Patients at Kancheepuram PHC told to buy syringes from private shops
The 24-hour Urban PHC was also functioning without doctor on the busy day. Some of the regular cases were attended by the nurse and the pharmacist there. Some patients were send back.

Published: 15th January 2019 06:52 AM 

Image used for representational purpose only

By Sinduja Jane

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Patients at the Urban Primary Health Centre at Mangadu in Kancheepuram district were made to buy syringes from private medical shops around the centre on Monday as the doctor also stayed away from attending the patients.

In the absence of a duty doctor in the 24-hour health centre, a nurse and a pharmacist were attending to patients who were queued up in one of the busiest centres. “I was told to buy a syringe at a private medical shop, so I went and bought a syringe at a nearby pharmacy,” said a 60-year-old woman in the area.

When asked about it, the officials claimed it happened only on Monday as insulin syringes stock was over just then and the nurse had no other option but to make the patients buy from a medical shop.


Speaking to Express, Dr T Senthil Kumar, Deputy Director of Health Services, said, “The patients were asked to buy only insulin syringes as that stock was over. Usually, we make local purchase and stock it, but I was told by the nurse when I inquired that the regular supplier didn’t come for the last two days as it is festival time or so. So, as there was no stock, the nurse said she asked the patients to buy. However, there are enough stocks at the nearby Block Primary Health Centre in Kundrathur.

The nurse could have sent someone and got from there, but she failed to do that.” He denied it was a regular business at the centre.

The 24-hour Urban PHC was also functioning without doctor on the busy day. Some of the regular cases were attended by the nurse and the pharmacist there. Some patients were send back.

“My daughter is having fever for the last three days. I came here to check with the doctor and thought of doing a blood test. But, I was told only the doctor can prescribe the test and so, there was no point waiting here,” said a mother who visited the centre.

When asked about absence of doctor, Senthil Kumar said, “On an average, the PHC gets close to 400 cases every day. So, we posted two medical officers. One senior medical officer went on leave, and the other medical officer who lives close by kept visiting the centre now and then due to some personal commitments,” he added.

Regular affair in PHSs?

A medical officer, who worked in a PHC in the State, said that nurses attending patients is a regular affair in many of the PHCs. “In the absence of doctors, the nurse will just distribute tablets and administer injection to old patients, who come with their previous treatment history record at the centre,” he said

A 24-hour health centre

The local people said that since the Mangadu Urban PHC is a 24-hour centre, the lone medical officer has to take care of the affairs in the night also. Deliveries are also conducted in the centre and it is a busy centre, they said

Big stores happily violate plastic ban in Chennai

When Express visited T-Nagar Saravana Stores on Sunday, staff were seen handing out plastic bags of varying sizes depending on purchases.

Published: 14th January 2019 06:46 AM 

A customer walking away with her purchases packed in a plastic cover from T-Nagar Saravana Stores, in Chennai on Sunday | P Jawahar

By SV KRISHNA CHAITANYA & NIRUPAMA 

VISWANATHAN

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Does the plastic ban apply only to small and medium scale vendors? While the city Corporation is taking smaller stores to task for not following the ban, retail giants such as Saravana Stores and Jeyachandran Stores are distributing plastic bags generously to their customers.

When Express visited T-Nagar Saravana Stores on Sunday, staff were seen handing out plastic bags of varying sizes depending on purchases.

When asked about the ban, senior staff at the store said: “This is only for today... We are giving away plastic bags to clear off stock. After that we will use 100 per cent compostable bags that are organic,” the staff said. Similarly, a senior staff of Jeyachandran stores in Usman road said that he has received orders from superiors to give away plastic bags until today. Pongal shopping rush was high on Sunday.


"We will be switching to cloth bags after this. The plastic bags are being used only for one day today," the staff said. Single-use, non-biodegradable plastic bags have been banned in the State since January 1.

The stores giving out plastic bags were counting on an exemption from strict enforcement owing to Pongal shopping rush. “We have requested officials for some leeway during Pongal sales and they have agreed,” claimed the Saravana Stores store manager.

Corporation officials denied the claims. "No such exemptions have been given to anyone. Inspections are going on in the premises of violators," said a senior Corporation official.

The Corporation, on Thursday alone, seized 5,121 kg of banned plastic from all 15 zones. A senior Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) official said that the onus was on the civic body to carry out strict enforcement of the ban. Can they rein in the big stores?

Technical glitch makes VTU students write exam late

STAFF REPORTER

BENGALURU, JANUARY 15, 2019 00:00 IST

Students of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi, who appeared for the semester examination were made to wait for around one-and-a-half hours as there was a technical snag in the VTU server at its headquarters in Belagavi. There was a delay in the question papers reaching the students as the question papers are delivered online.

Students who were scheduled to appear for the afternoon session of the exam at 2 p.m. were made to wait till around 3.30 p.m. in some centres.

Satish Annigeri, Registrar (Evaluation) of VTU said: “We are using a new software and there was no problem for all the other examinations. Monday was the last day of the regular examinations and we had a small technical glitch.”

He did not elaborate on the exact nature of the problem, citing confidentiality reasons.

KGF reference

Many students who wrote the compulsory Kannada paper were surprised to find a reference from the recently released blockbuster - K.G.F.: Chapter 1 in their question paper.

Major fire in women’s hostel in Chennai

R. Sivaraman

JANUARY 15, 2019 00:00 IST

Risky abode:Police suspect that the fire at the hostel in Choolaimedu was the result of a short-circuit.

Short circuit suspected to be the cause

Five women, one of whom was pregnant, were rescued from the bathroom of a women’s hostel in Choolaimedu after a fire broke out in the two-storeyed building on Monday morning.

According to the police, the fire broke out on the first floor of Sri Dhanshika Lady’s Hostel, located on Third Street, Choolaimedu.

About 30 working women stay in the hostel. On Monday, only 10 were on the premises as the others had left for their home towns for Pongal.

Short-circuit to blame

Police suspect that the fire was the result of a short-circuit in a hall on the first floor. The blaze spread fast and the five women could not get out of the hall due to the flames and thick smoke.

Panic-stricken, the women locked themselves inside a bathroom. One of them called the hostel owner on her mobile, while another called a friend. The hostel owner, Mahesh, came with a fire-extingusher and tried to put out the fire. The neighbours called up the fire control room for assistance.

Fire and Rescue Service personnel led by Fire Officer M. Arifa reached the spot immediately. As the street is narrow, the water tenders could not enter the street. After much difficulty, the fire service personnel managed to spray water on the building to douse the flames.

The Fire Officer told The Hindu , “After putting out the fire, we managed to enter the premises surrounded by thick smoke. On reaching the first floor, we searched every room. We found five women in a bathroom. One of them was pregnant and unconscious. I physically lifted her and brought her down.”

The rescued inmates, Vidya, Kavitha, Pavithra, Ranjitha and Ayana, sustained minor burns. The owner of the hostel has been admitted to Kilpauk Government College Hospital with 41% burns.

Rules flouted

Senior police officers inspected the spot. “The building has no fire-fighting equipment, which is mandatory. We have registered a case of accidental fire. We are investigating whether the premises had the necessary licence and followed procedures. If there is any violation, we will take action against the owner,” a senior police officer said.

Rare Egyptian vulture spotted at Kannankurichi Lake

STAFF REPORTER

SALEM, JANUARY 15, 2019 00:00 IST



A rare and endangered Egyptian vulture, Neophron percnopterus spotted in Salem.

A rare and critically endangered Egyptian vulture, Neophron percnopterus, was spotted in Kannankurichi Lake here recently.

A. Kasi Viswanathan, a birder, spotted and photographed a lone juvenile Egyptian vulture soaring above the lake.

He said that it was totally an unexpected sighting as they look very different in juvenile and adult phases of life.

The adult bird looked dirty white with bare yellowish face and had black flight feathers. The juvenile bird looked all black and attained the adult plumage as it matured, he added.

Vulture conservationist S. Bharathidasan of Arulagam that works towards the conservation of fauna and flora in the State said that the population of Egyptian vultures was more than crows several decades ago. However, their numbers dropped alarmingly and today it was the rarest resident vulture species in the State. Apart from feeding on dead animal carcasses, these vultures feed on larvae in the cow dung.

S.V. Ganeshwar of Salem Ornithological Foundation said the other and only evidence for previous published sighting of the Egyptian vulture around Salem comes from a statement in the Vernay Scientific Survey of the Eastern Ghats, conducted in 1929 that reported a single bird on the Chitteri plateau. “Today, most of the Chitteri range falls outside Salem’s boundaries,” he added.

Mr. Kasi Viswanathan said the sighting was uploaded in eBird, an international database to document birds and was approved by ornithologists.

HC asks school to pardon student

STAFF REPORTER

MADURAI, JANUARY 15, 2019 00:00 IST

The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has asked the school authorities to pardon a boy who allegedly threw ink at his teacher during an examination.

The mother of a Class XI student from Sivaganga moved the court after he was issued a transfer certificate.

The woman said her son’s ink pen had stopped writing and when he tapped the pen, ink splashed on to the trousers of the invigilator, who complained to the school authorities, terming it a deliberate act.

Following this, the Headmaster issued a transfer certificate.

KMCH performs heart transplantation

STAFF REPORTER

COIMBATORE, JANUARY 15, 2019 00:00 IST

Kovai Medical Center and Hospital (KMCH) recently performed a heart transplantation on a 26-year-old man from Erode.

The patient was brought to the hospital with only a 15 % heart function, as he had dilated cardio-myopathy, a condition wherein the heart muscle is too weak to pump blood.

Cardio-thoracic surgeon Prashant Vaijyanath and interventional cardiologist R. Sureshkumar examined the patient and concluded that a heart transplantation was the only solution.

The transplantation was performed last week when the hospital was allotted a heart donated from a brain dead person through the Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu. The transplantation was done free of cost as it was covered under the Chief Minister’s ComprehensiveHealth Insurance Scheme.

Chairman of KMCH Nalla G. Palaniswami said the entire process, right from harvesting the heart from the brain dead person to the transplantation, had to be done within a short span of time.

Website open for NEET application corrections

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, JANUARY 15, 2019 00:00 IST

Portal can be made use of till Jan. 31

The National Testing Agency has opened its website for candidates to correct errors they may have inadvertently committed while filling the forms for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) 2019.

The facility will be available on the NTA  websitewww.ntaneet.nic.in from 11 a.m. on January 14 to 11.50 p.m. on January 31.

The sale of applications for UG NEET began on November 1 and the last date was December 7. The NTA notification, signed by Senior Director NEET (UG), NTA, informs that a one-time correction facility has been provided to candidates to amend their online application form.

Candidates must pay additional fee while making the correction in gender and category. Aspirants have been advised to visit the NTA website for guidelines.

Candidates must pay additional fee for making corrections to gender and category

Engineering colleges struggle as number of admissions decrease

R. Sujatha

CHENNAI, JANUARY 15, 2019 00:00 IST

Dip in placements and faculty attrition plague institutions around the State

In the last five years, many engineering colleges affiliated to Anna University have seen their admission plummet from 10% to 50% or more.

While some colleges in rural areas have shut down, the seats of top ranked institutions get filled in the first few days of admission. Meanwhile, the middle-rung engineering colleges, where admission has fallen by about 30%, are trying to find ways to survive.

College administrators blame it on several factors, primarily on ranking of institutions by the Anna University, AICTE norms, faculty attrition and lack of interest from industries/companies to collaborate. K.S. Roopa, chief executive officer, Dhanalakshmi College of Engineering, said, “Students don’t flock to our college despite us improving on the placements. We placed 73 out of 200 employable students this year. Last year, only 38 students got jobs. But the ranking based on academic performance is telling on admission. This year we managed only 50% admission.” SKR Engineering College faces similar situation. “About 60-70% of the graduates get placement annually but admission has fallen to 350 against the intake of 500,” Divya Satish, a Computer Science professor, said.

‘Introspect, equip’

Experts say fortunes of these institutions can change only if they introspect and converse among themselves. TeamLease Digital’s business head Supaul Chanda cited the World Bank report that India lags in engineering education. “There are sufficient jobs for engineers provided they are equipped for it,” he said.

His suggestions are simple: involve the alumni in college activities; encourage teachers to publish papers and take up projects; and assess students’ aptitude periodically for the chosen branch of study. Rajendran Dandapani, Business Solutions Evangelist at Zoho Corporation, called attention to small details such as teachers maintaining communication channels among themselves.

Changes on the way

The same concept applies to college owners, feels P. Ravikumar of Digiterati. “Institution owners will benefit if they interact among themselves, communicate and converse, instead of living in denial,” he noted.

Some institution managers have begun reviewing their organisations though. R.S.K. Raguram, pro-chairman, PSNA College of Engineering and Technology, admits to a 10% dip in admission. He now plans assessment tests for students.

“Companies don’t want to waste time. They leave as the prospects are better elsewhere,” said A. Kanagaraj, chairman, Jaya group of institutions. He has realised that industry sees no point in collaborating and that faculty attrition has impacted campus placement.

Companies don’t want to waste time. They leave as the prospects are better elsewhere

A. Kanagaraj

Chairman, Jaya group of institutions

Brain works backwards to retrieve memories

London:15.01.2019

When we remember a past event, the human brain reconstructs that experience in reverse order, according to a study.

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, reconstructed the memory retrieval process, using brain decoding techniques.

These techniques make it possible to track when in time a unique memory is being reactivated in the brain, said researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK.

Understanding more precisely how the brain retrieves information could help better assess the reliability of eye witness accounts, for example of crime scenes, where people often are able to recall the overall ‘gist’ of an event, but recall specific visual details less reliably.

They found that, when retrieving information about a visual object, the brain focuses first on the core meaning — recovering the ‘gist’ — and only afterwards recalls more specific details.

When we initially see a complex object, it is the visual details — patterns and colours — that we perceive first. Abstract, meaningful information that tells us the nature of the object we are looking at, whether it is a dog, a guitar, or a cup, for example, comes later.

During the study, participants saw images of specific objects, and then learned to associate each image with a unique reminder word. They were later asked to reconstruct the image in as much detail as possible with the help of reminer words and brain activity was recorded throughout the task through electrodes attached to the scalp, allowing the researchers to observe changes in brain patterns with millisecond precision. PTI

A 25-year enmity was over in 25 minutes

Raja Bose, Subhash Mishra & Pervez Iqbal Siddiqui TNN

15.01.2019

He has just sealed a historic alliance with Mayawati after 25 years of bitter rivalry between Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Now, SP president Akhilesh Yadav says if intentions are noble and the approach honest, even the unthinkable can be achieved.

“In just 25 minutes, we put behind a 25-year-old enmity. This was during our meeting in Delhi on January 4, where we firmed up the seat-sharing formula,” said Akhilesh Yadav in an interview to TOIon Monday, his first after formally announcing the SP-BSP alliance on Saturday.

Akhilesh said he met Mayawati just once between the time the two parties fought together to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections in Gorakhpur and Phoolpur in March 2018 and the January 4 meeting.

He said that the alliance is so formidable and effective that it can bring down not only the BJP government at the Centre but also the Yogi government in the state. “Apart from the alliance’s strength, what will make this happen is the state of farmers, who are in distress,” said Akhilesh. UP chief minister may have ridiculed the alliance a number of times, but Akhilesh said it wasn’t easy to provoke him. “I cannot stoop low like Yogi does, using foul language against me and Mayawati,” he said.

He refused comment on the CBI reportedly dragging his name into UP’s mining scam but said: “I’m told that while CBI officers were not willing to drag me into it, there was pressure to include a line in the FIR that the role of ministers who held the mining portfolio should also be looked into.” When asked where the pressure came from, Akhilesh said, “We all know who is above the CBI.”

The SP chief does not see the age-old rivalry between the two parties as impediment to the coalition’s success. “SP and BSP contested each other for decades. But now we’re united. To bolster this, I’ve made it clear to SP workers that any insult to Mayawati is akin to insulting me,” he said. He also refuted allegations that the coalition was founded on caste factors.

EXERTING CONFIDENCE

‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy moves SC for CBI probe

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:15.01.2019

Two days after a journalist made sensational allegations about Kodanad Estate burglary and murder, social activist K R ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy has moved the Supreme Court seeking CBI probe into the crimes.

Ramaswamy wanted the court to call for the records available with the state police on Kodanad Estate robbery and deaths, and transfer the probe to CBI to ensure fair and independent investigation.

“The agency of state police investigating the instant criminal case is in total control of chief minister who is alleged to have involved in the crime. When the fact is so, a proper, fair and transparent probe by the state agency cannot be expected,” Ramaswamy said.

In a recent press statement, the chief minister has denied the allegation and has said proper police action will be taken against the persons who made the allegations. This statement itself will prove that there is no scope for a fair investigation by state police, Ramaswamy said.

Justifying his locus standi to seek such a relief, the social activist said: “Article 32 of the Constitution empowers the apex court either suo motu or on an application made by any aggrieved citizen to seek remedy for CBI investigation of a criminal case in which an influential person like chief minister is involved. It is a fundamental right of free and fair investigation and trial over crime against the society.”

He further submitted that it was settled law that any aggrieved citizen could set the criminal law in motion and ask for impartial investigation, if in case, the investigating agency of state failed to ensure fair probe. Thus, Ramaswamy said, he had locus standi to seek free and fair investigation.

The plea, filed in the apex court, is likely to be taken up for hearing soon.

In April 2017, a security guard of Kodanad tea estate, a favourite summer retreat of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, was murdered during a break-in. Subsequent probe revealed that her former driver C Kanagaraj and K V Sayan were behind the crime. Some articles alleged to have stolen from the estate were recovered and 10 persons were arrested in connection with the crime.

On January 11, journalist Samuel Mathew released a video alleging involvement of present chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in the incidents.


CALL FOR ACTION: K R Ramaswamy wanted the court to call for the records available with the state police on Kodanad Estate robbery and deaths, and transfer the probe to CBI

Railway booking clerks fleece passengers in a hurry

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:15-01-2019

During raids conducted at various ticket booking offices across Tamil Nadu from Friday to Sunday, officials from Southern Railway’s vigilance department have stumbled upon a scam where a section of booking clerks were found to be making money by cheating passengers who bought unreserved tickets and were leaving in a hurry.

During festival breaks such as Pongal, the queues at the unreserved ticket counters swell as migrant labourers travel back home to northern and eastern states. Buying a ticket takes at least 30-45 minutes due to peak rush.

Sources said booking clerks capitalise on the rush and the illiteracy of the labourers to pocket a part of the loose change that is to be returned to them. The lack of a fare list to frequent destinations at Central and Egmore also plays to their advantage. 90% of railway’s passengers travel in the unreserved segment.

Railway sources said two of the five railway employees under scanner in the Chennai Central parcel scam were among those who were found with ‘excess cash’ of ₹200-₹500 at the Moore Market Complex (MMC) booking office by vigilance officials. Booking clerks and ticket checkers are not supposed to have any undeclared cash during work hours. Any cash on them is construed as a bribe taken, sources said.

Another modus operandi followed by these clerks is to print tickets on separate paper sheets. While up to four tickets can be printed on the same sheet, only two or three are booked deliberately and the clerk would pocket the difference for 4 tickets, said sources. A third way is to levy superfast charges even when the train isn’t one.

The earning potential for a single shift is around ₹5,000 said a senior officer-bearer of an employees union, who has worked as a supervisor in Central’s booking office.

“This is why only particular chosen ones manage to get posts at booking offices,” he added.

Sources said booking clerks capitalise on the rush and the illiteracy of the labourers to pocket a part of the loose change that is to be returned to them

Moves on to resume MBBS admission at Kannur Medical College 

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

Published Jan 10, 2019, 1:35 am IST

The medical college management now claims that the amount as per the Supreme Court order has been returned to all students. 


 
Kannur Medical College

KANNUR: Efforts are on to resume the MBBS course at Kannur Medical College at Ancharakkandi near here which had lost its recognition for MBBS course last year. As part of this, a high-power committee from the Kerala University for Health Sciences will examine the facilities at the medical college before January 15, according to sources in the medical college.

The Medical Council team would visit the college to assess the improved facilities, faculty and other credentials only if the health varsity authorities give green signal for the medical college. The key issue faced by the medical college is lack of sufficient patients, according to sources. Various steps are on to attract more patients to the hospital including announcing treatment free of cost for next two weeks.

The Medical Council had denied permission to run MBBS courses this year as there were proven cases of corruption and irregularities in the admission process of students to the MBBS course in 2016-2017 academic year. The admission procedures of this year were stopped as the management failed to return the double amount of the fee and deposit remitted by the students at the time of admission as per the order of the Supreme Court.

The medical college management now claims that the amount as per the Supreme Court order has been returned to all students. However, about 20 students are yet to give it in writing that they had received the amount. The rest had given in writing on stamp papers that they had received the amount in tune with the SC directive and have no complaints against the management. The monitoring committee appointed by the Supreme Court had first given a report to the court that the college management had failed to obey the order of the SC on repaying double amount received from students at the time of admission.

Ria George, a student who lost her MBBS chance, had approached the Supreme Court demanding a compensation of Rs 2 crore from the management. The SC would consider the petition on January 25. Though the case was filed about two months back the management is yet to submit an affidavit at the court in the petition.

AICTE approval must for deemed-to-be universities: Supreme Court order

The All India Council for Technical Education is the statutory body and a national-level council for technical education, under Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development


 
India Today Web Desk New DelhiDecember 3, 2017UPDATED: 
December 3, 2017 11:54 IST


 
AICTE approval for deemed to be universities

Following the recent direction of the Supreme Court, the UGC has issued fresh guidelines to all deemed-to-be universities asking them to abide by AICTE norms for technical and engineering education.

It was felt that deemed universities used to take their own decision on matters like increasing seats or starting a new course as there was no regulating authority.

All these years, such universities had been reporting to the University Grants Commission (UGC). Earlier, the Supreme Court held that the engineering degrees obtained through correspondence courses from deemed universities in the past 16 years were invalid.
Here's what the Chairman of AICTE said:

"It has been noted that some deemed-to-be universities, which are offering technical, engineering, architecture and pharmacy courses, are not following AICTE rules." Dr Anil Sahasrabudhe told Indian Express.

What does the decision say?

Such universities have to apply to their regulatory body even for increasing seats or starting a new course or the degrees they offer will be suspended

Degrees offered by deemed to be universities for technical and engineering courses through distance mode stands suspended
Such universities are not allowed to offer technical or engineering course through distance mode according to AICTE and UGC norms

In Karnataka, there are over five deemed-to-be universities which are offering technical courses. They include Sri Siddartha Academy for Higher Education, Tumakuru; KLE Institute, Belagavi; JSS Institute, Mysuru and Manipal Institute, Manipal.

Girl in financial trouble finds a sympathetic ear 

Special Correspondent 
 
COIMBATORE, January 14, 2019 00:00 IST


 
M. Vinothini’s ear-piercing ceremony being conducted at the Panchayat Union Elementary School in Ramachettipalayam.

Grand ear-piercing ceremony organised for fourth-grader by NGO, teachers in Ramachettipalayam

M. Vinothini, 9, will remember January 10, 2019, for more than the ear-piercing ceremony held for her at her school, the Panchayat Union Elementary School in Ramachettipalayam, Coimbatore district. The fourth-grader, dressed in her favourite pink, was the star of the function held at about 11.30 a.m. in the presence of her grandmother Pappammal, and her classmates, schoolmates and teachers, led by headmistress G. Kousalya and members of NGO Pasiyara Soru.

That morning, Ms. Vinothini walked beside her grandmother and neighbours, while 15 of her schoolmates had carried a ‘seer thattu’ (ceremonial presents) in a procession from her home to the school.

It all began when the NGO's founder Rajasethumurali happened to visit the girl on the eve of Deepavali in 2018. He recalled, “On learning of Vinothini's poor economic background, I went to her house, gave her a dress, sweets and firecrackers for Deepavali. I noticed that her ears were not pierced and decided to hold a function in as grand a manner as her father would have organised.”

Mr. Rajasethumurali picked January 10 because he organised functions on this day in memory of a girl who had died of AIDS.

Pasiyara Soru members then met Ms. Vinothini’s teachers, who not only wanted to join in but also helped him secure permission for holding the function at the school. “I was particular that the function was held at the school because it would help increase enrolment,” Mr. Rajasethumurali said.

The headmistress, Ms. Kousalya, said, “We were excited but we wanted permission from the higher authorities. Block Education Officer Ms. Tamilselvi helped and also participated.”

“We, the teachers, pooled in around Rs. 2,000, which we used for buying Vinothini a silk pattu paavadai (silk garment) in her favourite colour,” she added. The teachers are also planning to raise money to have it deposited in a post office account in Ms. Vinothini's name.

Pasiyara Soru took care of the cost of a pair of gold earrings weighing nearly 1.5 gm, a dress for Ms. Vinothini, and a feast for the 169 students, teachers and participants.

“I was able to do whatever I did because a lot of individuals and institutions donated money,” said the NGO's founder Rajasethumurali.

Delay in finishing culvert hits MRTS commuters 

R. Srikanth 
 
CHENNAI, January 14, 2019 00:00 IST

Official says they are yet to take a soil test, after which tenders will be floated

The delay in completing a culvert linking the two sides of the service road along the railway track of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) between Velachery and Taramani railway stations is forcing hundreds of motorists to take a detour via residential areas.

The Southern Railway planned the service road along the railway track to provide easy connectivity between the three railway stations of Velachery, Perungudi and Taramani, way back in 2008.

Several delays

But the project has seen inordinate delays. Even after the railway completed the major portion of the 3.40-km road, the two sides of the road could not be linked because of the delay in the construction of the culvert near the Velachery railway station.

The culvert is important for facilitating rainwater to drain into the Pallikaranai marshland. The Southern Railway had promised its completion last year but is yet to finish the work.

A senior official of the Southern Railway said the soil test for the work is yet to be done. Tenders will be floated after that, he said.

Travel time up

At present, the delay in opening the service road, which creates shorter access to the Information Technology corridor of Rajiv Gandhi Salai, leads to logjams at Vijaya Nagar junction in Velachery, increasing their travel time and fuel cost.

S. Kumararaja, an office-bearer of Annai Indira Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association, said it was disappointing to see almost all the MRTS project works getting delayed, including the extension to the St. Thomas Mount railway station.

It is disappointing to see almost all MRTS project works getting delayed

S. Kumararaja

Office-bearer, Annai Indira Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association

Call taxi catches fire in Chennai 

Special Correspondent 
 
CHENNAI, January 14, 2019 00:00 IST

Diver and passenger have a narrow escape

A cab attached to a call-taxi aggregator caught fire on the T.T.K. Road flyover on Saturday but the occupants narrowly escaped.

Costume designer Pallavi Singh booked a cab from T. Nagar to reach her house. Around 9 p.m., the car was on the flyover when she smelled something burning.

“Initially, she thought it was from outside. However, she spotted smoke inside the vehicle and alerted the driver. He told her there was nothing to worry. Subsequently, other motorists alerted the driver about the smoke coming from the vehicle,” said Subhadra Marimuthu, an advocate for Pallavi Singh.

The car stopped on the flyover and the two stepped out. “In a matter of seconds, the car went up in flames and my client was shocked. Her wallets and other valuables in it were gutted,” Ms. Subhadra said.

The Fire and Rescue service personnel were alerted and they reached the spot within minutes. “We stopped traffic beneath and on the flyover and doused the fire in sometime. Vehicles from Mylapore and Teynampet were pressed into service,” said Mohammed Ayub, station fire officer, Velachery.

Tamil Nadu’s biryani binge keeps cash registers ringing 

Sangeetha Kandavel 
 
CHENNAI, January 14, 2019 00:00 IST



There’s more space at the table, say established players

The growing appetite in Tamil Nadu for biryani has kept cash registers jingling across the State, with a fourfold increase in the number of restaurants serving the rice and meat (or vegetables) favourite.

According to analysts who track the industry, the organised biryani business in the State is pegged at Rs. 1,500 crore per year while the unorganised segment records a healthy Rs. 4,000 crore per year.

Currently, there are over 300 brands including well-known names — Anjappar, Buhari, Junior Kuppanna, Aasife Biryani, Dindigul Thalappakatti and Behrouz — that comprise the organised segment. Players in the organised space do an average business of Rs. 25 lakh per month which translates into Rs. 3 crore per annum per outlet. The cost of a serving of biryani at these restaurants ranges from a modest Rs. 180 for the vegetarian variant to Rs. 600 or more for the fully loaded non-vegetarian delicacy.

For every pocket

In the unorganised sector, costs range from as low as Rs. 50 to Rs. 120 per serving. Those operating in this category typically churn out around 10-15 kilos of biryani per day. (A kilo of biryani would serve 8-10 persons on an average). Restaurants in this space also offer smaller quantities like a ‘half biryani’ (priced at Rs. 70 to Rs. 90) and ‘quarter biryani’ (priced at Rs. 40- Rs. 60).

Sathish D. Nagasamy, managing director of the Dindigul Thalappakatti chain, one of the early players in the biryani space, said, “This is a huge market and the demand is high. Even if another 100 shops come up, the demand will only go up.”

His kitchens turn out over 4,000 kg of biryani every day. “More than 40,000 people consume biryani from our outlets across Tamil Nadu,” he said, adding, “There is a huge space for vegetarian biryani, a market which remains untapped.”

Aasife Biriyani, another big player, sells over 30,000 servings per day across its restaurants in the State. P.J. Dilip Kumar, director- Marketing, Aasife Biriyani Pvt Ltd, said, “This is one food item which makes you feel complete — it fills your stomach. It’s cost effective too. You end up paying Rs. 170 for a vegetarian meal, if you add another Rs. 20 you can have a vegetarian biryani.”

A market analyst said while the biryani sector has immense potential, the fact that the major players are family-run businesses is a major hurdle to expansion. “Decision making is a key issue. But things are slowly changing with the next generation coming into business,” he said. “Even if there is a slight variation in taste, you will end up losing customers. It is also a highly labour-intensive business,” he added.

Hyderabad: Lecturer arrested for abetting suicide of 17-year-old student

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedJan 12, 2019, 12:48 am IST

Abhignya, 17, an intermediate second year student of Velocity junior college.

The girl committed suicide by hanging at her residence in Motinagar on January 3. A case of suspicious death has been registered.

Hyderabad: In a new twist to the suicide on January 3 of a 17-year-old student, the SR Nagar police are now interrogating a member of the college faculty. The girl committed suicide by hanging at her residence in Motinagar on January 3. A case of suspicious death has been registered.

Abhignya, 17, an intermediate second year student of Velocity junior college. Police say her college lecturer, Rajni Kanth, is suspected to be involved in her death.

“January 3, around 6:30 pm, while her father, D. Chandra Shekar, 46, a private employee, and his wife went for a walk and her elder sister, Sai Harika, 18, was giving tuitions, Abhignya committed suicide by hanging in the bedroom,” said sub-inspector P. Mahendar of the SR Nagar police.

She was rushed to a nearby private hospital where she was declared dead on arrival. A case has been booked under Section 174 (suspicious death) of the CrPC and an investigation is underway.

“We will be altering the case to abetment to suicide and other sections if we have to, based on further investigation. We are waiting for the call records and are interrogating the faculty member and other witnesses,” said inspector S. Murali Krishna.

Speaking to DC, Panjagutta ACP, Vijay Kumar said that following the allegations against the lecturer’s involvement made by the media, we tried to check Abhignya’s phone but failed to gain access. We then checked the call records of Rajni Kanth and found that they had spoken over the phone for hours. The lecturer was taken into custody by the SR Nagar police on Friday evening.

Chennai: Insurance company to pay Rs 23 lakh to dead contractor’s kin

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedJan 10, 2019, 6:55 am IST

The insurance firm was thereby liable to pay a compensation of Rs 22.71 lakh to the petitioner and his kin, the judge said.

The accident happened three years ago. Victim (Ganapathy) was riding a TVS XL motorcycleon Chennai-Tiruvallur High Road (CTH Road) at Mannurpet. As he was nearing Parthasarathy street junction, a Tata Sumo van came hurtling and hit the two-wheeler, resulting in him sustaining fatal injuries. (Representational Image)

Chennai: The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, Chennai, directed an insurance firm to pay a compensation of Rs 22.71 lakh to the family members of a 32-year-old contractor, who died in a road accident three years ago.

In the petition, Ms Kayalvizhi submitted that her husband V. Ganapathy, 32, a contractor, had also been engaged in supplying tea packets and snacks to shops. He earned an income of Rs 50,000 per month. On March 29, 2015, at about 11.30 am, Ganapathy was riding a TVS XL motorcycle (registration no. TN 20 BU 9336) on Chennai-Tiruvallur High Road (CTH Road) at Mannurpet. When he was nearing Parthasarathy street junction, a Tata Sumo van (registration no TN 05 AT 0856), came in a very rash and negligent manner endangering to public safety, hit the two-wheeler. As a result he sustained fatal injuries and died on the way to the hospital. A case was registered against the van driver.

She said the family members had depended on the income of Ganapathy. Hence, Venkatesan, owner of the van and National Insurance Company Ltd., insurer of the vehicle, were liable to pay a compensation of Rs 50 lakh. Neither Venkatesan nor the insurance firm's representative had appeared before the tribunal.

The judge, small causes court-III, S. Umamaheswari said the FIR copy, death report and post-mortem certificate filed by the petitioner clearly proved that the accident had occurred only due to the rash and negligent driving of the van driver. The insurance firm was thereby liable to pay a compensation of Rs 22.71 lakh to the petitioner and his kin, the judge said.

2 Korean women held for smuggling 24 kg gold

ANI

Published   Jan 12, 2019, 3:16 pm IST

The women came under the radar of customs officials when they were noticed walking in a suspicious manner, as if carrying heavy load.

‘12 gold bars weighing 1 kg each were recovered from each passenger. In total 24 gold bars weighing 1 kg each of 24 karat purity totally weighing 24 Kgs valued at Rs 8 crores was recovered,’ Office of the Chief Commissioner of Customs said. (Representational Image)

Chennai: Customs officials at the aerodrome here detained two South Korean women for allegedly smuggling 24 kilograms of gold worth Rs 8 crores on Saturday.

The two lady passengers came under the radar of the customs officials after they started walking in a suspicious manner in the vicinity of the airport as if they were carrying a heavy load.

The duo was later intercepted at the exit of the arrival hall and questioned by Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers.

"As both the passengers were evasive in their replies, they were taken for personal search along with their baggage. During their personal search the lady officer noticed that both the passengers were wearing mini shorts underneath their skirts and pajamas. 12 gold bars weighing 1 kg each were recovered from each passenger.

In total 24 gold bars weighing 1 kg each of 24 karat purity totally weighing 24 Kgs valued at Rs 8 crores was recovered," stated the Office of the Chief Commissioner of Customs in Chennai.

The two have been identified as Hanbyoul Jung (26) and Eunyoung Kim (26), belonging to the Republic of Korea. They had arrived from Hong Kong Via Cathay Pacific flight CX 631.

Further investigation into the matter is underway.

Bengaluru: Two IT employees held for data theft

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedJan 14, 2019, 5:59 am IST

Making use of their positions, the duo accessed a few crucial operations.

A technical team, on suspicion, verified their activities and found that the two had allegedly not only floated an IT company, but were also stealing data and diverting funds illegally. (Representational Image)

Bengaluru: Mahadevapura police have arrested two senior executives of an IT company for allegedly stealing data from the firm and diverting crores of rupees for the company that they had set up.

The accused, Prathap, 32, and Karthik, 35, worked as senior manager and operations manager respectively, in a software development firm located at the Export Promotion Industrial Park Zone. The firm has branches in different countries, the police said.

Abdul Ahad, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Whitefield, said the two were arrested after the company noticed their unauthorised absence and had not returned the company laptops.

A technical team, on suspicion, verified their activities and found that the two had allegedly not only floated an IT company, but were also stealing data and diverting funds illegally.

They had also accessed the company's client list to approach them for business.

According to the police, Prathap and Karthik joined the company in 2012 and 2013, respectively, and were eventually promoted. Making use of their positions, the duo accessed a few crucial operations.

In 2017, they set up an IT firm and allegedly started stealing confidential data, technology, and client database for their company, Captive Med Solutions, while they continued to work in the same place.

They were sent to the U.S. by the company on business trips. During their overseas stays, they allegedly cut business deals for their own company and also diverted funds for it.

From November, 2018 onwards they stopped reporting for work, but they neither submitted their resignation nor returned the company laptops.

Police said when the company checked with its operations team, it found that its intellectual property had been stolen and money diverted. Through its network administrator, the company was able to track Karthik's office laptop and found all the details in it.

Modi eyes first-time voters in TN

Asks Workers To Meet Youth In Constituencies

Shanmughasundaram.j@timesgroup.com

Chennai:14.01.2019

Stating that BJP is the natural choice of the first time voters, who will decide the future of the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the party functionaries to give top priority to these voters, who were not interested in “dynasty” parties.

Sending a clear message to booth level workers of the party “to make first time voters their priority”, Modi urged party workers to establish a deeper connection with youngsters in the age group between 18 and 22 years. This was during the teleconference interaction titled, ‘My Booth is Strong Booth’, between Modi and BJP workers from Mayiladuthurai, Perambalur, Sivaganga, Theni and Virudhunagar constituencies.

He asked party workers to organise a massive gathering of the first time voters to get them to register their names in the electoral rolls.

“They are not interested in dynasty, they are interested in development,” said Modi.

They are not interested in “promise” and “drama”, they are interested in “performance” and “delivery”, he added.

Listing out the establishment of educational institutions like IITs and increase in 30% medical seats in the last five years, he said, “From study to startups and skills to sports, we have created a big supporting system for the youngsters and opened the door for more opportunities. Reach them with all the information on development projects and ensure there will never be a doubt in their minds as to who is working for a better future,” he said. BJP is their natural choice, he said.

Party state unit leaders and functionaries to shoot videos of beneficiaries of Union government schemes and post it on social media to reach out to a larger section, he said.

Taking a dig at opposition parties, Modi accused them of having formed “an opportunistic alliance”. He said "dynastic parties” want to build their own empire, while BJP wants to empower people. “Unlike other parties, we are not in politics for divide and rule or building vote banks. We are here to serve the country in every possible way. On one hand, we have developed agenda…and the election is an opportunity to take the agenda of development to new heights.”

BJP, which started with two MPs, got the opportunity to serve many states and the nation. “Our success naturally angered so many people, who are doing nothing, but negative politics,” charged Modi. They are abusing BJP and himself. But they should not underestimate the people of India, he said.

“Our friends in the opposition are anyway a confused a lot. They have no opportunity to say that Mod is bad, government is not working and people dislike the BJP. Yet, the first thing they do is forming an opportunistic alliance,” he said

Ahmedabad-born woman appointed New York Supreme Court judge
Prashant.Rupera@timesgroup.com

Vadodara:14.01.2019

Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant spent her childhood growing up with in the bylanes of Ahmedabad. Last month, she took her oath of office as a Supreme Court judge in the state of New York, now the first South Asian — and Indianorigin — woman to to be elected to the position.

Justice Pandit-Durant immigrated to the US with her family in the 1970s, at a tender age of 11. Turning 57 next month, this Gujarati will now preside over criminal cases in Queens County. He induction ceremony was also a first of sorts, as she took her oath on the Bhagavad Gita.

As an Indian teenager in the US, her first challenge was to learn English; she was not taught the subject in her Ahmedabad public school. But she was quick to pick up the American culture and establish herself in the community and school.

After attending St John’s University for four years, where she received her bachelor’s degree, she spent three years at New York Law School. “Later, when other law graduates wanted to join big law firms, I joined the Queens district attorney’s office as an assistant district attorney. I wanted to dedicate my professional life to public service,” she told TOI.

“As a prosecutor, I tried numerous felony cases. In one notable case, during a gang shooting, an innocent child was shot by one of the gunmen. The child survived, and the gunmen were arrested,” she said. Justice Pandit-Durant, the then-lead prosecutor on the case, brought the case to trial and the gunmen were convicted of attempted murder.

She then advanced to the appeals division of the district attorney’s office. The division argues cases in the higher courts, confronting legal challenges in attempts to overturn lower court decisions. As an appellate advocate over a period of 15 years, she successfully represented the district attorney on more than 30 appellate arguments in the higher state and federal appellate courts.

Later, she left the district attorney’s office in 2015 when she was elected as a civil court judge. She presided over criminal court cases pending in Manhattan and then Queens.

While her term in the civil court was 10 years, after getting elected to the New York State Supreme Court, her term is 14 years now.

Turned away by daughter, 91-yr-old woman dies in cab

Kolkata:  14.01.2019

An ailing nonagenarian died in a cab after she was refused entry to her daughter’s house at Mudiali. Though the driver took her to a hospital, she was declared “brought dead”.

The deceased, Shobharani Mazumdar, 91, used to stay with her son and daughter in turns. After living with her son for a few weeks, she decided to go to her daughter’s house in Mudiali on Saturday morning. The son hailed her an app cab and asked her grandson to accompany her to Mudiali.

However, Mazumdar’s daughter refused to let her in as she was getting ready to go out to a social gathering.

As the woman called her brother to sort out the issue, Mazumdar started feeling uneasy. Despite the situation worsening, Mazumdar’s daughter asked the app-cab driver to take the elderly woman back to her brother’s place. In the confusion, the grandson left the spot.

Sources said the elderly woman seemed unwell as the driver started for Kudghat. Seeing her condition, he called up her son and informed him.

As Mazumdar’s conditioned worsened, he turned the car towards M R Bangur Hospital to admit her there. The woman was declared “brought dead” by the hospital. TNN

SOARING ANGER

2 pilots fight before flight, grounded, sent for refresher class

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:

A catfight between two pilots at an airport going to operate a flight together got so intense that the airline had to ground both and give them a refresher on “crew resource management” (CRM) before letting them fly again.

This episode happened recently between two commanders of a leading Indian carrier’s Airbus A320 fleet who were heading to an aircraft to operate a flight. While senior officials of this airline confirmed the catfight, they did not give details of the same, despite repeated attempts.

“This happened some days back. They were put off roster (not given flying duties) and given corrective CRM and simulator CRM line oriented flight training (LOFT) corrective training,” said an official. Sources say the fight had happened at an Indian airport when the two commanders were going to operate a domestic flight. Aviation website SKYbrary describes CRM as “the effective use of all available resources for flight crew personnel to assure a safe and efficient operation, reducing error, avoiding stress and increasing efficiency.”

LOFT “is carried out in a flight simulator as part of initial or recurrent flight crew training… special emphasis on abnormal situations which involve communications, management and leadership,” the website says.

According to DGCA circulars, the “overall objective of LOFT is to improve total flight crew performance, thereby preventing incidents and accidents during operational flying.” In the past several airlines have seen heated exchange between crew members.

Kumbh Mela gears up for a sea of devotees

09oAvijit.Ghosh@timesgroup.com

14.01.2019

Early morning, just after sunrise, the water looks like liquid gold at Sangam. It’s cold, the water colder. At the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the vanished Saraswati, though, unperturbed men and women bathe under the watchful eyes of the jal (water) police and a Modi cut-out.

From January 15 to March 4, an estimated 130-140 million pilgrims and tourists are expected to do the same during the Kumbh Mela. For the devout, a holy dip will rid them of their sins.

The term Kumbh is contested. Some insist that the 2019 event is Ardh Kumbh, in accordance with the traditional alternating cycle of Kumbh and Ardh Kumbh every six years. But last year Yogi Adityanath’s Uttar Pradesh government rechristened Ardh Kumbh as Kumbh. Kumbh henceforth will be officially be known as Mahakumbh. Interestingly, Modi had described the event as “Ardh Kumbh” in a December 16 speech in the city.

Renaming is the flavour of the season; till last month, Allahabad was the town’s official name. The renaming, especially of the festival, is argued even at the Sangam ghat. But there’s unanimity that the scale of arrangement is unprecedented. In 2013, the mela was spread over 1,700 hectares; this time it is 3,200.

The budget for Kumbh 2019 is ₹4,300 crore; as per reports, it was about a third in 2013. “Jo na 2001 mein hua, na 2013 mein hua, aisi vyavastha dekhne ko mil rahi hai (The arrangement is more than 2001 or 2013),” says boatman Ramesh Nishad.

For the government, sanitation seems to be a key area. “In all, 1,22,500 toilets, including 20,000 septic tank toilets, are being laid out,” says AP Paliwal, additional director for health and sanitation (mela). He talks about an elaborate mechanized system of compactors and tippers for solid waste management. “We don’t want a single drop of sewage to pollute the river.”

Using drones for surveillance, carrying out mock anti-terror drills and setting up an integrated command and control centre with 1,100 cameras for real-time feed — the BJP government is keen to project Kumbh as a safe and efficiently-managed, high-tech event. Digital screens across the city show films on Kumbh day and night.

(With inputs from Kapil Dixit) Full report on www.toi.in

HOLY SMOKE: The festival will start on January 15 and end on March 4. Over 130 million pilgrims are expected to participate in the mela

Ex-manager of coop society arrested for ₹2,000 crore fraud

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi  14.01.2019

: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Machindra Khade, a former manager of a Maharashtra-based cooperative society, on Sunday for alleged cash deposits of ₹2,000 crore and further laundering this money to banks in Hong Kong by layering transactions using multiple shell companies in India and abroad.

The accused was earlier manager of the Renukamata Multi-state Cooperative Urban Credit Society from where he had laundered large amounts of cash using fake import documents in the guise of diamond import.

“Investigation conducted by ED revealed that the accused persons fraudulently arranged illegal foreign outward remittances by submitting forged bills of entry in IndusInd Bank branch of Opera House, Mumbai, and remitted ₹2,000 crore to various accounts in Hong Kong in violation of various guidelines of Reserve Bank of India during 2013-14,” the agency said.

Besides Khade, the agency arrested Sanjay Jain, former director of Raghukul Diamonds, and Saurabh Pandit, director of Sky Light and Link Fai, companies based in Hong Kong. It also attached property worth ₹20 crore of the accused.

The ED had registered a case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on the FIR filed by DB Marg police station, Mumbai, against Yogeshwar Diamonds Pvt Ltd, Shree Charbhuja Diamonds Pvt Ltd and Kanika Gems Pvt Ltd for illegal remittance of foreign exchange.

The probe showed that the accused had collected cash at Renukamata Multistate Cooperative Urban Credit Society and obtained the signatures of account holders on blank RTGS slips.

Khade was arrested and produced before special PMLA court, Mumbai, on Sunday and was remanded to ED custody for four days.

4 more held for pledging fake jewels, cheating bank of ₹1cr

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Villupuram:14.01.2019

A day after police detained a gold jewel appraiser of the Thiruvampattu branch of the Punjab National Bank, four others, including the appraiser’s wife, have been arrested by the police for allegedly cheating the bank of ₹1crore by mortgaging fake jewellery.

R Jeganathan, 39, his wife J Sathya, 31, both hailing from K V R nagar in Villupuram, S Suresh Babu, 46 of Alamelupuram, V Venugopal, 35 of Thiruvampattu, and A Muneeswaramoorthy 31of Keezhmampattu village have been detained in connection with the fraud so far.

Investigating officer Jeevaraja Manikandan told TOI, “Jeganathan worked as a contract staff at the Thiruvampattu branch of PNB near Gingee for the past seven years. On Thursday evening, one of the bank cashiers grew suspicious after Jegnathan quoted higher value for gold jewels mortgaged by a customer Saravanan.” The cashier then informed the branch manager V Nadharao. On questioning, Jeganathn gave contradictory statements and upon cross checking the jewels, he found they were fake.

Shocked, Nadharao scrutinized the ledger books and personally verified the bank lockers and found that the accused with the help of his associates had cheated the bank to a tune of ₹1.35 crore.

Speaking to TOI, Villupuram SP S Jayakumar said, “Based on the manager’s complaint, five accused were arrested on Saturday night and a case was registered under various sections of IPC. “We have launched a search to nab three more absconding accused,” he said.

Doctor with 108 services turns out to be nurse

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:14.01.2019

The company which operates the 108 emergency medical services hotline in Tamil Nadu, GVK EMRI, has filed a complaint with the Teynampet police alleging that one of the 30 doctors on its rolls in the East Coast Road (ECR) area in Chennai is a quack.

Selvakumar, state head officer of GVK EMRI, on Sunday told TOI that the complaint was filed on Saturday evening by the HR head Ashok and that a detailed inquiry would be conducted by the police as well as the company. He claimed the false certificates came up during a verification drive.

The ‘doctor’ Rachael Jennifer, 30, is actually a nursing graduate, but was working as a doctor in the emergency services for the past one year. In her resume, she claims to have completed an MBBS degree from Kuppam medical college, which is affiliated to the Dr NTR University of health sciences in Andhra Pradesh.

TOI has accessed case sheets where she has signed as the emergency care centre (ECC) physician, who is the first point of contact for patients who avail themselves of the emergency services.

Rachael was part of a team at a location where the ECC would attend on a number of accident cases on the ECR.

She did not respond to a call asking for comment.

When asked how they stumbled upon this issue now when Rachael had been working for 11 months, Selvakumar said the matter came to light when the incriminating documents were leaked to Chennai-based activists by someone within GVK EMRI.

The 108 emergency ambulance services comes under the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project (TNHSP) of the state government.

Project director for TNHSP, Uma Maheshwari told TOI that they had issued a notice to the company asking for an explanation. “There are 35 medical practitioners employed by GVK across the state. Based on preliminary inquiries, it was found that in this case, forged documents were given by the medical officer (Rachael) during recruitment,” she said.

Others have been screened again after this issue broke out, she said.

The issue was brought to the notice of health ministry, police and GVK by P Balaji, a Chennaibased RTI activist, who is now practising as an advocate with the Madras High Court.

In a complaint to the health secretary J Radhakrishnan, Balaji alleges that after he raised the issue, Selvakumar called him and requested to ‘solve the matter smoothly’.

“I strongly suspect that this foul play will be covered up. I urge you to pursue this and take strong action against GVK-EMRI,” Balaji said.

Selvakumar denied the allegations stating that he had called Balaji to his office to brief him. “We ourselves informed the media after filing the complaint,” he said.

Benefits stopped abruptly, getting them is an ordeal, say pensioners

Aditi.R@timesgroup.com

Chennai:14.01.2019

“I was told that I needed to get an Aadhaar card to receive my old age pension. But my condition doesn’t allow me to move out,” said Anthony Raj, a 75-year-old quadriplegic patient, who until 2017 used to regularly avail ₹1,000 as old age pension from the state government. “When I sent someone to check, they said it was mandatory that I go to the seva centre to give my biometric details. But then I was told that it is not possible to receive card number due to anatomical restrictions,” he said.

Anthony Raj was among the 1,000-odd beneficiaries from T Nagar who complained about the abrupt stoppage of pension funds at a public hearing organised by the state department of revenue, Tamil Nadu Social Audit Society and the National Institute of Rural Development on Friday. It was convened to audit and analyse challenges faced by beneficiaries of the National Social Assistance Programmes and Tamil Nadu Social Security Pension Schemes.

Most claimed that they were denied benefits because they did not have Aadhaar cards. “Many senior citizens are bedridden and unable to walk to the seva centre. In such cases the state must arrange for mobile units or home visits to help them avail benefits,” said Malarvizhi, a 66-year-old beneficiary of the widow pension. Currently 3,718 people in T Nagar benefit from various social security pension schemes, a majority being old age and widow pensions. During the hearing it was learned that pensions to 740 beneficiaries were stopped, and 622 cancelled.

People complained that pensions were stopped over the past several months due to nonrecognition of fingerprints, mismatch of Aadhaar data and the fee charged by banking correspondents during each withdrawal, which discouraged many from visiting banks. As many as 151 persons in the area stopped receiving the amount because of relocation. “Pensions get stopped even if people move to the next street. Many don’t ask for a transfer certificate fearing their pension will be discontinued,” she said.

It was further alleged that since there is no common guideline to determine if a beneficiary belongs to a Below Poverty Line family, several officers make biased decisions. “They end up enrolling people according to their whims and fancy and the needy are left out. We urge authorities to look into the matter and provide reasonable solution,” said Shailaja K, another pensioner.

While officials from the revenue department did not provide any spot solution they asked the beneficiaries to wait till they probed further.

I was told that I needed to get an Aadhaar card to receive my old age pension. But my condition doesn’t allow me to move out

Anthony Raj | 75-YEAR-OLD QUADRIPLEGIC PATIENT

MTC CITES POOR PATRONAGE

Lone bus service scrapped, Pallikaranai residents suffer

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:14.01.2019

After cutting down one of the two mini-buses connecting interior parts of Pallikaranai to Vijayanagar bus stand in Velachery in October, four weeks back, the second bus was also stopped, scrapping the service altogether.

While the reason given by MTC to discontinue S 93 mini-bus service was poor patronage, residents and frequent commuters refute it, saying the buses were always crowded. “Interior parts like Kamakoti Nagar, Anna MGR Nagar and Thulukathaman Kovil Road don’t have public transport, except autorickshaws. The mini-buses were very useful for people to access the Velachery-Tambaram Main Road,” said N Sundaram, president of Federation of Residents Welfare Association, Pallikaranai.

Residents in several areas now either have to shell out money for autos or walk for at least 1.5km to reach the bus stop on the Velachery-Tambaram Main Road. The two buses used to make10 trips each a day.

“There are several people who can’t afford to take an auto. The MTC officials who wanted the service to make high profits should have considered the plight of scores of people who depend on the bus service. The bus service, started in December 2016, was a boon for us,” said K Srinivasan, a resident of AGS Colony. He added that autorickshaw drivers make a killing, burning a hole in their pockets.

“Even before October, the bus service was very erratic. The buses would not start at the designated time and there wouldn’t be any trips in the afternoon. Despite filing petitions with the chief minister’s cell, action was not taken,” said another resident, Jayram. An MTC branch manager in Adambakkam said the second bus was operated despite huge loss. “We are trying to restart the second service. It may be started after Pongal,” said the official.

Madurai bull tamers get ₹2 lakh insurance cover at ₹12 premium

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Madurai:14.01.2019

The Madurai district administration on Sunday announced a compulsory insurance scheme for bull tamers while participating in jallikattu events this year.

The participants have been instructed to mandatorily apply for insurance under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) scheme on Monday, for which a premium of ₹12 would be charged. The risk coverage is ₹2 lakh for accidental death.

Collector S Natarajan told TOI that the district administration introduced the initiative so that the jallikattu participants would not have to undergo too much stress or tension before taking part in the event. “By insuring, they could compete in jallikattu with a free mind,” he said. The administration had made inquiries and found that many bull tamers did not have any insurance cover.

The participants have been told that they could take part in a jallikattu event in Madurai district this year only if after submitting their applications for the insurance. The amount could be claimed by a bull tamer’s family in case of death in any jallikattu event held across the state.

Bull tamers welcome move

The participants have been asked to visit nearby banks on Monday and fill up forms to avail themselves of the scheme. In case of a bull tamer did not have a bank account, an account could be opened on the spot. The insurance would be valid for one year and could to be renewed.

Bull tamers welcomed the initiative, but said it would have been more convenient for them had this been announced earlier since jallikattu season in the district is set to begin on Tuesday.

The collector also announced that the Avaniyapuram jallikattu would be extended by up to an hour and would be held from 8am to 4pm. It was initially announced that it would be till 3pm.

Registration of bulls for the Avaniyapuram jallikattu, scheduled for January 15, and Palamedu jallikattu, scheduled for January 16, was held on Sunday. A total of 691 bulls were registered for the Avaniyapuram jallikattu. The number of bulls registered for the Palamedu jallikattu is yet to be ascertained.

அஞ்சல் துறையில் இன்டர்நெட் பேங்கிங்: மக்கள் மத்தியில் வரவேற்பு அதிகரிப்பு

By சென்னை,  |   Published on : 14th January 2019 02:18 AM  |

இளம் தலைமுறையினரைக் கவரும் வகையில், அஞ்சல்துறையில் கடந்த மாதம் அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்ட இன்டர்நெட் பேங்கிங் முறைக்கு மக்கள் மத்தியில் வரவேற்பு அதிகரித்து வருகிறது. கடந்த டிசம்பர் 14-ஆம் தேதி முதல் ஜனவரி 2-ஆம் தேதி வரை மொத்தம் 21- நாளில் 10,000-க்கும் அதிகமானவர்கள் இன்டர்நெட் பேங்கிங்-இல் இணைந்துள்ளதாக அஞ்சல்துறை அதிகாரிகள் தெரிவித்தனர்.

டிஜிட்டல் இந்தியா திட்டத்தைப் பிரபலப்படுத்தும் நோக்கில், மத்திய அரசு பல்வேறு நடவடிக்கைகளை எடுத்து வருகிறது. இதற்கு ஊக்கம் கொடுக்கும் வகையில், அஞ்சல் துறை சார்பில், இன்டர்நெட் பேங்கிங் முறை கடந்த மாதம் 13-ஆம் தேதி அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்டது. இதன்மூலம், நாடு முழுவதும் உள்ள எல்லா அஞ்சல் அலுவலக சேமிப்பு கணக்கு வாடிக்கையாளர்களுக்காக இணையவழி வங்கி சேவைகளை பெற வசதிகள் ஏற்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளன. ஒரு அஞ்சல் வாடிக்கையாளர், மற்றொரு அஞ்சல் வாடிக்கையாளருக்கு செல்லிடப்பேசி வாயிலாக பணத்தை அனுப்பவும், பெறவும் முடியும்.
இது குறித்து அஞ்சல்துறையின் சென்னை மண்டலத் தலைவர் ஆர்.ஆனந்த் கூறியது:

இளைய தலைமுறையினரைக் கவரும் வகையில், அஞ்சல்துறையில் இன்டர்நெட் பேங்கிங் அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதன்மூலம், இளைய தலைமுறையினர் வீட்டில் இருந்தபடியே தொடர்வைப்பு, வருங்கால வைப்பு நிதி ஆகியவற்றில் பணத்தை செலுத்த முடியும். சிறு அறிக்கை பெற முடியும்.
தனது சொந்த சேமிப்புக் கணக்கில் இருந்து தொடர் வைப்பு கணக்கில் வைப்பு செய்ய முடியும். சேமிப்பு கணக்கில் இருந்து தொடர் வைப்பு கடன் கணக்கில் வைப்பு செய்ய முடியும். புதிய வைப்பு கணக்கு தொடங்க முடியும். பொது வருங்கால வைப்பு நிதி கணக்கில் இருந்து பணம் எடுத்தல், அதில் வைப்பு செய்தல் உள்ளிட்ட சேவைகளைப் பெற முடியும்.

இன்டர்நெட் பேங்கிங்-இல் இணைவது எப்படி? அஞ்சல்துறை வாடிக்கையாளர் எந்த வங்கியில் கணக்கு வைத்துள்ளாரோ அந்த வங்கிக்குச் சென்று, அங்கு இன்டர்நெட் பேங்கிங் வசதிக்காக விண்ணப்பிக்க வேண்டும். வாடிக்கையாளர்களுக்கு ஒரு விண்ணப்ப படிவம் கொடுப்பார்கள். அதை நிரப்பி கொடுத்தால், வாடிக்கையாளரின் செல்லிடப்பேசிக்கு ஒரு குறுந்தகவல் வரும். அதில், " உங்களுக்கு இன்டர்நெட் பேங்கிங் செயல்பாட்டுக்கு வந்துள்ளது' என்று குறிப்பிடப்பட்டு இருக்கும். இதையடுத்து, ebanking.indiapost. gov.in என்ற இணையதளத்தில் சென்று, உங்கள் விவரம், ரகசிய எண் அமைத்து, இன்டர்நெட் பேங்கிங் வசதியை ஏற்படுத்தலாம்.

நாடுமுழுவதும் அஞ்சல் துறையில் இன்டர்நெட் பேங்கிங்-இல் டிசம்பர் 14-ஆம் தேதி முதல் ஜனவரி 2-ஆம் தேதி வரை 10,000-க்கும் அதிகமானவர்கள் இணைந்துள்ளனர். குறிப்பாக, எங்கள் சேமிப்பு கணக்கு வாடிக்கையாளர்கள் அதிகளவில் அஞ்சல்துறை இன்டர்நெட் பேங்கிங் முறையில் இணைய ஆர்வம் காட்டி வருகின்றனர் என்றார் அவர்.

தேவையா இந்தக் கொண்டாட்டங்கள்? 

By எஸ். ஸ்ரீதுரை | Published on : 14th January 2019 02:47 AM |

சென்னையின் பழைய மாமல்லபுரம் சாலை என்னும் "ஓஎம்ஆர்', தொழில்நுட்ப நிறுவனங்கள் உள்ளிட்ட பல்வேறு முக்கிய அலுவலகங்கள் அமைந்துள்ள சாலையாகும்.

அந்தச் சாலையில் உள்ள ஒரு பன்னாட்டுத் தகவல் தொழில்நுட்ப நிறுவனத்தில் பணிபுரியும் என் நண்பர் ஒருவர், சென்னை நகரக் குடிமக்களின் புத்தாண்டுக் கொண்டாட்டங்களின் இடையே சிக்கிக் கொண்டு உயிர் பயத்தோடு வீடு திரும்பியதை விவரித்தபோது, இந்தப் புத்தாண்டுக் கேளிக்கைகள் இனியும் தேவைதானா இன்று தோன்றுகிறது.

கடந்த சில மாதங்களாக இரவுப் பணி செய்து வரும் என் நண்பர், தினந்தோறும் அதிகாலை இரண்டு மணியளவில் பணி முடிந்து, தன்னுடைய காரை ஓட்டிக் கொண்டு வீட்டுக்கு வருவது வழக்கம். சுமார் நாற்பது நிமிஷ நேரத்தில் தன் வீடு வந்து சேர்ந்து, அதற்குப் பிறகு ஏதாவது கொறித்துவிட்டுத் தூங்கும் பழக்கம் உள்ள அவர், என்றும் போல கடந்த டிசம்பர் 31-ஆம் தேதியன்று மாலை அலுவலகம் சென்றார்.

மறுநாள், அதாவது புத்தாண்டு தினத்தன்று அதிகாலை பணிமுடிந்து தனது காரைக் கிளப்பிய அவருக்கு அன்றைய தினம் திகிலும் கலவரமும் நிறைந்ததாக ஆகிவிட்டது. அந்த நள்ளிரவு நேரத்தில் "ஓஎம்ஆர்' சாலையில் கட்டுக்கடங்காத வேகத்தில் இளைஞர்கள் பலர் விலையுயர்ந்த இரு சக்கர வாகனங்களில் "ஹேப்பி நியூ இயர்' என்று கூச்சலிட்டபடி சென்னை நோக்கிய சாலையின் இரு வழிகளிலும் விரைந்தனர். எந்த நேரத்திலும் ஏதாவது ஓரு பைக் தமது கார் மீது இடிக்கக் கூடும் என்ற நடுக்கத்துடனேயே நண்பர் மெதுவாக ஓட்டினார்.

சென்னைவாசிகளுக்கு ஏற்கெனவே அறிமுகமான, பல விபத்துகளுக்குக் காரணமான, பைக் ரேஸ் சாகசக்காரர்கள் அன்றைய தினத்தைத் தங்கள் தினமாக எண்ணிக்கொண்டுவிட்டது போல இருந்ததாம் என் நண்பருக்கு.
அன்றைய தினம் அந்தச் சாலையில் பைக் ஓட்டியவர்களில், சாதாரண ஓட்டிகள் யார், பைக் ரேஸ் சாகசக்காரக்காரர்கள் யார் என்று பிரித்தறிய முடியாதபடி அனைத்து பைக்குகளும் தலைதெறிக்க விரைந்தன. பைக்குகள்தான் என்றில்லை. சாலையில் வெறிபிடித்து விரைந்த கார்களுக்கும் குறைவில்லை.

அதுவும், பல பணக்காரவீட்டுப் பிள்ளைகள் "ஆடி' போன்ற விலையுயர்ந்த இறக்குமதி கார்களில் சாலையில் தமக்கு முன்னதாகச் செல்லும் எந்த ஒரு வண்டியையும் தாண்டி விரைந்து முன்னேறும் ஓரே குறிக்கோளுடன், ஒவ்வொரு காரிலும் நான்கைந்து இளைஞர்கள் தலையை வெளியே நீட்டி, காட்டுக் கூச்சலுடன் சென்றனர்.

அவ்வாறு விரைந்த ஒருசில விலையுயர்ந்த கார்களில், "டாப்' எனப்படும் மேற்கூரையைத் திறக்கும் வசதியும் இருக்கிறது. அத்தகைய ஒரு சில கார்களின் கூரையைத் திறந்து, இருக்கையின் மேல் நின்றபடி ஒரு சில இளைஞர்கள் ராக்கெட் உள்ளிட்ட பட்டாசுகளைக் கொளுத்தி வீசியபடி விரைந்து செல்ல, அவற்றின் முன்னும் பின்னும் பக்கவாட்டிலும் செல்லும் வாகனங்களில் இருந்தவர்களும், இரு பக்கங்களிலும் நடந்து சென்ற பாதசாரிகளும் உயிரைக் கையில் பிடித்துக்கொண்டு இருந்தனர்.
என் நண்பரும், தமது காரின் மேல் பட்டாசு எதுவும் விழுந்து தீபற்றிக் கொள்ளாமல் இருக்க வேண்டுமே என்ற கவலையில் மெதுவாகப் பயணித்தார்.

ஒருவழியாக "ஓஎம்ஆர்' மரணபயச் சாலையைக் கடந்து நண்பர் வீடு வந்து சேர சுமார் இரண்டு மணி நேரம் ஆகியிருக்கிறது. பயண நேரம் தந்த படபடப்பு, வீடு வந்து சேர்ந்து பல மணி நேரத்துக்குப் பிறகும் அவரை விடவில்லை. விடியற்காலையில் வீடு வந்தவுடன் உறங்கிவிடும் என் நண்பருக்கு, அன்றைய தினம் தூக்கமே வரவில்லை. அவரைப் பொருத்தவரை இந்த ஆண்டு புத்தாண்டு மனப்பிராந்தியுடனே விடிந்தது. அதன் பின்னர், ஒருவார காலம் விடுப்புக்கேட்டு வீட்டிலேயே இருந்தார்.
சென்னை நகரத்தில் மட்டும் புத்தாண்டை ஒட்டிய கொண்டாட்டங்களின் நடுவில் சுமார் 130 சாலை விபத்துகள் நேர்ந்துள்ளன என்றும், அவற்றில் 8 பேர் பலியானதாகவும் தெரிகிறது. மேலும், குடித்துவிட்டு வாகனங்களை ஓட்டியதாக அன்றைய தினம், சுமார் 250 பேர் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

ஆங்கிலப் புத்தாண்டின் பிறப்பை, ஆண்டு தவறாமல் உலகம் முழுவதும் உள்ள மக்கள் கொண்டாடுகின்றனர்.

நம்பிக்கை ஏற்படுத்துகின்ற ஒன்றை மனம் நிறைந்த மகிழ்ச்சியுடன் கொண்டாடி வரவேற்பதில் தவறு இல்லை. ஆனால், அந்தக் கொண்டாட்டங்களை, மதுபோதைக் கேளிக்கைகள், காட்டுக் கூச்சல், புயல் வேக வாகனப் பயணம், கட்டுக்கடங்காத ஆட்டம்-பாட்டம் ஆகியவற்றுடன்தான் கொண்டாட வேண்டும் என எந்த ஒரு விதியும் இல்லை.
அமைதியாக, வாழ்த்துக்களையும் இனிப்புகளையும் ஒருவருக்கொருவர் பகிர்ந்து கொள்வதன் மூலமும், அவரவர் நம்பிக்கைக்குரிய வழிபாட்டுத் தலங்களில் வழிபடுதல் மூலமும் இன்னும் சிறப்பாக, நயத்தகு நாகரிகத்துடன் கொண்டாட முடியும். அப்படித்தான் இத்தகைய திருவிழாக்களைக் கொண்டாட வேண்டும்.

"பஸ் டே' கொண்டாட்டம் போன்று புத்தாண்டுக் கொண்டாட்டத்தையும் கலவரங்களின் களமாக்கியிருக்கும் இளைஞர்கள், அன்றைய தினம் தாங்கள் ஏற்படுத்திய விபத்துகளில் உயிரிழந்த மற்றும் காயமடைந்தவர்களின் குடும்பங்கள் எதிர்கொள்ளும் துயரங்களுக்குத் தாங்களே காரணம் என்பதை ஒரு நொடியாவது எண்ணிப் பார்க்க முன்வர வேண்டும்.
மேலும், அன்றைய தினம் எந்த விபத்திலும் சிக்காவிடினும், பாதுகாப்பாக வீடு போய்ச் சேர வேண்டுமே என்று கலவரமடைந்த மேற்கண்ட நண்பரைப் போன்ற நூற்றுக்கணக்கானவர்களின் நிம்மதியைத் தட்டிப் பறித்த இதுபோன்ற அரக்கத்தனமான கொண்டாட்டங்கள் தேவைதானா என்று எண்ணிப் பார்க்க வேண்டும்.

பிறரது துன்பத்தில் இன்பம் காண்பவர்கள், இந்தச் சமுதாயத்தின் மதிப்பையும் அன்பையும் பெறுவது அரிதினும் அரிதாகும்.

ரயில் டிக்கெட் முன்பதிவு இன்று நிறுத்தம்

Added : ஜன 14, 2019 04:32

'இணையதளம் மேம்படுத்தப்படுவதால், டிக்கெட் முன்பதிவும், ரத்தும், இன்று சில மணி நேரம் தடைபடும்' என, ஐ.ஆர்.சி.டி.சி., தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

இந்திய ரயில்வே உணவு மற்றும் சுற்றுலா கழகத்தின், www.irctc.co.in என்ற, இணையதளத்தில், தினமும் லட்சக்கணக்கானோர், டிக்கெட் முன்பதிவு செய்து, ரயில்களில் பயணிக்கின்றனர். பயணியர் வசதிக்காக, ரயில்வே துறையை டிஜிட்டல் மயமாக்கும் நடவடிக்கைகள் எடுக்கப்பட்டு வருகின்றன.

ஐ.ஆர்.சி.டி.சி., இணையதளம் மேம்படுத்தப்படுவதால், தமிழகம் உட்பட, பல்வேறு பகுதிகளில் இருந்து, டில்லி சந்திப்புக்கு செல்லும் வழித்தட ரயில்களில், இன்று, 14ம் தேதி நள்ளிரவு முதல், அதிகாலை, 3:00 மணி வரை டிக்கெட் முன்பதிவும், ரத்தும் செய்ய இயலாது. அதே போல, மும்பை சந்திப்புக்கு செல்லும் வழித்தட ரயில்களில், இரவு, 10:45 முதல் காலை, 5:15 மணி வரை, டிக்கெட் முன்பதிவும், ரத்தும் செய்ய இயலாது என, ஐ.ஆர்.சி.டி.சி., தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

- நமது நிருபர் -

மாணவர் சேர்க்கை அங்கீகாரம் ஏ.ஐ.சி.டி.இ., பதிவு துவங்குகிறது

Added : ஜன 14, 2019 03:49

சென்னை:இன்ஜினியரிங் கல்லுாரிகள் மற்றும் பல்கலைகளில், வரும் கல்வி ஆண்டில், மாணவர்களை சேர்ப்பதற்கான அங்கீகாரம் பெற, இன்று முதல் விண்ணப்ப பதிவு துவங்குகிறது.

நாடு முழுவதும் உள்ள, இன்ஜி., கல்லுாரிகள், பார்மசி கல்லுாரிகள், ஆர்கிடெக் கல்லுாரிகள் உள்ளிட்டவை, மாணவர் சேர்க்கை நடத்த, அகில இந்திய தொழில்நுட்ப கல்வி கவுன்சிலான, ஏ.ஐ.சி.டி.இ.,யின் அங்கீகாரம் பெற வேண்டும். சுயநிதி பல்கலைகள், இதுவரை, யு.ஜி.சி.,யின் அனுமதியை மட்டும் பெற்று, இன்ஜினியரிங் பாடங்களை நடத்தி வந்தன.

ஆனால், சுயநிதி பல்கலைகளும், வரும் கல்வி ஆண்டு முதல், ஏ.ஐ.சி.டி.இ.,யின் அங்கீகாரத்தை கட்டாயம் பெற வேண்டும் என, உச்ச நீதிமன்றம் அறிவித்துள்ளது.எனவே, சுயநிதி பல்கலைகள், புதிய கல்வி நிறுவனங்களுக்கான விதிகளை பின்பற்றி, அங்கீகாரம் பெற வேண்டும் என, ஏ.ஐ.சி.டி.இ., உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது. இந்த அங்கீகாரம் பெறுவதற்கான, விண்ணப்ப பதிவு, இன்று துவங்குகிறது. புதிய கல்லுாரிகள் மற்றும் சுயநிதி பல்கலைகள், பிப்ரவரி, 3 வரையும், ஏற்கனவே அங்கீகாரம் பெற்றுள்ள கல்லுாரிகள், அங்கீகாரத்தை புதுப்பிக்க, பிப்., 8 வரையிலும் விண்ணப்பிக்கலாம்.

Chennai airport braces for Bhogi smog, fears disruption

Bonfires lit by residents as part of the Pongal festival in the presence of high humidity, low temperature and moisture may cause smog which disrupts visibility.

Published: 12th January 2019 05:40 AM 

An aircraft prepares for take-off from the Chennai International 

Airport, amid dense fog | J Manoharan

By SV Krishna Chaitanya

Express News Service

CHENNAI: AS morning visibility is already poor due to dense fog, Chennai airport authorities have requested inbound airlines to be prepared to reschedule early morning flights on Bhogi day (January 14) as smog is likely to disrupt flight operations. Malaysian airlines AirAsia has already rescheduled one of its flights.

Bonfires lit by residents as part of the Pongal festival in the presence of high humidity, low temperature and moisture may cause smog which disrupts visibility. Last year, more than 16 flights including nine international ones had to be diverted to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Coimbatore. Further, 42 flights were delayed and 40 more cancelled due to smog reducing the visibility to under 50 metres.

G Chandramouli, Director, Chennai International Airport, told Express this year’s weather is far worse. “We have conducted a meeting with inbound airlines and apprised them about the likelihood of smog disrupting flight operations. They have been sensitised to inform passengers about flight status and rescheduling. On our part, alerts will be put out on AirSewa and Chennai airport app on a dynamic basis.”

The official said letters had been written to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and city Police Commissioner to carry out awareness and patrolling in areas surrounding airport to restrain people from holding bonfires.


It’s a practice among people to light bonfire with logs of wood, cow-dung cakes, other solid-fuels and old wooden furniture. However, some burn old tyres, tubes, plastic materials, old mates, broomstick, garbage and a few other harmful materials, which release harmful pollutants that cause smog and makes breathing difficult.

Chandramouli said the pollution control board had been requested to form special teams to create awareness in which airport officials will also take part. “We can not directly go and play with the sentiments of people and our CISF security cannot move out.”

On Friday, the Chennai airport general manager had a meeting with the TNPCB authorities on initiating pro-active measures. There are about 80 flights, both international and domestic combined, which use the Chennai airport till 10 in the morning and are vulnerable, if smog hits the city. 

Awareness campaign launched

Meanwhile, TNPCB Chairman Shambu Kallolikar has flagged off awareness vehicles. A total of 15 autorickshaws have been engaged to campaign in 15 corporation zones in Chennai through public address system, placards and pamphlets.

Pollution watch

As per TNPCB data, all 15 corporation zonal areas are measuring PM10 levels. These are inhalable particles, with diameters less than 10 micrometers

Valasarvakkam has recorded highest PM10 value of 386 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) followed by Thiru.Vi.Ka. Nagar (353), Ambattur (343) and Kodambakkam (339)

The least pollution zone was Meenambakkam that recorded 135. The prescribed standard value for PM10 is 100

Meanwhile, the real time air quality monitoring stations run by CPCB — which measure PM2.5, a key pollutant — in Manali, Alandur and IIT Madras reveal that PM2.5 value has crossed 1,000 µg/m3 in Manali between 6 am to 10.30 am. In IIT Madras, it recorded 799 and Alandur 318 last year

TNPCB officials have attributed the increase in pollution levels to high humidity, low temperature and low wind speed. There was no dispersal and dilution of pollutant which is the reason for the higher values of particulate matter. Same conditions are prevailing this year