Maternity protection right can’t be infringed, says HC

Maternity protection right can’t be infringed, says HC

K.Kaushik@timesgroup.com

Madurai:28.11.2021

Observing that the right to maternity protection cannot be infringed, the Madras high court directed the reinstatement of an anganwadi worker who was terminated from service for availing leave for more than seven months during her pregnancy.

Petitioner K R Kanimozhi, an anganwadi worker at Vadavanpatti village in Sivaganga district, had conceived twins through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) after being childless for 11 years. As doctors advised her bed rest for the entire gestation period, she submitted a leave letter during October 2013 and extended the leave periodically. She delivered in June 2014, but the authorities issued a showcause notice and subsequently terminated her from service in 2014 for absence of duty beyond six months citing a GO passed in 1995. She filed two petitions before the HC Madurai bench in 2014 challenging the termination order and seeking reinstatement with monetary benefits.

The authorities in their counter stated that she had availed of 229 days leave, which attracted termination having exceeded six months.

The judge observed that as per Rule 18(1) of the Tamil Nadu Government Fundamental Rules, the employee is entitled to take leave exceeding six months on production of medical certificate. Since the petitioner had produced a medical certificate, she is also entitled to relief under the provision. Hence, the judge set aside the termination order and directed the authorities to reinstate her in service forthwith.

100 sub-registrar offices deemed ‘most sensitive’

100 sub-registrar offices deemed ‘most sensitive’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:28.11.2021

A total of 100 sub registrar offices (SRO) spread over the state have been identified as the most sensitive offices, where sub registrars cannot continuously function for more than one year as the registration department has introduced categorisation of the SROs. The new guidelines have been rolled out with an aim to arrest irregularities during registrations.

Out of the100 'most sensitive' SROs, 38 are located in Chennai zone comprising the city, Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts. Some 200 SROs are categorised as sensitive offices, and 275 as normal offices. A sub registrar will work in the most sensitive SRO for a year, followed by three years at normal offices, before being posted in a sensitive SRO, as per the new norms. The categorisation is based on the volume of documents registered and revenue generated in the respective SROs. The move is aimed at averting registration officials preferring to work in high income generating urban centres, which is leading to competition among them, enhancing transparency and eradicating irregularities during registrations, a government order said.

In a recent government order, registration secretary B Jothi Nirmalasamy said that sub registrars must work in sensitive and normal SROs for a period two and three years, respectively. On the other hand, the state government has decided to accord administrative sanction for providing two more IP cameras in the record rooms in all the 575 SROs at an estimated cost of Rs5.97 crores. It is aimed at curtailing the movement of touts and arrest illegal activities, another government order said, adding that the IP camera facility was conceived with various objectives including remote monitoring of activities of SROs from the headquarters and respective zonal offices. Currently, SROs have three IP cameras installed including the entrance.

The move is aimed at averting registration officials preferring to work in high income generating urban centres, which is leading to competition among them

Rain to ease from Tuesday onwards

Rain to ease from Tuesday onwards

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:28.11.2021

The city will experience heavy rain for one more day before it subsides to light spells of rain for the rest of the week.

A met department forecast for the city and the suburbs said that thunderstorms with heavy rain are likely to occur for the next 24 hours.

After this, the rain will reduce into light to moderate showers in some areas. It may remain so till Wednesday after which there is a possibility of a dry spell till a new system is formed in the Bay of Bengal.

The met department has said that a low pressure area is likely to form over south Andaman Sea around November 30. "It is likely to become more marked and move west-northwestwards during subsequent 48 hours," the forecast said. However, the system is not likely to bring rain to Chennai as per the current forecast. The met department says that it may bring rain over north coastal Andhra and Odisha from December 3.

There was intermittent heavy rain throughout the day on Sunday. The southern suburbs received the maximum rain causing inundation in many neighbourhoods. and Meenambakkam 61mm, West Tambaram received 42.5mm, Chennai received 11mm rain. Nungambakkam 9.8 mm Anna University 20mm, MRC Nagar 21mm, Taramani 22 and Nandanam 17mm.

Private weather bloggers said that there will be intermittent rain till Wednesday but there will not be intense spells. The heavy rain is shifting to the southern districts.

The city is receiving rain due to the impact of a cyclonic circulation over the Comorin area and Sri Lanka.

Parts of OMR flooded, Thazhambur cut off

Parts of OMR flooded, Thazhambur cut off

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:28.11.2021

Traffic was disrupted in some parts of OMR and Thazhambur, off the IT corridor, was cut off on Sunday after excess rainwater from water bodies spilled on to roads. While at least four locations between Semmencherry and Kalavakkam were flooded, roads in Thazhambur were under almost six ft of water.

Water bodies breached. Water from the Padur lake ran over OMR from west to east, slowing down traffic, while Semmencherry was waterlogged and motorists took the service road. The stretch near Kelambakkam came under a thick sheet of water. Social media platforms were flooded with videos of OMR turning into a stream and part of the bridge near Kelambakkam developing cracks.

S Vasudevan, councillor of Muttukadu panchayat, said the road from Padur to Kelambakkam was inundated, inconveniencing motorists, particularly two-wheeler riders. “A street at Padur has been dug to facilitate the movement of water from a lake that had entered the area and which is flowing on OMR,” he said.

At Thazhambur, about 7km north of Padur, the entire area was under a thick sheet of water. C R Raghunathan, a resident, said the area which is homes to about 10,000 people was cut off from the rest of the city. “There is no boat service available to ferry the locals," he said.

Chengalpet administration officials said buses and tractors are available to ferry people. Pointing out that there is a missing link of 300 metres of water channel, an official said steps are being taken to construct a culvert to avert flooding.

NO RESPITE: A flooded stretch on OMR near Sathyabama University in Chennai on Sunday

₹17L bribe for AE job: EPS’s PA arrested

₹17L bribe for AE job: EPS’s PA arrested

Senthil.Kumaran@timesgroup.com

Salem:28.11.2021

The Salem district crime branch police on Sunday arrested G Mani alias Nadupatty Mani, 50, the political personal assistant of former CM Edappadi K Palaniswami, for allegedly taking ₹17 lakh as bribe from a man by promising him government job.

According to police, the accused, who has been EPS’s assistant for more than 10 years, was arrested based on a complaint lodged on October 24 by G Tamilselvan, 29, of Neyveli.

Tamilselvan in his complaint said he handed over ₹17 lakh to Mani and K Selvakumar, 45, an AIADMK functionary from Kadayampatty, after they promised him assistant engineer job with the Tamil Nadu transport corporation. But they reneged on their promise.

Search on for AIADMK cadre Selvakumar

When Tamilselvan wanted his money back, they paid him just ₹4 lakh and also threatened him, the complaint said. “Based on Tamilselvan’s complaint, the district crime branch police registered a case under sections 120B (punishment for criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of IPC and initiated an inquiry,” DCB DSP A V Elamurugan said. “We arrested Mani at his house near Deevattipatti on Sunday morning,” the DSP said, adding that they are searching for Selvakumar. A few days ago, the Salem district court dismissed an bail moved by Mani. Meanwhile, state secretary of CPI R Mutharasan on Sunday urged the state government to initiate an inquiry with the former chief minister. “These irregularities wouldn’t have happened without his knowledge,” he said.

Amid rapid Omicron spread, India ups travel surveillance

Amid rapid Omicron spread, India ups travel surveillance

Flyers From ‘At Risk’ Nations Must Quarantine

29.11.2021

With the proposed resumption of international flights on December 15 under review, the government issued fresh guidelines on Sunday, mandating RT-PCR test on arrival for all passengers from Covid at-risk countries. While those testing positive will be isolated and their samples sent for genomic testing, those testing negative will have to home-quarantine for a week and test on the eighth day.

As of November 26, the list of at-risk countries include European nations, the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel. Flyers also have to declare their travel details for the past 14 days.

The Centre has asked states and UTs to focus on containment, surveillance and increased vaccination.

The new norms came on a day when the new variant surfaced in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Australia and more countries tightened travel restrictions. Israel barred entry to foreigners and approved controversial phone-tracking of contacts. Indonesia and Saudi Arabia too imposed curbs. While South Africa questioned the “act first, ask questions later” approach of the global community, calling it a blow to its economy, the European Union said it needed to buy time. AGENCIES

6x more transmissible than Delta: Experts

Based on preliminary analysis, experts suggest Omicron has six times higher potential to spread (R value) than the Delta variant. The 32 spike mutations suggest it could evade tests and be more transmissible, said Dr Vinod Scaria of the Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology. Experts fear it may not respond to monoclonal antibody therapy.

'நீட்' கலந்தாய்வு தாமதத்துக்கு கண்டனம் டாக்டர்கள் இன்று முதல் வேலைநிறுத்தம்

'நீட்' கலந்தாய்வு தாமதத்துக்கு கண்டனம் டாக்டர்கள் இன்று முதல் வேலைநிறுத்தம்

Added : நவ 26, 2021 22:17

புதுடில்லி:முதுநிலை மருத்துவப் பட்டப் படிப்பில் ஓ.பி.சி., எனப்படும் இதர பிற்படுத்தப்பட்ட பிரிவினருக்கு 27 சதவீதமும், பொருளாதாரத்தில் பின்தங்கியோருக்கு 10 சதவீதமும் இட ஒதுக்கீடு வழங்க அரசாணை பிறப்பிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

பொருளாதாரத்தில் பின்தங்கியோருக்கான இட ஒதுக்கீடு பெறுவதற்கான வரு வாய் உச்ச வரம்பு, ஆண்டுக்கு 8 லட்சம் ரூபாயாக நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இது தொடர்பான வழக்கை விசாரித்த உச்ச நீதிமன்றம் 'எந்த அடிப்படையில் இந்த உச்ச வரம்பு நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது' என, ஏற்கனவே கேள்வி எழுப்பி இருந்தது.

இந்த வழக்கு நீதிபதிகள் டி.ஒய்.சந்திரசூட், சூர்யகாந்த், விக்ரம் நாத் அமர்வில் விசாரணைக்கு வந்தது. அப்போது மத்திய அரசு சார்பில் ஆஜரான சொலிசிட்டர் ஜெனரல் துஷார் மேத்தா கூறியதாவது:வருவாய் உச்ச வரம்பு நிர்ணயம் தொடர்பாக மறு ஆய்வு செய்ய புதிய குழு அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. பதிலளிக்க நான்கு வாரங்கள் அவகாசம் அளிக்க வேண்டும். அதுவரை முதுகலை மருத்துவ மாணவர் சேர்க்கைக்கான கலந்தாய்வை ஒத்தி வைக்க அனுமதிக்க வேண்டும். இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.இதை ஏற்ற நீதிபதிகள், வழக்கு விசாரணையை ஜனவரிக்கு ஒத்தி வைத்தனர்.

இது டாக்டர்கள் மத்தியில் சலசலப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியது.முதுநிலை மருத்துவப் படிப்புக்கான கலந்தாய்வு மற்றும் சேர்க்கை நடைமுறைகளை விரைவாக நடத்தி முடிக்கும்படி மத்திய அரசு மற்றும் உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்திடம், இந்திய டாக்டர்கள் சங்க கூட்டமைப்பு கோரிக்கை விடுத்து உள்ளது.

இது குறித்து இந்திய டாக்டர்கள் சங்க கூட்டமைப்பு வெளியிட்டுள்ள அறிக்கை:கொரோனா தொற்று பரவல் துவங்கியதில் இருந்து டாக்டர்கள் கடுமையான பணிச்சுமைக்கு ஆளாகி உள்ளனர். இது அவர்களை உடல் மற்றும் மன அளவில் ஏற்கனவே சோர்வுஅடைய செய்து உள்ளது.முதுநிலை மருத்துவப் படிப்புக்கான, 'நீட்' தேர்வில் தேர்ச்சி பெற்ற எம்.பி.பி.எஸ்., டாக்டர்கள், உயர் படிப்பில் சேர காத்திருக்கின்றனர்.

உச்ச நீதிமன்ற விசாரணை ஒத்திவைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளதால், அவர்கள் மன உளைச்சலுக்கு ஆளாகி உள்ளனர். கலந்தாய்வு உடனடியாக நடத்தப்பட வேண்டும்.இதற்கு தீர்வு கிடைக்கும் வரை நாடு முழுதும் உள்ள புற நோயாளிகள் பிரிவில் பணியாற்றும் டாக்டர்கள், இன்று முதல் வேலை நிறுத்தத்தில் ஈடுபட முடிவு செய்யப்பட்டு உள்ளது. இவ்வாறு அதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.