Chennai comes to a crawl, AMMK workers held for obstructing traffic

OUT OF GEAR

Chennai comes to a crawl, AMMK workers held for obstructing traffic

Selvaraj.A@timesgroup.com

09.02.2021 

Even several hours before expelled AIADMK leader VK Sasikala was to drive into the city, vehicles had to move at snail’s pace on many arterial roads of Chennai, and at least 30 Amma Makkal Katchi Kazhagam (AMMK) cadres were arrested for obstructing traffic. The cadres staged the flash protest at Nazarethpet, after police prevented them from erecting hoardings and pasting posters welcoming Sasikala.

Policemen were asked to stay as a group near AIADMK party headquarters near Royapettah, and MGR’s house at Ramapuram, besides other ‘strategic’ locations. Top officials, however, denied having issued any blanket orders to their ranks.

“We have not blocked any roads for vehicular movement in the city. We have instructed the field officers to take decision as per the need and requirements,” said additional traffic commissioner N Kannan.

Ever since Sasikala’s convoy started in Bengaluru on Monday morning, city police deployed its men at designated locations to monitor and streamline the gathering AMMK cadres. T Nagar, where Sasikala is slated to stay after arriving in the city, saw big crowd of AMMK and AIADMK cadres waiting in groups since morning. It was swelling by evening, impeding free flow of traffic.

The Chennai-Bengaluru national highway saw maximum trouble for pedestrians and vehicle-users. Scores of AMMK men, including two former MLAs Raja and Ezhumalai, arrested by police at Nazarethpet were housed at a marriage hall there.

The vicinity of former chief minister MGR’s residence at Ramapuram also saw a lot of action after news that Sasikala may spend an hour meditating there. Party cadres had parked their cars on the road side stretching for about a kilometre, leaving little space for vehicles on the four-lane road between Porur and Guindy. Police efforts to remove the parked vehicles met with resistance, as AMMK workers refused to leave the place.

A software engineer, Boobala, working with firm in Ramapuram, said, “on normal days it takes about 10 minutes for me to reach my office, but today it took 45 minutes for me.”

Elsewhere on Lloyds Road, where AIADMK party headquarters is located, police blocked all accesses with barricades on either side of the road. They, however, have to be removed later as local residents questioned it.

Anna univ to resume MTech courses, create more seats

Anna univ to resume MTech courses, create more seats

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:09.02.2021

Two weeks after making a controversial announcement that it was suspending admissions to two centrally sponsored MTech courses, Anna University told the Madras high court on Monday that it would recommence the academic programmes.

Nine supernumerary seats will be created in MTech Biotechnology and MTech Computational Biology, and those students will not be able to claim stipend of about ₹12,000 to ₹12,500 a month. The Centre, however, will offer the stipend to students admitted under its 49.5% quota of seats.

The courses were suspended due to disagreement between the Tamil Nadu government and the Union government over the state’s 69% reservation or the Centre’s 49.5% reservation in admissions.

HC asks AICTE to figure out way to add nine seats

When the state insisted on its quota policy, the Centre refused to fund the sponsored courses, leading to the university cancelling admissions to the courses.

A prospective student, Chitra, then moved the court seeking resumption of admissions to the reputed courses – M Tech Biotechnology and M Tech Computational Biology. Her counsel A Saravanan submitted that readmitting students was imperative as quantum of reservation could be argued separately. However, the compromise made by Anna University and Centre came not before Justice B Pugalendhi made a loaded query about whether the Centre funded reservation or the MTech courses.

Vijayakumar, counsel for the university, said the court must take an undertaking from students being accommodated in the supernumerary seats that they would not claim stipend during the course period. “Paying stipend of ₹12,000 a month for these nine students would be difficult as there are more than 2,000 postgraduate students studying without scholarship in the university,” he said. This apart, approval must be obtained from All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for creation of nine additional seats, he added.

Special government pleader E Manoharan, representing the TN government, pointed out that the University Grants Commission (UGC) had made it very clear to all universities, deemed universities and other grant-in-aid institutions to follow the reservation prescribed by the state governments, and added, “there is no difficulty for Anna University to comply with the rule of reservation.”

Recording the submissions, Justice Pugalendhi directed the counsel for AICTE to get instructions on obtaining approval for creating nine more seats, and whether there is any prescribed cutoff date for PG biotechnology courses at Anna University. He then adjourned the hearing to February12.

Back in action: Sasikala roars politics, chants unity mantra

Back in action: Sasikala roars politics, chants unity mantra

Says Won’t Let Common Enemy Divide AIADMK

Julie Mariappan & V Senthil Kumaran TNN

Tirupathur:  09.02.2021

V K Sasikala started a new political journey on Monday, standing up to her supporters-turned-detractors and warning them against letting “the common enemy” capture the government.

“I will be actively involved in politics,” Sasikala told reporters at Tirupathur.

She said the government had closed the Jayalalithaa memorial because it was scared of her visiting the place.

Never dropping her belligerent stance, she underscored the need for unity.

“Amma (J Jayalalithaa) felt we should not let our common enemies divide us. And it is our duty to protect her dream. The movement that is the AIADMK should not collapse because of few people’s likes and dislikes,” Sasikala said.

Starting from Bengaluru around 8am, Sasikala was on the highway till late night.

GRAND WELCOME: Supporters shower flowers on V K Sasikala’s vehicle after she entered Tamil Nadu on Monday

More assets of kin to be confiscated

The Chengalpet collector on Monday notified the confiscation of six properties owned by V N Sudhagaran and J Ilavarasi – nephew and sister-in-law of V K Sasikala – within the district limits. The extent of the properties, classified as agri lands, to be confiscated is more than14 acres.

Traffic hit in city ahead of arrival

Vehicular movement was affected in the city in anticipation of the arrival of V K Sasikala. AMMK workers gathered near MGR’s house at Ramapuram and parked their cars along the road. Due to this, vehicles moved on only one lane from Porur to Guindy. Traffic was regulated at Lloyd’s Road near AIADMK headquarters.

AIADMK is afraid, says Sasikala

Through the journey, AMMK cadres showered her car bearing an AIADMK flag with flowers and hailed her as ‘thyagathalaivi’ (the leader who sacrificed).

On AIADMK’s complaint against her using the party flag, she said, “It shows their fear.” She said people knew why the memorials of Jayalalithaa and MGR remain shut. To questions if she would visit the party office and if there was a possibility of an AIADMK-AMMK merger, she said she would soon talk to journalists in detail.

The return of Sasikala, who was officially released from the Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru on January 27, was delayed after she tested positive for Covid-19 and underwent treatment in a Bengaluru hospital and spent a week in isolation in a farmhouse in Devanahalli.

“With the grace of the almighty and the blessings of my sister Puratchi Thalaivi Jayalalithaa, who lives in peoples’ hearts, I’ve recovered from Covid,” Sasikala said. Recalling the song ‘Anbukku naan adimai, Tamil panbukku naan adimai’ from a popular MGR film, Sasikala said she was a slave to the affection of the cadres and people of Tamil Nadu. “But I am not scared of oppressive actions,” she said.

Recalling Jayalalithaa’s statement that the AIADMK would continue to govern for 100 years, Sasikala said, “To achieve this, I will dedicate my life and soul for the development of the party. My family is the party and the party is my family.” The AIADMK had risen like a phoenix from the ashes whenever it faced problems. “The party will rise like a phoenix this time too,” she said. “We will win the election amid several problems with the blessings of Amma,” she said.

FULL COVERAGE: P2

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Normal academic calendar unlikely next year too: Experts

Normal academic calendar unlikely next year too: Experts

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:08.02.2021 

Delay in completing classes for the academic year 2020-21 is set to have a cascading effect on the next academic year as well, including admissions and classes.

Even as admissions for the 2020-21 academic year concluded recently, officials have already started planning the academic calendar for 2021-22 in order to fill the gap that crept in due to Covid-19 last year.

Due to the pandemic, classes in colleges and universities commenced only in September instead of July. With the Telangana Intermediate exams scheduled to be held between May 1 and May 20, the government anticipates to conduct the common entrance tests only by June.

“We expect a delay of nearly three months in the academic calendar. It is going to take long before we actually go on to the normal academic calendar that existed in pre-Covid-19 times,” Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) chairman Papi Reddy said.

Colleges admit that it is indeed a race against time as they have to grapple with the delay even this year.

“This year, most universities have decided to give only four to seven days of summer holidays as against 30-45 days every year. All efforts are on to ensure the gap is filled this year so that the next academic year can commence on a much smoother note,” Telangana Pharmacy Colleges Association president Dr K Ramdass said.

Teachers might have to work throughout the year to make up for the loss of working days, Dr Ramdass added.

DINAMALAR

08.02.2021 

போபால்:'ராகிங்' பிரச்னையால், மாணவி ஒருவர் தற்கொலை செய்த வழக்கில், நான்கு மாணவியருக்கு, ஐந்து ஆண்டு சிறை தண்டனை விதிக்கப்பட்டது.

மத்திய பிரதேச தலைநகர் போபாலில், தனியார் மருந்தக கல்லுாரி உள்ளது. கடந்த, 2013ல், இந்த கல்லுாரியில் படித்த அனிதா சர்மா, வீட்டில் துாக்கு மாட்டி தற்கொலை செய்து கொண்டார். அவர் எழுதியிருந்த கடிதத்தில், 'கல்லுாரியில் படிக்கும் சீனியர் மாணவியரான தேவன்ஷி, கீர்த்தி கவுர், தீப்தி, நிதி மாக்ரி ஆகியோர், ராகிங் என்ற பெயரில், என்னை சித்ரவதை செய்தனர். இதனால் ஏற்பட்ட மன உளைச்சலால் தற்கொலை செய்து கொள்கிறேன்' என, கூறப்பட்டிருந்தது.

நான்கு மாணவியரையும், போலீசார் கைது செய்தனர். இந்த வழக்கு விசாரணை, போபால் நீதிமன்றத்தில் நடந்தது. வழக்கை விசாரித்த நீதிபதி அமித் ரஞ்சன், நான்கு மாணவியருக்கும், தலா, ஐந்து ஆண்டு சிறை தண்டனையும், 8,000 ரூபாய் அபராதமும் விதித்து, நேற்று தீர்ப்பளித்தார்.

பி.எஸ்சி., நர்சிங் படிப்புக்கு

DINAMALAR

பி.எஸ்சி., நர்சிங் படிப்புக்கு

Added : பிப் 08, 2021 04:48

சென்னை: பி.எஸ்சி., நர்சிங், பி.பார்ம்., உள்ளிட்ட, 17வகையான படிப்புகளுக்கு பொதுப்பிரிவு கவுன்சிலிங், 10ம்தேதி முதல், ஆன்லைன் வாயிலாக நடைபெறுகிறது. சிறப்பு பிரிவினருக்கு மட்டும், நேரடியாக சேர்க்கை நடக்க உள்ளது.

தமிழகத்தில், அரசு மற்றும் தனியார் மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகளில், பி.எஸ்சி., நர்சிங், பி.பார்ம்., உள்ளிட்ட, 17 வகையான துணை பட்டப் படிப்புகளில், 13 ஆயிரத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட இடங்கள் உள்ளன. இந்த படிப்புகளுக்கு, பிளஸ் 2 மதிப்பெண் அடிப்படையில் மாணவர் சேர்க்கை நடைபெற உள்ளது.இந்நிலையில், 2020 - 21ம் கல்வியாண்டுக்கான சேர்க்கைக்கு, ஆன்லைன் வாயிலாக, 38 ஆயிரத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட மாணவர்கள் விண்ணப்பித்தனர்.மாணவர்களுக்கான தரவரிசை பட்டியலில், 37 ஆயிரத்து, 334 பேர் இடம் பெற்றனர். இதைத்தொடர்ந்து, கவுன்சிலிங் நடக்க உள்ளது.சிறப்பு பிரிவினருக்கான கவுன்சிலிங் வரும், 9ம் தேதி காலை, 9:30 மணிக்கு, சென்னை, கீழ்ப்பாக்கம், மருத்துவ கல்வி இயக்குனரக அலுவலகத்தில் நடைபெற உள்ளது.இந்தாண்டு முதன் முறையாக, பொதுப்பிரிவு மற்றும் இட ஒதுக்கீட்டு பிரிவினருக்கான கவுன்சிலிங், ஆன்லைன் வாயிலாக, 10ம் தேதி முதல், 23ம் தேதி வரை, நடைபெற உள்ளது.கவுன்சிலிங்கில் பங்கேற்கும் நேரம் அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

கவுன்சிலிங்கில் பங்கேற்க உள்ள மாணவர்கள், செயல்முறை கட்டணமாக, 250 ரூபாயை, ஆன்லைனில் செலுத்த வேண்டும்.படிப்பு மற்றும் கல்லுாரியை தேர்வு செய்யும் போது, கவனமாக இருக்க வேண்டும் என, அறிவுறுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.ஆன்லைன் கவுன்சிலிங் குறித்த வழிமுறைகள், ஓரிரு நாளில் வெளியாக உள்ளன. மேலும் விபரங்களை, www.tnhealth.tn.gov.in, www.tnmedicalselection.org என்ற, இணையதளங்கள் வாயிலாக தெரிந்து கொள்ளலாம்.