics by launching his own party on December 29, 2020. “Political forces are trying to wean away RMM functionaries. While some of them have joined other parties, several others are looking for sanctuaries like migratory birds. While I do not want to fish in troubled waters, the party’s general council will meet on March 7 in Tirupur,” Manian said.

DMK walks out of assembly, to boycott session

DMK walks out of assembly, to boycott session

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:03.02.2021

The DMK, the principal opposition, staged a walkout when governor Banwarilal Purohit started his address to the state assembly on Tuesday. The party was protesting against the governor’s inaction on the petition it had submitted listing out corruption charges against the ruling establishment. The party also questioned the governor’s inaction over a cabinet resolution urging the release of the seven convicts undergoing imprisonment in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

“When the governor started his address, I drew his attention to the petition that we have submitted to him, listing corruption charges against the chief minister (Edappadi K Palaniswami), deputy chief minister (O Panneerselvam) and a few other ministers in the cabinet,” Stalin told reporters, at Kalaivanar Arangam, where the assembly session was held to ensure Covid protocols such as social distancing.

“He neither acted on our petition nor on the cabinet resolution seeking release of the convicts held in the Rajiv Gandhi case,” Stalin said. Instead of responding to the DMK’s questions, the governor referred to the central budget and the announcement of ₹1 lakh crore for the highways project, he said. “I have already termed the central budget a lollipop. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced setting up of AIIMS, Madurai in 2015. They enacted a drama of laying the foundation stone ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But not even a brick has been moved there so far,” Stalin said. “Hence, we have decided to boycott the entire assembly session,” he added.

PMK founder S Ramadoss too felt the governor’s address did not have anything new to offer, other than praising the state government for its efforts during Covid-19 and attracting industrial investments. “Other than giving a telephone number ‘1100’ to enable people to address their grievances, there was nothing new in the address. I hope there will be new announcements at least in the reply to the governor’s address,” Ramadoss said. MDMK general secretary Vaiko said the governor’s address merely reflected the failures of AIADMK’s 10-year rule in the state.

IN PROTEST: DMK president M K Stalin outside the Kalaivanar Arangam, where the assembly session was held, on Tuesday

Sasikala posters: AIADMK expels 3 more partymen

Sasikala posters: AIADMK expels 3 more partymen

Padmini.Sivarajah@timesgroup.com

Madurai/Trichy:03.02.2021

On a day the ruling AIADMK expelled three more party functionaries for putting up posters welcoming former general secretary V K Sasikala from prison, fresh posters, in praise of her, surfaced in many parts of Madurai and Sivaganga.

One set of posters describing her as the “permanent general secretary of AIADMK” appeared in many parts of Madurai city with due credit to K Bhoominathan, Amma Peravai secretary of 8th Block. Madurai district MGR Mandram deputy secretary T Thirumaran, Veerapandi panchayat president V Sugapriya Vijaykumar and another AIADMK functionary, A Muthukumaran, were among others who also put up posters. They hailed her as the epitome of sacrifice.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the chief minister and deputy chief minister in their capacity as party organisers, expelled the Andipatti west union MGR youth wing president Pannai M Chinnaraja for putting up posters hailing Sasikala. In Trichy and Mayiladuthurai, the party expelled two more functionaries for activities against the principles of the party. They were former district panchayat vice-president of Thiruverumbur union, Arasangudi A N Saminathan, and minorities’ welfare wing secretary of Sembanarkovil north union in Mayiladuthurai district, A Qutubuddin.

Meanwhile, son of deputy chief minister Panneerselvam, Jeya Pradeep, who created a flutter last week when he tweeted for Sasikala’s health, clarified that he had only wished Sasikala well on humanitarian grounds.

(With inputs from R Gokul in Trichy)

FRESH TROUBLE: A poster praising Sasikala in Madurai on Tuesday