Toll collection at 2 ECR plazas stops due to stir over wage cuts

Toll collection at 2 ECR plazas stops due to stir over wage cuts

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:13.11.2021

User fee collection came to a temporary halt at two toll plazas on East Coast Road (ECR) on Friday after contractual staff went on a flash protest against unannounced salary deductions.

Vehicles travelling along the ECR had a free ride at the toll plazas in Uthandi and Mahabalipuram as staff abstained from work for almost an hour.

The staff, roped in by an agency on behalf of Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation (TNRDC), are deployed to collect user fee and manage traffic along toll lanes for ₹10,000 as monthly salary. But they did not receive their entire salary amount. “Every month, ₹1,000-₹5,000 is deduced,” said one of the affected workers, requesting anonymity.

Authorities attributed these cuts to losses incurred by TNRDC in the toll collection process. As per guidelines, these staff can exempt ambulances, fire tenders, judges, convoys of the President/Prime Minister/governor/chief minister and MPs.

Apart from this, they can exempt only those with Local Resident Passes (LRPs). But every day, at least 5,000 vehicles, which don't belong to any of these categories, are allowed to cross the toll without any fee, said a TNRDC official.

The contractual staff at Uthandi said that almost 75% among them were cars of local politicians, who hold some position in their parties. "If we were to stop and argue with them, it would lead to unnecessary trouble. Vehicles behind keep honking continuously and eventually it will cause traffic congestion. So, we have no other choice but to allow them," he said.

The TNRDC official in response said that they have sorted this out with the concerned agency and toll collection resumed in the afternoon. Besides contract staff, some of the full-time employees have also complained against TNRDC for improper pay deductions.

FREE FOR ALL: Uthandi toll plaza on Friday

Air travel seeing swift recovery: IndiGo CEO

Air travel seeing swift recovery: IndiGo CEO

Operating More Domestic Flights On Peak Travel Days Than Pre-Covid, Says Dutta

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:12.11.2021

India is witnessing a swift recovery in domestic air travel as the pandemic subsides. The country’s biggest airline IndiGo is now operating more domestic flights on peak travel days like weekends or holidays than it did before Covid, on the back of increased connections to smaller cities. But flight tickets could soon cost more as the combined pressure of rising jet fuel prices and falling rupee has reached a point where airlines need to pass on this hike in operating cost to passengers in terms of higher fares.

IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta said, “In pre-pandemic times, we had about 1,600 daily flights of which 400 to 450 were international. Currently, we have about 1,400 daily flights of which nearly 80 are international. (These numbers vary from lean to peak travel days.) The peaks are looking good. The government has allowed 100% domestic capacity and our bookings at this time are 90-95% of pre-Covid levels.”

But the incessant rise in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) or jet fuel prices and fall in rupee could now force airlines to increase fares to avoid going bust.

“Crude has gone from $43 a barrel last October to $84 now. We need some relief on taxes. Fares need to reflect higher fuel price, higher operating cost (added to by the falling rupee). Fuel is a problem and fares have to be brought higher,” Dutta said.

“Airlines around the world got some government help. We didn’t get any, which is fine. But excise on fuel (11%) and other indirect taxes in India are very high. Airlines pay 21% indirect tax and this is effectively the highest for any industry in India because we don’t get input tax credit on fuel. This needs to be softened as we are a critical infra player,” Dutta said.

Meanwhile, preparing for competition from Tata-Air India, IndiGo has ordered new “improved, softer and more comfortable seats” for its entire fleet. “The order has been placed for the new seats,” Dutta said.

IndiGo is going to start getting the Airbus A321 XLR (extra-long range) on which it will do up to seven-hour non-stops to cities like Tel Aviv, Milan and Dusseldorf. It is finalising the product for these flights that will include the new seats, ovens for hot meals and in-seat plug sockets so that passenger their keep personal electronic devices charged during the journey.

Anna University postpones orientation amid flood fury

Anna University postpones orientation amid flood fury

With rain unleashing its fury, engineering colleges in the State have postponed induction and orientation programmes scheduled for first-year students.

Published: 12th November 2021 05:17 AM 

By Binita Jaiswal

Express News Service

CHENNAI: With rain unleashing its fury, engineering colleges in the State have postponed induction and orientation programmes scheduled for first-year students. Anna University had chalked out a special induction programme this year to help students get acquainted with teachers and peers.

As part of the programme, Anna university had decided to conduct lectures on human values, yoga sessions, games and a campus tour for first-year students. However, due to the rains, the university was not able to organise any of these events.

“The induction programme was scheduled to conclude on November 13, but since Monday, we have not been able to conduct any of the activities. We are expecting the rains to stop on Friday, and then, we will have a meeting to decide when can we conduct the induction programme,” said Anna University Vice-Chancellor R Velraj.

Most of the 440 engineering colleges in TN also have plans to postpone their induction programmes. “We had plans to start classes from November 9, but rains played spoilsport. For the time being, we will continue with online classes,” said S Senthil, principal of a private engineering college in the city.

Power supply affected in central, north Chennai

Power supply affected in central, north Chennai

According to TANGEDCO data, as on Thursday noon, 44.2 lakh consumers in the city were without power supply.

Published: 12th November 2021 06:23 AM 

The Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam radial road goes under water after Narayanapuram lake fills up completely on Thursday | Ashwin Prasath

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Incessant rains since Wednesday evening resulted in power cuts in parts of central and north Chennai. As the streets were flooded, power had to be shut down as part of precautionary measures.

According to TANGEDCO data, as on Thursday noon, 44.2 lakh consumers in the city were without power supply. Minister of Electricity V Senthil Balaji inspected a few waterlogged areas on Thursday. “We have enough manpower to resume power within 24 hours. Instructions have been given and hospitals are prioritised,” he said.

Pulianthope, Perambur, West Mambalam, Velachery, Mudichur, and Madipakkam were among the worst-affected areas. “It is risky to resume power in those areas. Most of the complaints have been addressed,” said an TANGEDCO official Apart from the flooded areas, power was resumed for most of the areas by Thursday evening.

No more work gaps for spouses with H-4, L-2 visas

No more work gaps for spouses with H-4, L-2 visas

Lubna.Kably@timesgroup.com

12.11.2021

Thousands of spouses of non-immigrant visa holders such as H-1B and L-1 (held by those on intra-company transfers) will no longer have to fear employment gaps and resultant financial hardship, owing to delays in processing of their employment authorisation documents (EADs).

Dependants such as the spouse of an L-1 visa holder are issued a L-2 visa. H-4 visas are held by dependents, including the spouses of H-1B visa holders.

In a settlement agreement that was issued on Wednesday, pursuant to a class-action suit filed by 15 plaintiffs (majority of them being Indian spouses) against the department of homeland security (DHS), L-2 visa holders will enjoy automatic work authorisation ‘incident to status’. In other words, this means that spouses of those who are deputed to US on intra-company transfers will no longer have to apply for work authorisation prior to working in America.

Under the settlement with DHS’ immigration agency US Citizenship and Immigrant Services (USCIS), nearly a lakh Indian spouses of H-1B visa holders with employment authorisation documents (EADs) will get an automatic work extension for up to a maximum of six months. A detailed guidance note from the USCIS is expected in the coming weeks. An acute backlog in processing of EAD applications, which took upward of ten months, meant that many spouses who were gainfully employed, or even those who were self-employed (ranging from dentists to freelance graphic designers) found they could no longer work. Many, including those holding jobs in the technology sector, lost their jobs as their employers could not wait for months till their EAD was adjudicated. The problem was compounded because an EAD can be filed by an H-4 visa holder only six months prior to the expiry date of the current work authorisation document.

The settlement reverses a USCIS policy that prohibited H-4 spouses from benefiting from automatic extension of their employment authorisation during the pendency of standalone EAD applications. Under the terms of the settlement, H-4 visa holders who timely file their EAD renewals will qualify for an extension of up to 180 days.

Jesse Bless, AILA director of federal litigation, said: “Today marks a historic change for L-2 spouses who will now enjoy work authorisation incident to status. AILA’s membership has long advocated for the correct statutory interpretation and we’re delighted to have reached this agreement, which includes relief for H-4 spouses, through our litigation efforts.”

Under a settlement with USCIS, nearly one lakh Indian spouses of H-1B visa holders with employment authorisation documents will get an automatic work extension for up to a maximum of six months

Common entrance test for 41 central univs from next year

Common entrance test for 41 central univs from next year

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:12.11.2021

Shelved in 2021 due to the pandemic, the Union education ministry is finalising the details of the Central University Common Entrance Test (CUCET) to be conducted from 2022 for 41 central universities.

According to ministry sources, the details will be announced by December-end so that aspirants and institutions can start the preparations. The exams, as envisaged in the NEP 2020 are likely to be conducted twice a year. The computer-based common entrance test for the central universities, which includes the likes of JNU, BHU and DU, would comprise of three hours of testing divided into two sections --Common Aptitude Test (50 questions) and Domain Specific Test (30 questions each) and will eliminate the individual exams that many of the universities conduct presently.

According to sources in the MoE, the ministry is finalising the proposal based on the report of the committee set up by the UGC and the admissions to the central universities for the 2022-23 will be based on the CUCET score.

“The ministry is ready to implement the CUCET from 2022 as planned under the NEP 2020. The details and the dates will be worked out soon. The ministry is planning to announce the details as early as possible so that the candidates and universities get time to prepare,” said the official.

The official said education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has asked the officials to work on the recommendations of the UGC to roll out its implementation without any further delay. “The exams were scheduled for implementation from 2021 and the ground work was completed in March 2021. However, due to the lockdown it couldn’t happen,” said the official.

Tatas will take over Air India by the 3rd week of January: Scindia

Tatas will take over Air India by the 3rd week of January: Scindia

New Delhi:  12.11.2021

Soaring aviation turbine fuel prices have led to a 400% increase in Indian airlines’ operating cost in recent months. And had the government not recently raised domestic fare bands by 12.5% some months back, there “won’t have been any airline left for us to board”, Union aviation minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia said at the Times Now Summit 2021 on Thursday.

“We are seeing tremendous amount of green shoots. The last weekend saw a high of 3.8 lakh passengers daily, with the pre-Covid high being 4.2 lakh. So we are only 10% below the pre-Covid high. Almost 90% of (domestic) traffic has recovered. But it is important to be cautious,” he said.

He said Air India will be transferred to its new owner, the Tata Group, by the third week of January 2022. The country will next year also see a startup, Akasa, take to the skies along with a reborn Jet Airways. TOI had last week reported that January 23 is the “long stop date” by which Tatas have to take over the airline. TNN