Sunday, February 17, 2019

Tamil Nadu anti-corruption bureau can probe Cognizant paying bribe to state officials

Bribing of foreign government officials is an offence in the US under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Published: 17th February 2019 12:25 AM

A view of Chennai Cognizant IT Company. (File | EPS)

By IANS

CHENNAI: Even though Cognizant Technology Solutions has resolved with the US authorities the case of bribing Tamil Nadu government officials with $2 million, the Directorate of Vigilance & Anti-Corruption (DVAC) can start a probe to find out the corrupt officials, said serving and a retired top official of DVAC.

According to a DVAC official, the agency can probe the issue.

"Even a press report is enough for us to look into the matter. In the Cognizant case, we will have to see the US court order. We will also have to get the government permission to proceed further into the issue," said a DVAC official.

"It is not mandatory for DVAC to wait for a formal complaint to start an inquiry. Any credible information is enough to start an initial probe. So even a newspaper report is an information for DVAC. In such a situation, the DVAC Director can call for records, peruse, assess and proceed with future course of action," S.K. Dogra, former DVAC Director, told IANS.

"The DVAC head can proceed on a matter like this in consultation with the Vigilance Commissioner in the state if facts of the case so warrant."

In a statement Cognizant said it has agreed to settle the case of bribing Tamil Nadu government officials by agreeing to pay about $28 million (about Rs 200 crore) to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).

Bribing of foreign government officials is an offence in the US under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

"In total, the resolutions require the company to pay approximately $28 million to the DOJ and SEC. This amount is consistent with the accrual previously recorded by the company," Cognizant said.

Water supply project irks Madambakkam residents

It is expected to draw 20 lakh litres of water per day.

Published: 16th February 2019 01:54 AM

The 240-acre lake is a seasonal lake

Ashwin Prasath

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The residents of Madambakkam have filed four public interest litigation petitions pointing out the irregularities about the water supply project being undertaken in the area — one each in November and July, and two in October 2018. The `3 crore-project involves digging of 40-feet deep wells in the Madambakkam lake area and laying of pipelines of six-km length up to Chitlapakkam town panchayat. It is expected to draw 20 lakh litres of water per day.
However, despite the litigations, work is on in full swing and almost 70 per cent of the project has been completed.

“The 240-acre lake is a seasonal lake, which means that the lake only gets filled during the rainy season, and there is no stream from which it gets water. Already, 40 per cent of the lake is eaten up by encroachments and if wells are dug in the remaining water body, there won’t be any groundwater left,” said A Krishnan, a member of Madambakkam Lake Committee, which was formed in June 2018 to save the lake.

Of the 20 lakh litres that will be drawn every day, the project proposes to supply 18 lakh litres to Chitlapakkam town panchayat and two lakh litres to Madambakkam. This decision has been taken because of a faulty report submitted to the Public Works Department (PWD) for the NOC, allege locals.

One of the locals, on condition of anonymity said, “The agricultural land as per patta is spread across 1,200 acres, but it has been shown in the report as 204 acres. Due to this, the groundwater requirement of the area has been shown low. Also, Madambakkam population is only three-four per cent lesser than Chitlapakkam, then why such a big difference in water supply? The lake measurements are also faulty.”

Adding to this, Krishnan said Chitlapakkam has four lakes in a two-km radius including Chitlapakkam, Sembakkam, Selayur and Rajakilpakkam. “Water can be drawn from those lakes instead of laying six-km pipelines up to Madambakkam,” he said.

The officials of the local town panchayat did not want to comment as the issue has been taken up by the court. The residents will hold an expert session on February 16 on adverse affects of digging wells within the lake.

Make My Trip fined Rs 55K for rejection of tour visa
Hence the complainant is entitled for a refund that the opposite party has refused to pay, which is a clear case of unfair trade,” said the forum.

Published: 17th February 2019 01:39 AM

CHENNAI: For not submitting proper documents to the Visa Facilitation Centre due to which visa was rejected for two passengers who had booked a holiday to France, a consumer forum has directed booking agency Make My Trip to pay a fine of Rs 55,000 to the complainant. It also directed the agency to refund the visa charges and advance of Rs 59,200 paid by the complainant.

In November 2016, Vinod Paul of Choolaimedu paid Rs 45,000 as advance to Make My Trip for a holiday package to travel to France and Switzerland along with his wife. But, due to the lack of sufficient number of tourists, the trip was postponed by the company by a week for which the complainant had to submit all documents again.

“Our Visa was rejected on grounds of improper documentation. When we approached the company’s agents they said they were not responsible for the visa centre’s decision. Also, we had to shell out Rs 14,200 for sitting for the interview. If they had not rescheduled the trip, our visa wouldn’t have been rejected,” said Vinod in his complaint.

In its defence, Make My Trip said that as no fee was charged by them for processing of visa, cancellation or rejection of visa cannot be termed deficiency in service. “Acceptance or rejection of visa is the sole discretion of the concerned embassy. The opposite parties have no control or say on the acts of the airlines or the embassies.The opposite parties had clearly performed all its duties with due diligence,” it said.

North Chennai Consumer Disputes Redressal forum observed that when Make My Trip changed the tour dates, they had wrongly stated New Delhi as the departure location instead of Chennai in the forms submitted to the visa centre. Due to this error, the visa was rejected, the forum said. “Also, the visa rejection came well within 20 days of the trip. Hence the complainant is entitled for a refund that the opposite party has refused to pay, which is a clear case of unfair trade,” said the forum.

New VC for MSU assumes office

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

TIRUNELVELI, FEBRUARY 17, 2019 00:00 IST

K. Pitchumani, new Vice-Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, assumed office here on Saturday.

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research emeritus scientist at School of Chemistry in Madurai Kamaraj University, he has become ninth Vice-Chancellor of MSU as the tenure of his predecessor K. Baskar ended on Friday.

Earlier, he garlanded the statue of Manonmaniam Sundaranar on the MSU’s main campus at Abhishekapatti.

Beela Rajesh is new Health Secy, Prakash to head Chennai Corpn.

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, FEBRUARY 17, 2019 00:00 IST

J. Radhakrishnan

State government carries out reshuffle covering a wide range of posts, from Additional Secretaries to District Collectors

As part of a major reshuffle of IAS officers, the State government on Saturday transferred Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan as Transport Secretary.

Mr. Radhakrishnan has been Health Secretary for the past seven years, and was in the news recently after some adverse comments by the Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry, looking into the death of Jayalalithaa. Beela Rajesh, who is currently Commissioner, Indian Medicine and Homeopathy, has been posted as Health Secretary.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, Chennai and Coimbatore Corporation Commissioners D. Karthikeyan and Vijayakarthikeyan, who have been holding the posts for over three years, have been shifted out. While Mr. Karthikeyan switches places with G. Prakash, who is currently Commissioner, Municipal Administration, Mr. Vijayakarthikeyan has been posted as Director, T.N. Institute of Urban Studies in Coimbatore.

T.N. Hariharan, Coimbatore Collector, has been posted as Special Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.

Tiruchirappalli Collector K. Rajamani will replace him as Coimbatore Collector.

Besides posting Beela Rajesh as the Health Secretary in place of J. Radhakrishnan, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday transferred several bureaucrats from various departments across the State.

J. Kumaragurubaran, Inspector General of Registration, has been transferred and posted as Director of Disaster Management. Ka. Balachandran, Principal Secretary to Government, Commercial Taxes and Registration Department, will hold full additional charge of the post of Inspector General of Registration until further orders.

P. Uma Maheswari, Project Director of the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project, Chennai, has been transferred and posted as Collector of Pudukkottai district.

S. Nagarajan, Additional Secretary to Government, Health and Family Welfare Department, will hold full additional charge of this post.

D. Karthikeyan, Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner, Municipal Administration. G. Prakash, who was the Commissioner, Municipal Administration, is now the Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation.

Tiruchi Collector K. Rajamani has been transferred and posted as Coimbatore Collector. Up until now the Coimbatore Collector, T.N. Hariharan has been posted as Special Secretary to Government, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department in the cadre post.

S. Sivarasu, Joint Commissioner (Enforcement), Commercial Taxes, Coimbatore, has been posted as Tiruchi Collector.

T. Anand, Joint Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board, has been posted as Tiruvarur Collector.

Current Tiruvarur Collector L. Nirmalraj will take charge as Joint Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board.

K. Vijayakarthikeyan, Commissioner, Coimbatore Corporation, has been transferred and posted as Director, Tamil Nadu Institute of Urban Studies, Coimbatore.

S. Ganesh, who was the Collector of Pudukkottai district, has been posted as Director, Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy.

Pollachi Sub-Collector B. Gayathri Krishnan has been transferred and posted as Joint Commissioner (Enforcement), Commercial Taxes, Coimbatore.

S. Jayandhi, Chairperson, Teachers Recruitment Board, will take charge as Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Text Book Corporation. Sravan Kumar Jatavath, Sub-Collector, Tirupur, is now the Commissioner for Coimbatore Corporation.

S. Aneesh Sekhar, Commissioner of the Corporation of Madurai, is now the Executive Director of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO). S. Visakan, who is currently the Executive Director, TIDCO, will take charge as Commissioner of Madurai Corporation.

Corpn. Commissioners

Alby John Varghese, Commissioner, Corporation of Thoothukudi, has been appointed as Regional Deputy Commissioner (South), Greater Chennai Corporation, while Gopala Sundara Raj, who held this portfolio, has been transferred to the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board as its Joint Managing Director and Project Director for the World Bank and Asian Development Bank Projects. V.P. Jeyaseelan, Deputy Secretary to Government, Housing and Urban Development Department, has been made the Commissioner of the Corporation of Thoothukudi.

Subodh Kumar, Regional Joint Commissioner (Central), Greater Chennai Corporation, has been made the Joint Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco).

This portfolio was held by P.N. Sridhar, who has now been made Regional Joint Commissioner (Central) of Greater Chennai Corporation.

It’s now easier for students with special needs to get passports

Sanjana Ganesh

MADURAI, FEBRUARY 17, 2019 00:00 IST

A. S. Harish Jaidev, a student with special needs, is flying to Malaysia to take part in a yoga competition in May. Though autistic, he is excited about taking part in the contest and is looking forward to his first international trip.

However, there’s a glitch. Harish does not have a passport yet.

“It is difficult for students with special needs to be seated in one place for more than 10 minutes. They often become restless. This becomes an impediment while visiting the passport seva kendra,” says Andavar P. Jaidev, Harish’s father and Principal of Sparks Vidyalaya.

He adds that other special children taking part in the yoga contest from his school, also do not have passports.

In a bid to find a solution, parents of students with special needs gathered at the Madurai Group Living Foundation (MGLF) and sought permission from the regional passport office to have a special mela.

On Saturday, the doors of the passport office were open to 102 students with special needs to facilitate easy procurement of the passport.

“In the past, we have tried to accommodate students with special needs by providing them time slots where there are few people but I realise that it is rare for parents to bring these kids forward on a regular working day. Many parents may also not be able to reach me on particular days. This would mean that they would have to go through an elaborate process by themselves,” says T. Arun Prasad, Regional Passport Officer.

He adds that parents have complained of inhibitions when it comes to bringing their child to the office as their repetitive behaviour may disturb the atmosphere.

“Students with special needs also do not particularly cooperate when their pictures or biometrics need to be taken. On weekdays, the process is usually hurried and they would lose the opportunity to try again. By opening the office on Saturday exclusively for them, it would ease the pressure,” he says.

Mr. Prasad adds that he has made documentation easier as well.

“The passport of a minor usually mandates signature from both parents. Here we have relaxed it. Similarly, minor children must produce education certificates. We have not sought these documents from the parents. The parents can sign on behalf of the child as well,” he says.

A. Chandrasekaran, Managing Trustee, MGLF, says that the mela has come as a respite for parents of students with special needs. He says that the need for procuring passport is slowly reaching the community. “If more melas are held, a lot of our children will have a little more empowerment,” Mr. Chandrasekaran says.

Mr. Prasad says that the department is open to hosting more such events if there is a demand.

Academics worried over failure to fill top positions in Bharathiar University

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

COIMBATORE, FEBRUARY 17, 2019 00:00 IST

Vice-Chancellor’s post lying vacant since February 2018

Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, Controller of Examination, Director, Department of Distance Education, Director, Academic Staff College, Public Relations Officer and Dean – are the top positions in Bharathiar University that are vacant or without persons occupying the post full time, and this has the academic community worried.

The Vice-Chancellor’s post has remained vacant ever since the inglorious exit of A. Ganapathi in February 2018 and the other positions are occupied by persons who hold those additional posts.

Running the university with people in-charge of important posts is a disease that has afflicted Bharathiar University, laments, N. Pasupathy, vice- president, Association of University Teachers. The powers of the people, who occupy the posts, are limited and for every important decision they will have to take on matters before them, the occupants of the post take up the issue with the superiors and this leads to inordinate delay.

What is worse now is that the nobody seems to know why the posts remain so and the university is not forthcoming, either. “The university called for applications to fill up the aforementioned posts except that of the Vice-Chancellor. But what happened to the applications – whether or not the university has conducted interviews and if it has, why has it not published the list of short listed candidates remains unclear,” says Mr. Pasupathy.

He also slams the State Government for the delaying in appointing a person to the committee to select the next Vice- Chancellor. “The Syndicate has elected its nominee and so has the Senate. Now it is for the Government to appoint its nominee and it has been delaying, which is condemnable.”

One of the recent issues that has cropped up because of the in-charge syndrome is the one concerning a Syndicate member who has crossed 62 years of age. Though the rules say that a person who has crossed 62 years of age cannot remain a self-financing college principal and therefore cannot be a member of the Syndicate, the university has allowed him to continue as a principal but not attend the Syndicate meeting, he adds.

A Syndicate member, on condition of anonymity, accuses the university of remaining opaque when asked about such issues. In response to a member’s question seeking details of those who has applied for the posts advertised for and the action taken on those applications, the university has not responded, he rues.

It is only the Bharathiar University that is facing such a situation, rues president of the association of self-financing arts, science and management colleges, Ajeet Kumar Lal Mohan. Failure to appoint persons in the next few weeks to occupy the posts full time will only lead to further delay as the university or Government cannot proceed if the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect.

Bharathiar University Registrar in-charge B. Vanitha says that different committees have to be constituted to select persons to the six posts and it is for the Vice-Chancellor committee and the Government to take a call on it.

A Vice-Chancellor committee member says that the ball is in the Government’s court and it has to act fast.

Seize passport of defaulter, High Court tells bank

Legal Correspondent

CHENNAI, FEBRUARY 17, 2019 00:00 IST

KAPL moves court against a firm withwhich it had a business agreement

Taking serious note of a series of cases related to bank loan defaulters flying abroad without discharging their liabilities, the Madras High Court has directed a nationalised bank to take possession of the passport of a loan defaulter whose pharmaceutical firm owed over Rs. 755 crore to the financial institution.

Justice S. Vaidyanathan issued the direction while passing interim orders on a company application filed by Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals (KAPL), a central public sector enterprise, against Arvind Remedies, a company under liquidation, situated at SIDCO industrial estate Kakkalur in Tiruvallur district.

KAPL had sought a direction to Punjab National Bank and an Official Liquidator to hand over its raw materials, packaging materials and finished products that were lying on the premises of Arvind Remedies.

On going through the case papers, the judge found that KAPL had entered into an agreement with Arvind Remedies in 2016.

As per the agreement, KAPL agreed to supply approved drugs in bulk along with packaging materials to Arvind Remedies, which had the obligation of turning them into finished products and supplying them to KAPL.

It was also claimed that the agreement was entered into without being aware of the poor financial situation of Arvind Remedies.

Two government organisations are fighting while the white-collared criminals are trying to escape

Beela Rajesh is new Health Secy, Prakash to head Chennai Corpn.

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, FEBRUARY 17, 2019 00:00 IST

Family WhatsApp group hyperactive? Here’s how to cope

Times of India 17.02.2019

Research shows people do 40% less work when they are constantly checking social media notifications on their smartphone. They are also more anxious, as they worry about missing messages.

While you might not want to turn off notifications for work groups, the family is a different matter. Yet, people feel obliged to prioritise messages from relatives. “The distraction is now coupled with a feeling of obligation. There’s pressure to get back to a family member and this can weigh on you while you’re trying to accomplish other tasks,” says an article in Aeon.

While you endure the barrage of texts for the sake of maintaining relationships, you actually start resenting the people who don’t seem to rest their typing fingers.

If you find yourself in this situation, it is probably time to set social media boundaries, says the article. You don’t have to lash out or be rude, but you have a right to assert yourself. Without sounding hostile, tell them gently to stop texting you. “That means being straightforward and firm. ‘Please text me only for true emergencies’”

If that sounds too radical, at least explain to them that you cannot keep up with the pressure, and would be able to respond maybe once a day, or twice a week, or whatever other frequency suits you.

For more: Aeon

SET A BOUNDARY: The pressure to respond to family members can stress you. Tell them not to expect an immediate response

HOT TOPIC

Good things can happen to your body when you stop eating sugar

Times of India 17.02.2019
Saying no to a slice of cake or ice cream can be difficult even for the most disciplined eater. Despite its multiple negative effects on health — headaches, energy crashes and even hormonal imbalances — giving up processed or table sugar is tough.

The scientific reason behind this is that sugar activates opioid receptors in our brain which, in turn, trigger off our brain’s reward system. In simple words, eating sugar makes us feel happy and our brain gets used to that feeling. We start craving something sweet when we feel low.

So, what happens to our body when we stop eating sugar? “Studies have shown that [when someone stops eating sugar] there are similar effects as when people get off drugs,” says certified nutritional health counselor Sara Siskind. “You may experience exhaustion, headaches, brain fog and irritability. Some people even have gastrointestinal distress,” Siskind adds. Some may even experience a feeling of sadness, resulting from our body’s efforts to adjust to the now low levels of glucose. “After a week or so, your energy will begin to improve, and you will feel more alive and less irritable,” says Robert Glatter, M.D., an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, Northwell Health in New York.

Reducing or removing sugar from your diet will have a positive effect on your sleep. This is because foods containing high amounts of refined sugars reduce the degree of slow wave sleep (SWS), the restorative sleep that consolidates memories and information learned throughout the day, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the dream phase.

You may also end up losing weight. While sugar on its own doesn’t make you gain weight, consuming it in excess can contribute to weight gain. “When you reduce or eliminate sugar, storage of fat will decline slowly, and you will lose some weight. However, this takes time, with the effect typically beginning at one to two weeks,” says Glatter adding that eating more protein and following a regular exercise routine, is key to weight loss.

— BUSINESS INSIDER

Vande Bharat snag delays return trip

Dipak Dash & Arvind Chauhan@timesgroup.com

New Delhi/Agra:17.02.2019

A day after its flag-off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Vande Bharat Express developed a technical snag on Saturday morning on its return journey from Varanasi to the national capital.

Initially, a railway spokesperson said the snag might have been caused by the “train running over cattle” on the tracks. However, by evening, the railways said, “There was an issue of communication between the last basic unit of four coaches and the rest of the train probably due to some external hit. Thereafter, safety features in the train applied brakes. The train was checked for faults and moved to Delhi.” Railways said the snag had been fixed and the train is fit for its commercial run starting Sunday.

However, sources said the train faced a “brake-binding” snag around 5.30am near Tundla junction due to some failure in the system resulting in skidding of the wheels of the last coaches, which impacted the train’s entire system. Power went out in all the coaches and even the air-conditioning stopped. Technical personnel on board immediately started working to fix the problem.

An official release said all systems of the train have also been thoroughly examined and “the train will be able to run as per schedule on February 17”. The first commercial run has been fully booked.

Currently, there’s only one train — it will go to Varanasi in the morning and return to Delhi the same day — and as such if it develops a snag the entire schedule may get affected.

For full report, www.toi.in

GLITCH: Engineers inspecting Vande Bharat Express that broke down on Saturday morning

The Gandhigram Rural Institute ..Advertisement TOI

Docs backing quacks to face action
Many Paid ₹25k To Doctors For ‘Support’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:

Complaints about nearly a dozen doctors, who lent their name boards, prescription and offices to quacks, have reached the Tamil Nadu State Medical Council and in most cases, the complaints are raised by state public health officials — including the joint director of medical services.

On Monday, the general council of the statutory body will meet to decide on the recommendations of the disciplinary committee against two such cases. Tenkasi joint director Dr P K Elangovan had told the council that they caught Anburaj prescribing medicines to patients on Dr S Sivakumar’s prescription letterhead. During the inquiry, Dr Sivakumar admitted to the council that he worked in a clinic belonging to Anburaj on Sundays, but told them that he was not aware of his letterhead being misused.

Another complaint filed by Dr Elangovan claimed that radiologist Dr Kulandaivelu, working with Subham Scan Centre, Tenkasi, allowed homoeopathy doctor Dhavamani to take ultrasound scans in his absence — a violation of the Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (regulation and prevention of misuse) Act, 1994. Dr Elangovan alleged that Dhavamani signed the scan reports, although Dr Kulandaivelu sent monthly reports to the state health department for Dr Dhavamani, too.

However, Dr Kulandaivelu denied the allegation saying Dr Dhavamani was a sonologist trained in ultrasound scan at Bharathidasan University. “As per the Act, a doctor can use the machine registered in his/her own name. It wasn’t registered in Dr Dhavamani’s name because her qualification is not recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI). She can’t perform scans on her own,” said medical council president Dr K Senthil.

In another case, Theni-based Vanagamudi running Vivekananda Hospital in Kadamalaikundu was caught redhanded by the district administration. “Vanagamudi was caught for the third time and we found at least seven doctors lending their names and boards to his hospital. We have issued them showcause notices,” said a senior member at the council.

A team led by deputy superintendent Dr Thomas Prabhakaran has found that quacks pay doctors at least ₹25,000 a month. A Supreme Court ruling in 1996 defines anyone practising modern medicine without training (in the same discipline), even if they are trained in alternative systems of medicine such as siddha and ayurveda, as a quack. The Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, stipulates only those registered with the MCI can practice medicine.

A BREACH: Doctors were found to have lent their boards, names and letter heads to quacks

Air fares soar as IndiGo cancels flights

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:17/02/2019

Air fares to most domestic destinations from Chennai remain high as Indi-Go is cancelling flights daily. Though the number of flights cancelled is fewer in Chennai, some of the cancelled schedules include red eye flights and peak hour services to small towns. The airline is expected to cancel flights daily at least till the end of next month.

Travel and tour operators say that air fares have increased by as much as 30% on most of the routes, especially on morning peak hour flights to small towns. The airline had cancelled its flights from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram and Coimbatore last week.

Seats for Chennai-Mumbai flights for the coming week are now selling at ₹7,900 while the tickets were originally priced between ₹4,200 and ₹5,900. The last-minute fare on the Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram route was between ₹5,300 and ₹6,500.

The fares have increased because the airline has the most number of slots during peak hours and also connecting small towns, as part of its push to have more flights on regional routes.

Aloke Bajpai, CEO and cofounder of Ixigo, said several factors like runway repairs at Mumbai airport and cancellation of flights by Indigo airlines had a ripple impact on the last-minute airfares. “Flight fares for major domestic sectors have seen an average increase of 20%-25%. Our ‘fare intelligence’ feature shows that prices for routes like Kolkat-Bangalore, Kolkata-Chennai and Hyderabad-Kolkata are likely to increase further by 12%-15% over the next 15 days. On the other hand, fares for routes like Kolkata-Delhi and Ahmedabad-Bangalore are likely to fall by the same rate if booked after 10 days.”

Neelu Singh, CEO and MD of Ezeego1, said that the he huge cancellation had taken people by surprise as it had affected their holiday plans. “Now is the time people book for their summer vacations and they are unsure whether airlines will honour their flight schedules.”

Indigo is offering free cancellation of tickets and reallocation of flights when a flight is cancelled. However, the airline is not able to allot seats on flights.

The airline recently reallotted seats for passengers of a red-eye flight to Thiruvananthapuram on a flight that was to depart at 11am the next day. Many refused it because they had to be in the city earlier, said an airport official.

According to John Nair, head, business travel, Cox & Kings, “In the last week, there have been cancellations across airlines and this has led to over 30% increase in airfares. Airlines, which have cancelled flights are accommodating their customers on their flights itself but new bookings are being sold at a huge premium.”

PRICES TAKE FLIGHT:Indigo is offering free cancellation of tickets and reallocation of flights when a flight is cancelled. However, it is not able to allot seats on flights, making passengers uncomfortable

Radhakrishnan no longer health secy, city corpn gets new chief
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:17.02.2019

J Radhakrishnan, after seven years as health secretary, was on Saturday transferred as principal secretary, transport, in a major bureaucratic reshuffle. Beela Rajesh is the new health secretary.

Radhakrishnan was in a spot recently when counsel for the Justice A Arumughaswamy commission, probing the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, alleged that he colluded with Apollo Hospitals in providing inappropriate treatment. There was a huge outcry, with ministers and MLAs joining in, before the IAS Officers’ Association complained to the chief minister to rein in his ministerial colleagues.

Among the other changes, an order from chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan said, inspector general of registration J Kumaragurubaran will be director of disaster management, while commercial taxes secretary K Balachandran will additionally be inspector general, registration. Municipal administration commissioner G Prakash has been posted as commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation in place of D Karthikeyan who will now helm municipal administration.

S Sivarasu is the new Trichy collector in place of Rajamani who has been posted in Coimbatore, replacing T N Hariharan. Hariharan is now special secretary, municipal administration and water supply department. P Uma Maheswari is Pudukottai collector, replacing Ganesh who is now director of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy. T Anand is Tiruvarur collector in place of L Nirmalraj who is now joint managing director, TWAD Board.

Sravan Kumar Jatavath was named Coimbatore corporation commissioner, replacing K Vijayakarthikeyan who is now director, Tamil Nadu Institute of Urban Studies, Coimbatore. S Visakan is now Madurai corporation commissioner, repalcing S Aneesh Sekhar who has been made TIDCO executive director.

Tuticorin corporation commissioner Alby John Varghese becomes regional deputy commissioner (south) of Greater Chennai Corporation vice S Gopala Sundara Raj, who has been posted as joint managing director of slum clearance board and project director of World Bank and Asian Development Bank projects. V P Jeyaseelan becomes Tuticorin corporation commissioner.

Pollachi sub-collector Gayathri Krishnan is the new joint commissioner (enforcement), commercial taxes, Coimbatore. Health and family welfare additional secretary S Nagarajan will hold full additional charge as project director, Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project. Teachers Recruitment Board chairperson S Jayandhi is the new managing director of TN Text Book Corporation.

Subodh Kumar is Tangedco joint managing director of Tangedco, replacing P N Sridhar, now Greater Chennai Corporation regional joint commissioner (central).

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Read more at Education Medical Dialogues: PGI Convocation: After three years, degrees finally awarded to 1886 medicos

https://education.medicaldialogues.in/pgi-convocation-after-three-years-degrees-finally-awarded-to-1886-medicos/

Read more at Education Medical Dialogues: After UP, now Himachal to Name its Medical University after Vajpayee

https://education.medicaldialogues.in/after-up-now-himachal-to-name-its-medical-university-after-vajpayee/

Read more at Education Medical Dialogues: IGIMS Patna: MBBS exam system questioned after 40 out of 96 final year medicos fail

https://education.medicaldialogues.in/igims-mbbs-exam-system-questioned-after-40-out-of-96-final-year-medicos-fail/

Read more at Education Medical Dialogues: Blood Relation not mandatory: Raj High Court order comes as relief to NRI PG aspirants

https://education.medicaldialogues.in/blood-relation-not-mandatory-high-court-order-comes-as-major-relief-to-nri-pg-aspirants/

Read more at Medical Dialogues: Low Pay: Kerala Private doctors demand Rs 1 lakh for MBBS, Rs 2 lakh for specialist

https://medicaldialogues.in/kerala-doctors-demand-rs-1-lakh-for-mbbs-rs-2-lakh-for-specialist/

2,600 students receive degrees Convocation ceremony of KL deemed university

TNN | Feb 15, 2019, 02.30 PM IST

VIJAYAWADA: 2,600 students received their degrees at the eighth Convocation ceremony of KL deemed university in Guntur, in Wednesday. Infosys founder Narayana Murthy was conferred with an honourrary doctorate by the university.

Giving the keynote address, Murthy said, "Never before in the last several hundred years did India receive respect from the world community like she does today. Never before did the world think India had something to contribute to the global community other than spices. Our economy is growing at 7 to 7.5 percent this year. India has become the software development center of the world."

"However, we have another India steeped in deep poverty, illiteracy, ill health and malnutrition, and without hope and confidence in the future, for no fault of hers. We have the largest mass of illiterates in the world. About 350 million Indians cannot read or write. More than 200 million Indians do not have access to safe drinking water," he said.

Murthy, said that the government has to become more citizen-friendly and remove all obstacles to entrepreneurs to create larger and larger number of jobs. "Our economic policies have to be less populist and more based on expertise. We have to shun jingoism. Finally, we have to put in tremendous hard work and make short-term sacrifices for long-term glory. We have to be optimistic and courageous. Leading by example is the most powerful advice you can give to anybody," he said and urged the students to practice good human values and work hard towards achieving their goals.

Rythu Nestham Foundation chairman Y Venkateswara Rao received honorary doctorate from the university. Addressing the students, he said, ", wherever you go, whichever job you do and wherever you settle never forget the farmers. Always strengthen your thoughts to support the farmers who feed the country by their self-sacrifice across the seasons of the year through sweat and hard work. In the way possible you try your level best to enhance the living standards of the farmers."

New MBBS syllabus offers AYUSH as option

The new syllabus received final approval from the BoG last month and will be implemented from August, when the new academic session (2019-20) begins.

The 3-month module will be designed by Ayush ministry

EDUCATION Updated: Feb 16, 2019 07:37 IST

Rhythma Kaul

New Delhi

Undergraduate medical students will be given the option of choosing Ayush from 2019-20 academic year.

Photo by Deepak Sansta / Hindustan Times(HT Photo)

Undergraduate medical students will be given the option of choosing Ayush (ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy) systems as an elective subject from the 2019-20 academic year, a top functionary of the board of governors that oversees medical colleges said. The initiative is aimed at introducing future doctors to alternative systems of medicine,

The government had in September 2018 dissolved the Medical Council of India and constituted the board of governors (BoG) to supersede the medical regulator. The new syllabus received final approval from the BoG last month and will be implemented from August, when the new academic session (2019-20) begins. The 3-month module will be designed by Ayush ministry.

“It is to give a hang of the alternative systems of medicine to the students of allopathy. Ayush systems can play a great role in promoting preventive health. However, it will not be mandatory for medical students,” said Dr V K Paul, chairman, BoG. “The students will get to visit Ayush hospitals, attend outpatient departments (OPDs), etc,” he added.

மணப்பெண்ணின் உடலைக் கிண்டல் செய்து வதந்திகள்: வேதனையில் புதுமணத் தம்பதி புகார்

Published : 14 Feb 2019 18:09 IST

புகைப்படங்கள் என்பவை பொதுவாக மறக்கமுடியாத நாட்களின் இனிய நினைவுகளாக இருக்கும். ஆனால் கேரளாவைச் சேர்ந்த தம்பதிக்கு மாறாத வடுவாகி இருக்கிறது.

கன்னூரைச் சேர்ந்த அனூப் செபாஸ்டின் (29), ஜூபி ஜோசப் (27) என்ற இருவருக்கும் கடந்த பிப். 4-ம் தேதி திருமணம் நடந்தது. அவர்களின் திருமணப் புகைப்படம் அங்கிருந்த செய்தித்தாளில் வெளியாகியுள்ளது.

சற்றே உடல் பருமனாக இருக்கும் ஜூபி புகைப்படத்தில் அனூப்பை விட வயதானவராக இருக்கிறார் என்று விமர்சனங்கள் எழுந்தன. அவர்களின் புகைப்படத்தை மட்டும் எடுத்துக் கொண்டு, ''பெண்ணின் வயது 48. ஆணின் வயது 25. பெண்ணின் சொத்து மதிப்பு ரூ.25 கோடி, 101 சவரன் தங்கம், 50 லட்ச ரூபாய் ரொக்கம்.. இன்னும் இருக்கிறது.. நம்முடைய செருபுழாவில் நடைபெற்ற கல்யாணம்'' என்று வாட்ஸ் அப்பில் செய்தி தீயாகப் பரவியது.

ஏராளமானோர் இதைப் பகிர, ஜூபியும் அனூப்பும் அதைப் படித்து அதிர்ந்தனர். ஃபார்வர்ட் செய்திகள் தொடர, காவல்நிலையத்தில் புகார் அளித்தனர். இதுதொடர்பாக 5 பேரைக் காவல்துறையினர் கைது செய்துள்ளனர்.

சமூக வலைதளங்களில் உடலமைப்பை குறிப்பாகப் பெண்களைக் கேலியும் கிண்டமும் செய்யும்போக்கு அதிகரித்துக் கொண்டே உள்ளது. இது ஆபத்தான போக்கு என்றும் கட்டுப்பாடற்ற இணைய சூழலில் வன்முறைகள் கட்டவிழும் அபாயம் உள்ளது எனவும் சமூக ஆர்வலர்கள் எச்சரிக்கின்றனர்.

ஆசிரியருக்கு மரண தண்டனை நிறைவேற்ற சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட் தடை

Added : பிப் 16, 2019 02:00

புதுடில்லி: மத்திய பிரதேச மாநிலத்தில், நான்கு வயது சிறுமியை பாலியல் பலாத்காரம் செய்த வழக்கில், மரண தண்டனை விதிக்கப்பட்ட பள்ளி ஆசிரியருக்கு விதிக்கப்பட்ட மரண தண்டனைக்கு, உச்சநீதிமன்றம் தடை விதித்துள்ளது.ம.பி.,யில் கடந்த ஆண்டு, ஜூலை, 1ல், அருகில் உள்ள ஒரு வீட்டில் விளையாடிய நான்கு வயது சிறுமியை கடத்தி சென்று, பாலியல் பலாத்காரம் செய்ததாக, மஹேந்திர சிங் கோண்ட், 28, என்ற பள்ளி ஆசிரியர் கைது செய்யப்பட்டார்.வழக்கை விசாரித்த சத்னா மாவட்ட நீதிமன்றம், மஹேந்திர சிங்குக்கு மரண தண்டனை விதித்து தீர்ப்பளித்தது. அந்த தண்டனையை, ம.பி., உயர் நீதிமன்றம் உறுதி செய்தது.மரண தண்டனையை எதிர்த்து, உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்தில் மஹேந்திர சிங் மேல் முறையீடு செய்தான். மனுவை விசாரித்த உச்ச நீதிமன்ற தலைமை நீதிபதி ரஞ்சன் கோகோய் தலைமையிலான அமர்வு, மரண தண்டனை நிறைவேற்ற தடை விதித்து உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.

Age and lifestyle responsible for the failure of IVF treatments

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedFeb 15, 2019, 5:58 am IST

Medicos discuss the reasons behind recurrent implantation failures and advancements to improve the outcomes.

The failure to implant may be a consequence of embryo or uterine factors.

Chennai: Though the usage of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) for conceiving is on the rise, the incidence of repeated failures in these infertility treatments for pregnancy has also surfaced. Medicos discuss the reasons
behind recurrent implantation failures and advancements to improve the outcomes.

Recurrent implantation failure refers to the failure of achieving clinical pregnancy after the transfer of at least four good-quality embryos, in a minimum of three fresh or frozen cycles in a woman under the age of 40 years. The failure to implant may be a consequence of embryo or uterine factors.

Dr Erika Patel, fertility consultant at Nova IVI Fertility said “In cases with good embryo, one of the most common causes for IVF failure happens to be implantation dysfunction, often identified in young women with a normal ovarian reserve and whose partners are fertile. Human embryo implantation is an incredibly complicated and also multi-factorial procedure.”

Effective implantation needs the existence of a good embryo, as well as a receptive endometrium. There are several possible factors which can cause the implantation to fail such as thin uterine lining, immunological implantation dysfunction and surface lesions that protrude in the cavity of the uterus.

While maternal age is the most important variable in predicting implantation, the ovarian reserve of a woman also tends to decline sharply after the age of 30-35, say medicos. “The reasons for implantation failure could be because of uterine
problem and/or quality of the embryo. The health of the embryo depends on the quality of the gametes; i.e the oocyte and sperm quality, in cases with advanced maternal age the oocyte quality can be compromised affecting implantation and success of IVF,” said Dr Erika Patel.

The lifestyle of a patient also plays an important role in the outcome of an IVF cycle. A nutritious diet, maintaining healthy body weight and reduction or elimination of alcohol and smoking helps in a successful IVF cycle.

Doctors say that women who are overweight or underweight not only have an increased risk of infertility but also have fewer chances of a successful IVF cycle versus women of normal weight.

Innovations improving IVF success rate

Innovative techniques such as Endometric Receptive Array (ERA), DNA fragmentation and blastocyst transfer are increasingly being used during the IVF process, which have significantly increased the success rate of IVF treatments.

Blastocyst culture is being considered a better alternative for IVF methods as an embryo is allowed to grow until day five in the lab. The embryos are monitored until the blastocyst stage in this method and the best embryos are selected and transferred into the womb of the mother. Unlike the conventional IVF method, blastocyst culture and single blastocyst embryo transfer reduces the risk of multiple pregnancies and IVF failure in patients.

Notice issued on plea seeking NAAC communication be declared illegal
Justice K Ravichandra Baabu issued two weeks notice when the petition from the Ranking company came up for hearing on February 13.

Published: 15th February 2019 01:52 AM

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered notice on a writ petition from City-based Indian Centre for Academic Ranking and Excellence, to declare a communication dated January 21 last of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in Bangalore, to Directorate of Higher Education in Maharashtra, as motivated, biased, without jurisdiction and therefore illegal.

Justice K Ravichandra Baabu issued two weeks notice when the petition from the Ranking company came up for hearing on February 13.

According to advocate Murali Kumaran, the petitioner company was providing comprehensive rating services for universities and educational institutions across the country. It, upon being declared to be a successful bidder, entered into an MoU on August 18, 2017 with NAAC for extending services – data validation and verification for assessment and accreditation purposes. As per the MoU, the petitioner firm intimated NAAC about the details of higher education institutions to which the petitioner company was extending its services, so that such institutions will not be allotted to the petitioner company, to ascertain impartiality.

By merely misconstruing, NAAC issued a show cause notice dated October 31, 2018, stating that there was a breach of the terms of the contract, to which the firm gave a reply on November 8, 2018, and further action was dropped. The Council, vide e-tender notice dated September 7, 2018, called for applications for empanelment for data validation and verification. The petitioner took part in it and was declared to be technically qualified.

While so, the Council officials, who were unofficially rendering private consultancy services to higher education institutions in various parts of the country, got disturbed due to the growth and the preferences by the institutions across the country towards the petitioner company, which resulted in threatening and forcing it to withdraw from the tender process.

In the course of its business activity, the Directorate of Higher Education in Maharashtra invited the petitioner to conduct a workshop for the public universities and higher education institutions by giving a seminar on New NAAC methodology and the Maharashtra State Institutional Ranking Framework, on January 23, 2019. While so, the Council issued the impugned communication dated January 21 last to the Maharashtra Higher Education Directorate and a news item was published by an English daily on January 23, stating that the NAAC has banned the petitioner firm. Hence, the present petition.

Thanjavur Old Bus Stand to get a facelift

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

THANJAVUR, FEBRUARY 16, 2019 00:00 IST

Moving with the times:There will be a modern terminus in place of Thanjavur Old Bus Stand in a few years from now.Hand Out

Also a parking-cum-commercial area

The Old Bus Stand in Thanjavur is all set to get a facelift with the Corporation deciding to redevelop it under the Smart Cities Mission of the Central government. The nearby terminus meant for buses bound for Thiruvaiyaru would make way for a parking-cum-commercial area.

While the Old Bus Stand is to be demolished and reconstructed at a cost of Rs. 14.88 crore, the Thiruvaiyaru bus terminus would be redeveloped on an outlay of Rs. 13.84 crore. Both the projects are expected to be completed within two years from the date of commencement.

According to Corporation sources, the old bus stand is spread over 2.9 acres of land and handles about 200 buses which make about 1,900 trips to various destinations every day.

The bus stand has 32 bus bays and 45 shops. The redeveloped bus stand will have 34 bus bays for moving vehicles and five ‘idle’ bus bays. The number of shops would go up to 52.

The bus stand will have modern amenities such as information desk, public conveniences, cloak room and waiting area.

The Thiruvaiyaru bus terminus, which is situated on an area of about 1.77 acres, will be converted into a multi-level parking-cum-commercial area. The parking area will be in the stilt floor spread over about 1,703 square metres. It will accommodate 437 two-wheelers and 58 four-wheelers. Above the parking area will be the commercial centre with 38 shops, as per the Detailed Project Report prepared by the consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle.

On Thursday, Collector A. Annadurai convened a meeting with officials and traders to discuss the project and temporary alternative site for the shops. He instructed the Corporation officials to take into account the representations made by the traders.

Corporation Commissioner (in charge) Kalimuthu, Chief Engineer Rajakumaran and other officials were present.

Vande Bharat: India’s self-propelled, fastest train takes off

Yuthika Bhargava

ON BOARD THE VANDE, FEBRUARY 16, 2019 00:00 IST

UPDATED: FEBRUARY 16, 2019 05:35 IST

New service:Narendra Modi being saluted by the guard of Vande Bharat Express in New Delhi station.Sandeep Saxena The Hindu

The semi-high speed express will cover the 780-km distance from Delhi to Varanasi in just eight hours

The inaugural trip of India’s first semi-high speed train, Vande Bharat Express, was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the New Delhi railway station on Friday. The train, named ‘Train 18’ at the concept stage, is a plush 16-coach, air-conditioned, self-propelled train set and doesn’t have a locomotive.

The express will ply between Delhi and Varanasi, with halts at Kanpur and Allahabad. It will complete the 780-km journey in eight hours, slicing off 180 minutes from the current travel time of 11-and-a-half hours. This is India’s fastest train to date, capable of commercial speeds up to 160 km per hour. On the Delhi-Varanasi route, however, its top speed would be restricted to 130 km per hour. The train will start commercial operations on this route on February 17. The tickets for that date are already sold out.

Big crowd

A big crowd gathered to witness the launch of the train in Delhi, greeting its flagging-off with excited chants of ‘Vande Mataram’. Many onlookers tried to take selfies with the gleaming blue-and-white train and even tried to touch it. Cell phone-wielding crowds and selfie-mania greeted the train at both Kanpur and Allahabad.

The express will have two travel classes: executive and chair car, similar to the Shatabdi. From Delhi to Varanasi, an air-conditioned chair car ticket will cost Rs. 1,760, while the executive class fare will be Rs. 3,310. In the return direction, the chair car and executive class tickets will cost Rs. 1,700 and Rs. 3,260 respectively. The fares are inclusive of catering charges.

Keeping with the Railways’ stated aim of offering a “totally new travel experience” to passengers, the train’s interiors have the look and feel of a commercial airplane. All the coaches are equipped with automatic doors, a GPS-based passenger information system, and free WiFi. But the Wi-Fi can only be used to access select entertainment content provided by the Railways. The toilets are bio-vacuum type, similar to those on airplanes.

HC asks accused to campaign against ragging

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kochi:16.02.2019

The Kerala high court on Friday asked 10 students involved in a ragging case to conduct an anti-ragging campaign in their college to consider their plea to quash the criminal case filed against them.

Justice B Sudheendra Kumar gave the directive on a petition filed by students of Indira Gandhi College of Science and Technology at Mambaram, Kannur, against whom police had registered a case for ragging and assaulting a first-year student. The students cited an out-of-court settlement with the victim to quash the case.

The accused and their parents had appeared in the court on Friday as sought by the judge. The court asked them to conduct an anti-ragging campaign in the college after their exams, which will be over by February 21, in association with the Kannur Legal Services Authority. It said the decision on quashing the criminal case would be based on the authority chairman's report. The case has been posted to April 2 for further hearing.

The judge advised the students and parents to ensure that the future is not spoiled by getting involved in such cases. He said the community would take notice of an anti-ragging campaign conducted by them.

Pondy CM to continue dharna against Bedi until February 21

LG Can Resolve Problems In One Hour: CM

Bosco.Dominique@timesgroup.com

Puducherry:16.02.2019

Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy, his cabinet colleagues, legislators of the Congress and the DMK and leaders of Congress alliance partners continued their agitation in front of Raj Nivas for the third day on Friday against lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi, accusing her of stalling welfare schemes of the Congress government.

Speaking to reporters on Friday night after holding discussions with his fellow protesters, Narayanasamy said the agitation against Bedi will continue until February 21. Bedi, who left for Delhi on Thursday after attending a private function at Chennai, had invited Narayanasamy for a discussion at 10am on February 21. She will be attending a series of public and private functions in New Delhi until February 20.

It all started after Narayanasamy objected to Bedi’s decision to enforce compulsory helmet rule from February 11. He insisted that the law-enforcement agency should implement the rule in a phased manner. Narayanasamy decided to take to the roads to register his protest and since Wednesday afternoon he has been sitting in a dharna in front of Raj Nivas to protest against Bedi’s intervention in day-to-day affairs of the government.

The protesting leaders, led by Narayanasamy, spent the whole night on Thursday and slept on the road for the second consecutive night. Narayanasamy, who had written to lieutenant governor insisting her to fulfil a 39-charter demand, said Bedi could resolve all issues within an hour but is not willing to do so.

“I gave a letter to her (Bedi) on February 7 (insisting to fulfil 39 demands). But she allotted time on February 21(for discussions). I sent another letter pointing out that she can resolve the issues within one hour,” he said.

When asked on the rationale to continue the stir in her absence in the territory, he said if she conveyed her decision to fulfil all the demands through a letter or over the phone, he would reconsider his decision to continue the agitation.

SLEEP IN: The protesting leaders, led by Narayanasamy, spent the whole night on Thursday in front of the Raj Nivas in Puducherry

Speaker seeks new ‘interim admin’

Puducherry:Speaker of the legislative assembly of the Union territory of Puducherry V Vaithilingam has urged the Union home minister Rajnath Singh to ‘consider appointing an interim administrator of the Union territory’ in wake of ‘crucial situation faced by the administration’. He said chief minister V Narayanasamy wrote to Bedi on February 7 citing all the issues faced by the administration elaborately. TNN

Kiran Bedi will be dismissed: AICC secy

Puducherry:Sanjay Dutt, AICC secretary and Congress party’s in-charge of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, on Friday said lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi would be dismissed for acting in an unconstitutional and autocratic manner once the Congress comes to power at the Centre. Dutt called on the chief minister and leaders of alliance partners to express solidarity to the ongoing agitation. He said the Centre appointed Bedi to destabilise the elected Congress government. TNN

Council of Architecture Public Notice 16.02.2019 TOI

Free rides end, metro footfall drops 50%
85,000 Use Phase-I Line Daily, CMRL Eyes 1L Mark

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.02.109

Footfall in metro stations dropped by more than 50% a day after Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) ended free rides across its 45-km corridors. On Thursday, around 86,312 people travelled in metro trains. Officials had expected the ridership to touch one lakh, as the 45-km phase I is completely operational.

CMRL opened its corridors for free commute after the 10-km stretch from Washermenpet to AG-DMS was inaugurated on February 10. The free rides continued till February 13, as officials said, the time was utilized to stabilize its system and regularise the frequency of trains.

“It would have been unfair and disappointing to commuters if we had charged for tickets without operating trains on time. So, we had decided to offer free rides,” an official said.

In the four days, more than seven lakh people travelled on metro trains with an average of two lakhs every day. However, when CMRL began charging for the service on Thursday, there was a significant, 57% dip.

Before the inauguration of the last leg from Washermenpet to AG-DMS, CMRL had an average ridership of 60,000 taking trains.

While the new passenger count shows a rise of more than 20,000, it is still short of the one lakh a day ridership figure CMRL officials expected to record.

“The stations may be open now, but a few of the new stations are not close to bus stops or do not have options like share taxis or autos, which we can take to our destination,” said Shankaran, a working professional, who exited at Thousand Lights station.

Metro rail officials said soon feeder services, including share auto and taxis, will be introduced in the newly opened stations to provide commuters last mile connectivity. Tenders have also been issued to extend the share services, which is available in 13 stations, to all stations.

With majority of stations at the heart of the city and accessible through metro trains from transit hubs like Central, Egmore, Koyambedu and Airport for a fare of ₹40 or ₹50, and with the launch of feeder services soon, CMRL officials said they are hopeful to the see patronage touch one lakh in the coming months.

Commuters, however, still find the ticket fares to be high, as several complaints on social networking sites continue to blame the ticket fares for the poor patronage.

BETTER PROSPECTS: With feeder services to be introduced soon in new stations, CMRL officials hope the patronage to go up

The stations may be open now, but a few of the new stations are not close to bus stops or do not have options like share taxis or autos, which we can take to our destination

Shankaran | A WORKING PROFESSIONAL & METRO COMMUTER

Anna univ stalls results of 30k engg students

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:16.02.2019

More than 30,000 first year engineering students from 150 colleges affiliated to Anna University are in a fix as their exam results have been withheld.

Results were not released because the college administration did not pay the requisite fee and did not complete the certificate verification process, government sources told TOI.

More than 90,0000 students from 509 engineering colleges took up the first semester exams in November-December 2018.

Though most colleges were able to access the results, released on Friday on the official website, students from 150 colleges were unable to find out their scores. Confused, they approached their colleges. After the colleges contacted the university, they were informed that their results were withheld due to non-compliance.

“Every college should pay ₹1,200 per student to Anna University office for student affairs. But these colleges haven’t paid them and some are yet to complete the certificate verification process even six months after students registered in their colleges,” said a university official.

“There was a similar issue last year with the release of final year semester results. Colleges were then pulled up for not sending adequate staff to evaluate answer scripts. Students, who were planning to study abroad or attend placements, had to suffer. Now, first year students are facing a hurdle,” said the parent of a student from Chennai.

A university official said the colleges were at fault. Tamil Nadu Directorate of Technical Education (TN DOTE) is also to be blamed for not collecting the fees and details from colleges and submitting to the varsity on time, a varsity source said.

K Vivekanadan from TN DOTE was unavailable for comment despite attempts to reach him.

TN govt colleges may get 345 more MBBS seats this year

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.02.2019

In an attempt to increase the number of undergraduate medical seats in the state, both the government and private institutions together have applied for at least 950 more MBBS seats for 2019. This includes at least 345 seats in public institutions.

The directorate of medical education has submitted its final compliance report after two rounds of inspections and is expecting the letter of permission from the Centre to start a government medical college in Karur in 2019 offering 150 medical seats. “With this, the total number of government medical colleges in the state will be 23. Our state has one of the maximum numbers of medical colleges in the government sector. In the coming years, we will increase the seats in existing colleges to at least 250 and open new colleges in all districts,” said the director of medical education Dr A Edwin Joe.

This year, the state has applied for 95 more seats at Madurai Government Medical College and 100 at Tirunelveli Government Medical College. The inspectors had earlier asked administrators of the Madurai college to rectify certain infrastructure inadequacies. “We have submitted the compliance report for that. There were no inadequacies reported in Tirunelveli,” he said.

In addition to government colleges, at least four private colleges that are planning at least 150 seats each have asked the state for essentiality certificates — a mandatory certificate to be handed over to the Centre. The list includes medical colleges backed by Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambi Durai and DMK former minister S Jagathrakshakan.

Educationists and activists said the state should enforce stringent laws to permit them to take over administration when the management announced the closure. “Every year, students from private colleges move the court seeking transfer to government colleges if the management decides not to continue the course,” said Dr R Kamaraj, a parent of a student in a private medical college.

Friday, February 15, 2019

High court relief to NRI PG medical aspirants

TNN | Feb 10, 2019, 07.50 AM IST

JAIPUR: High court’s decision has come as a major relief for candidates seeking admission in PG medical courses on 15% NRI quota in the state.

Hearing the case, double bench of justice Banwari Lal Sharma and MN Bhandari of Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur bench, ordered, “Admission in NRI quota for PG medical and dental courses would be governed by the prevalent rule.” The court heard the case filed by a private university of medical sciences and technology Jaipur versus State of Rajasthan, office of the chairman, NEET PG medical and Dental Admission/Counselling Board -2018.

Chairman of the medical university, Dr ML Swarankar said, “The prevalent rule was issued by the medical education department on August 24, 2011 stating that an NRI who undertakes to sponsor a student for admission as guardian, need not be a blood relation, hence the ‘ward’ in case of NRI admission means a candidate whose guardian is a bonafide NRI. ‘Ward’ does not mean related by blood.” Dr Swarankar said, “The court’s judgement can be seen as a major relief for students as it is not mandatory for a PG medical course aspirant to have blood relationship with an NRI for taking benefit of NRI quota.”

The court set aside the order passed in SB Civil writ petition on May 10, 2018, whereby the single judge had disposed of the writ petition of the petitioner student, while observing that the principles laid down by the honourable Supreme Court in writ petition titled as consortium of deemed universities in Karnataka versus Union of India, be applicable to all admissions including PG (medicine).

While setting aside the order passed on May, 2018, division bench ordered, “We find that litigation before the Apex Court is still pending in the case of consortium of deemed universities in Karnataka. The last para of the interim order is quoted hereunder for ready reference: It needs no special emphasis to state that the present order is only applicable to the deemed universities and no other category of institution.” The Apex Court had passed interim order, “As presently advised, the principles set out in Anshul Tomar (supra), shall be followed this year for the purpose of filling up of 15% NRI quota. Be it clarified, the NRI quota shall include overseas citizens of India (OCI) and persons of Indian origin (PIO).”

Justice Banwari Lal Sharma and MN Bhandari further ordered, “If any direction is given by the Apex Court in regard to such admission even for the university created by the state legislation, then it would be applicable to it.”

Driving schools move court against glitch in new licences

Legal Correspondent

CHENNAI, February 15, 2019 00:00 IST

Smart cards carry only temporary address, says association

The Madras High Court on Monday sought the response of the State government to a writ petition filed by South India Driving School Owners Federation complaining about new driving licences, issued in the form of smart cards, containing the address of driving schools and not that of the licence holders.

When the case was listed for admission, Justice D. Krishna Kumar ordered notices to the Transport Secretary as well as Transport Commissioner returnable by four weeks. In its affidavit, the federation said the applications for driving licences require applicants to fill their permanent as well as temporary address.

Temporary address

Most of the applicants fill their residential address in the column meant for mentioning the permanent address and the address of the driving schools in the column meant for temporary address. However, the smart cards issued to them contain only the temporary address which invariably happen to be the address of driving schools, it said.

“I state that incorporating the driving school address as the address of the licence holder is improper and incorrect. In the event of any untoward incident, the owners of driving schools have to face the situation,” S. Devadoss Gandhi, joint secretary of the federation, said and claimed that the officials failed to rectify the anomaly despite several requests.

School of Education to come up at MSU

Special Correspondent

TIRUNELVELI, February 15, 2019 00:00 IST

It will fine-tune skill of 38,000-odd teachers in this region

Union Ministry of Human Resource Development had released Rs. 11.50 crore under ‘Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching’ for establishing School of Education at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, its Vice-Chancellor K. Baskar said.

The school is meant to train school and college teachers through scientifically designed induction and post-induction training programmes.

He told reporters here on Thursday that it would shape 38,000-odd teachers in this region in a desirable and student-friendly fashion. The training modules would fine-tune their teaching practices.

Own buildings

Of 10 constituent colleges of MSU, which were established to provide quality higher education to poor students at affordable cost, nine colleges, except the one at Puliyangudi, will have own buildings during next academic year,.

The university’s cash reserve, which stood at Rs. 160 crore three years ago, stands at Rs. 212 crore due to a range of measures taken during the last three years.

The ‘file tracking system’ in the MSU administration is quite popular among the teaching and non-teaching faculty of the university and in affiliated colleges as he had set a deadline of clearing every file within 15 days.

Fund sanctioned

He said that Rs. 1.50 crore has been sanctioned to the university under Ministry of Human Resource Development’s Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) Innovation and Research Scheme for developing Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) and Sodium ion batteries which can replace the costly Lithium ion batteries.

If the SOFC project can accomplish the expected outcome, it will end up in fabricating the energy efficient fuel cell with greater storage and will be very much useful for the armed forces deployed in remote areas, he said.

New VC for MSU

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, February 15, 2019 00:00 IST

Senior chemical scientist and administrator K. Pitchumani has been appointed Vice-Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, by Governor-Chancellor Banwarilal Purohit. He will have a tenure of three years. Mr. Pitchumani has teaching experience for 37 years and is at present the CSIR Emeritus Scientist at the School of Chemistry in Madurai Kamaraj University.

He has also worked as visiting professor in the Academy of Sinica, Taipei, and Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.

A release from the Raj Bhavan said Mr. Pitchumani “is experienced in university administration having functioned as Registrar in-charge and Chancellor nominee in syndicate and senate of Madurai Kamaraj University. He has authored three books and has over 190 research papers to his credit. In the year 2016, he was awarded UGC Emeritus Professorship in chemistry and given the status of CSIR Emeritus Scientist in chemistry.

Good Morning

Sunday, February 17, 2019

The Gandhigram Rural Institute ..Advertisement TOI

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Speaker seeks new ‘interim admin’

Kiran Bedi will be dismissed: AICC secy

Council of Architecture Public Notice 16.02.2019 TOI

Friday, February 15, 2019

NEWS TODAY 21.12.2024

Followers