Cured but alone, mental patients find family in old age homes

Priyangi.Agarwal@timesgroup.com

Bareilly: 23.02.2019  TOI

Thousands in the country cured of their mental illness but forced to stay at institutes for such patients as they have been abandoned by their families and have nowhere to go might just have a home now.

In a novel experiment started in Bareilly, which has one of India’s biggest mental hospitals, five such men have now been housed at an old age home. A separate rehabilitation centre has been set up at the old age home for these persons. Authorities at the hospital told TOI that depending on how this goes -- the way these men adjust -- the system could be replicated across UP and perhaps beyond.

At the Bareilly Old Age Home, sitting on the lawn and basking in the winter sun, 50-year-old Umesh, a former patient from Badaun admitted to the mental hospital in 2014, tells a group of fellow residents that he has been worried about the wedding of his oldest daughter, an engineering graduate. What he doesn’t say is that his family left him a long time ago, and it is likely that his “little girl”, with who he last spoke in 2016, is already married. But he is happy. “I like it here,” he said, smiling. “I have friends and we laugh and play together.”

After TOI in 2016 highlighted the plight of nearly 60 cured inmates of Bareilly mental hospital who were forced to live in the institute as their kin didn’t want them back, Delhi-based advocate Gaurav Bansal filed a PIL in the Supreme Court for the rehabilitation of such patients in 43 such hospitals across the country. In 2018, the apex court directed states and UTs to submit a status report on steps taken by them towards that end.

“Our medical board had repeatedly termed these five males fit for discharge. We wrote several letters to their families and tried to contact them but there was no response. We might send more cured patients to the old age home, depending on the response we get from these five expatients,” said Dr Pramila Gaur, director of the mental hospital.

Chandan, 62, from a small village in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, had spent 18 years at the mental hospital. “This new place is much better. At least I get respect and can walk around. At the mental hospital, we were locked up in our ward and let out only to eat,” he said. Chandan has even made a “sister”, 71-year-old Savitri from Haridwar who lives at the old age home. The two Garhwal natives sing folk songs together and play board games.

“I try to make Chandan and the others realize that they should accept circumstances and reality. The old age home has many facilities, and they should start considering it their home,” said Savitri.

Then there is Ramesh, 50, who is generally quiet and keeps to himself. “I spent 14 years at the mental hospital. I earlier used to miss my family but not anymore. I am a bachelor and I know my siblings do not want me back. People here are my family now,” he said.

Kishan Lal, 63, a farmer who has been living in the old age home for three years, is liking it too. He has become good friends with the five cured patients. “When they came here, I was scared of them as I thought that they may become aggressive or violent. After about 10 days, we started talking and I realized they are just like us,” he said.

(Names of cured patients have been changed)



This new place is much better. At least I get respect and can walk around.

At the mental hospital, we were locked up in our ward and let out only to eat

—Chandan A cured patient

SENTENCE COMMUTED

Fresh lease of life for man on death row

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:23.02.2019

Almost a decade after losing the legal battle in the Supreme Court which upheld his death sentence, a condemned prisoner got a fresh lease of life on Friday with the apex court commuting his sentence to imprisonment till death on grounds of delay in deciding on his mercy plea.

The accused was convicted for the murder of his wife and five children and was

awarded the death penalty by the trial court in 2006 and the sentence was upheld by the Madhya Pradesh high court in 2006. The SC confirmed his death sentence in 2009. Immediately after the apex court order, he had filed mercy petition but his plea was decided after five years when the President rejected it in 2014.

Armed with the Supreme Court’s 2014 verdict which had held that death sentence could be commuted to life imprisonment on the grounds of delay in deciding on mercy petition of death row prisoners, he again started the legal battle to save his life and filed a fresh petition saying his sentence be commuted because of inordinate delay in his case.

A bench of Justices N V Ramana, Deepak Gupta and Indira Banerjee agreed with his plea and commuted the sentence. The court noted that there was no delay on the part of the Centre or the secretariat of the President in dealing with the mercy petition and it was dealt with expeditiously but delay was on part of the Madhya Pradesh government which kept sitting on the mercy petition for four years before forwarding it to the President. The state government, which was issued notice way back in 2014 by the court to give explanation for the delay, failed to turn up in the court and the SC passed the order.

For full report, www.toi.in

Sankarankoil blast could be heard several km away
Govt To Give ₹1 Lakh To Kin Of Victims

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Madurai:23.02.2019

It was a series of explosions that shattered the fancy fireworks manufacturing unit at Varaganur village near Sankarankovil in Tirunelveli district on Friday afternoon killing four people and seriously injuring six others. The blasts could be heard several kilometres away and a thick white cloud of smoke that rose into the sky from the accident spot could be seen from far.

Two women and a man, identified as K Kasthuri, 45, of Elaayirampannai; A Krishnammal, 55, of Varaganur; and C Neethiraj, 50, of Thiruthangal died on the spot. G Mariammal, 45, of Varaganur, who was rushed to the Kovilpatti district headquarters hospital, died while undergoing treatment. “The condition of two others is critical,” superintendent of police (SP) of Tirunelveli district PVe Arunsakthikumar said.

Thiruvenkatam police registered a case under sections 304(ii), 286, 337 and 338 of the Indian Penal Code, read with section 9 of the Explosive Substances Act. The SP said inquiries were under way to find out the cause of the accident, where it began and if there were any violations or irregularities in permissions obtained by the person running the unit. People associated with the unit were picked up for questioning but no arrests were made till late in the evening. The licence issued to the firm was suspended.

Tirunelveli collector Shilpa Prabhakar Satish, inspector general of police for South Zone K P Shanmuga Rajeswaran, deputy inspector general of police for Tirunelveli range Kapil Kumar Saratkar and SPs Arunsakthikumar (Tirunelveli) and M Rajarajan (Virudhunagar) visited the spot.

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami expressed his grief over the loss of lives in the blast and announced a relief of ₹1 lakh each to the families of the victims from the Chief Minister's general relief fund. He announced ₹50,000 to those who were seriously injured in the incident and ₹25,000 to those who suffered minor injuries.


DEAFENING: The series of explosions near Sankarankovil in Tirunelveli district on Friday left four people dead

Forced to buy paper rolls for ticketing: MTC conductors

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:23.02.2019

MTC bus conductors have alleged that they are forced to spend from their own pockets to buy paper rolls for electronic ticketing machines (ETMs). While conductors claimed they were provided with only one roll a week, branch managers said rolls were distributed on a daily basis.

ETMs were introduced in 2014 as part of the modernization process. Though supply of ETMs to all buses was completed in 2017, complaints often came in about their functioning. Some resorted to manual ticketing. Against this backdrop, allegations are levelled against depot branch managers for not supplying adequate number of paper rolls.

Official data showed, 150 tickets can be printed using a roll. On an average, conductors issue 300 tickets to 500 tickets a day. A conductor at Avadi, requesting anonymity, said, “Our manager issues one roll and we run out of paper after two trips. So, I spend ₹40 daily to buy rolls from a private shop near Avadi railway station.” A roll costs ₹20 – ₹25 depending on the size.

The manager instructed conductors to use manually printed tickets if enough rolls were not available, he added. “Unlike earlier years, MTC routes are extended now and a single trip involves 25 stages and holding them in hand has become increasingly difficult in crowded buses.”

Responding to it, Avadi branch manager Sekar said there was no shortage.

M V Ramamurthy of Nethaji Transport Workers Union said the condition was no different in the other 33 MTC depots which are equipped with 400 ETMs each. “MTC has stopped paying the paper roll suppliers,” he alleged. MTC was unavailable for comment.

Foundation stone laid for Kilambakkam bus terminus

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:23.02.2019

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday laid the foundation stone for a new bus terminus at Kilambakkam near Vandalur on GST Road. The new facility will decongest the existing Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) at Koyambedu.

A press release said the foundation stone for the project was laid at a cost of ₹393.74 crore is set to come up on 44.74 acres.. The new terminus can cater to about 1.5 lakh passengers with parking space for 250 buses, 270 cars and 3,500 two-wheelers at any given time. After the completion of the project, all buses bound for southern disticts would depart from Kilambakkam instead of Koyambedu.

Official sources with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said that the National Monuments Authority (NMA) gave its consent for the project, a few days ago. The nod from NMA was necessary as the new infrastructure project fell in the vicinity of a notified archaeological site of the ASI. Though the CMDA earmarked the land parcel for constructing the terminus for southern district bound buses in September 2016, it was delayed due to the objections from ASI over the presence of a notified archaeological site near the proposed terminus.

Deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and senior officials from the housing and urban development department were also present on the occasion.

Govt doctors may get 30% over NEET score as incentive

Proposal Given To State Govt Awaits Nod

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:23.02.2019

Doctors in government service are likely to get up to 30% over their NEET scores as incentive for admission to postgraduate medical courses if the recommendations of the seven-member committee chaired by Justice A Selvam are accepted. The committee, set up on the Madras high court’s orders, submitted them to the state government earlier this week.

The committee, said a member, put doctors into four broad categories — those working in hilly regions, in difficult areas in the plains, in remote areas and in rural areas.

It recommends that doctors working in hilly areas get 10% over their NEET score for each year with a maximum of 30%. There are 119 primary health centres under the directorate of public health in hilly areas such as Ooty, Javadu hills and Kothagiri and about 20 district headquarters and taluk hospitals under the directorate of medical services (DMS).

Those working in difficult areas in the plains will get 9% each year for a maximum of 27% over their NEET score. There are 660 PHCs and about 85 DMS-run hospitals in this category. Those working in remote areas will get 8% over their NEET score with a maximum of 24%. About 23 PHCs and three DMS hospitals are in this category. The largest is the rural category, where PG aspirants in 1,201 PHCs and 119 DMS hospitals will get 5% over their NEET score each year with a maximum of 15%. There will be no quota for students applying for postgraduate degrees. However, 50% of seats in diploma courses will be reserved for in-service candidates.

Unlike last year, no doctor working in medical college hospitals that come under the directorate of medical education or urban primary health centres – including those serving in casualty centres or Ce-Monc centres -- will get any incentive.

In 2018, a six-member committee used “hybrid” methods to work out difficult and remote areas based on terrain, doctor-patient ratio and vacancies in hospitals. The court had asked the Selvam committee to come up with fresh recommendations by 2019.

This year, students appeared for the PG 2019 NEET examination on January 6. Of the 79,633 who qualified, 11,121 were from TN, which also had the most candidates appearing. “Most of our students have performed well. We have more than 100 additional seats taking the total number of degree seats to 1,357. We have also urged the centre to convert 396 diploma seats to degree. So even if we share 50% of the seats with the Centre for all-India quota, students in our state will have more than 800 seats,” said director of medical education Dr A Edwin Joe.

“The prospectus will be issued once the government releases a GO based on the Selvam committee report. Counselling will begin after DGHS completes first round for all-India quota,” said selection committee secretary Dr G Selvarajan.

Selvam committee has classified doctors into four broad categories based on their location and recommended up to 30% over their NEET scores as incentive for admission to postgraduate medical courses

TN man sparks panic at hospital by bringing live snake in plastic bag

Patients and staff at the hospital ran helter-skelter when they saw the snake move inside the bag.

Published: 21st February 2019 05:53 PM 

Image used for representational purpose only
By Online Desk

There's an old belief that snakebite victims need to find the snake that bit them to remove the poison from their bodies. A man from Cuddalore not only found the snake but also brought it with him to the hospital sparking panic.

According to a report by Puthiya Thalaimurai, Ranganathan was bitten by a two-metre-long cobra, when he was farming on a piece of land near Cuddalore's Viruthachalam. He immediately captured the snake and brought it in a plastic bag to the hospital.

Patients and staff at the hospital panicked when they saw a live snake move inside the plastic cover and ran helter-skelter, leading to chaos.

Doctors later identified the snake and gave the farmer appropriate treatment in the hospital.



The snake was later released into the wild. Ranganathan is said to be out of danger.

Medical college for Ramnad

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

RAMANATHAPURAM, FEBRUARY 22, 2019 00:00 IST

Project sanctioned under ‘aspirational district’ category

The Centre has agreed to establish a medical college at Ramanathapuram District Headquarters Hospital here, fulfilling a long-pending demand of the people, Minister for Information Technology M. Manikandan has said.

The move comes after Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to establish the college under a Centrally sponsored scheme. The Centre would soon make the announcement, which would go a long way in addressing the need for tertiary medical care in the district, he pointed.

The Minister said the State government, which was to establish the college, approached the Centre and citing financial onstraints requested it to sanction the project under the ‘aspirational district’ category. Ramanathapuram is one of the aspirational districts in the State.

Mr. Palaniswami took up the issue with Mr. Modi when he visited Delhi in October 2018 and again recently when the Prime Minister visited Madurai to lay the foundation for All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The Chief Minister told him that Ramanathapuram was a historically backward district and geographically remote with a long coastline.

Rameswaram island, an internationally acclaimed tourist centre, attracted pilgrims from all over the world, but the district lacked tertiary medical care facility, he had pointed out. Hence, there was urgent need to establish a medical college as people of the district were forced to travel about 110 km to Madurai for any emergency.

Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao said the district administration would make available the required lands for the medical college. The 623-bedded headquarters hospital received about 1,500 outpatients every day. About 15,000 people were admitted as inpatients and 450 major surgeries were conducted in the hospital in a month.

Former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa accorded medical college status to the hospital in December 2012 and since then expectations ran high.

HC stays governing body resolution of college

STAFF REPORTER

MADURAI, FEBRUARY 22, 2019 00:00 IST

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday granted interim injunction against a resolution passed by the governing body of MSS Wakf Board College here. It is said that N. Jamal Mohaideen, the then secretary (in charge), had himself taken part in a resolution concerning his removal and passed an order in his favour.

A public interest litigation petition filed before the High Court Bench here by A. Mahaboob Batcha said that in 2003, Jamal Mohaideen, the then secretary and correspondent, had indulged in “large-scale misappropriation of funds, mismanagement of grants given to the college and its property” and was also involved in a case of sexual harassment.

Following the allegations, he was removed from the post. However, on the recommendation of the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board Chairman A. Anwar Raja, he was nominated as correspondent and secretary (in charge) until reconstitution of the college board in 2017. He participated in a resolution concerning his removal and settled the issue in his favour.

It is a settled principle of law that a person who has a direct interest in the subject matter cannot be a part of the decision making process and any involvement of such person would vitiate the decision, the petitioner said and sought an injunction.

A Division Bench of Justices N. Kirubakaran and S.S. Sundar granted the interim injunction and adjourned the hearing. The High Court Bench had already granted an injunction against Jamal Mohaideen from discharging his duties as secretary (in charge)

. Following allegations of a multi-crore recruitment scam at the college that allegedly involved Jamal Mohaideen, Anwar Raja and Labour and Employment Minister Nilofer Kafeel, the court ordered a CBI probe.

Court summons Governor’s Secretary in contempt case

Legal Correspondent

CHENNAI, FEBRUARY 22, 2019 00:00 IST

Asks why employee was not reinstated despite orders

The Madras High Court has issued a statutory notice to Governor’s Secretary R. Rajagopal on a contempt of court petition. The notice requires his presence in the court next month to explain why a Raj Bhavan employee, forcibly relieved from service in 1996, was not reinstated despite a series of orders passed by the court since 2009.

Incumbent officer

A Division Bench of Justices S. Manikumar and M. Venugopal passed the order on the contempt petition filed by the employee S. Nagaraj in 2014. Though the petition was filed against Ramesh Chand Meena, the then Secretary to Governor, the judges impleaded the incumbent officer since he was well aware of the court orders on the issue.

The contemnor was directed to be present in the court with the relevant files relating to the case and explain why the judicial orders were not implemented.

The issue dates back to 1988 when Mr. Nagaraj, then a Stenotypist with the Animal Husbandry Department got appointed through transfer, as an Assistant in the Governor’s secretariat.

In November 1996, he was relieved from service on the ground that he was only on deputation and directed to report back to the Director of Animal Husbandry. The petitioner challenged the relieving order before the erstwhile Tamil Nadu Administrative Tribunal in 1997 and his case got transferred to the High Court in 2008 after the tribunal was wound up.

A single judge of the High Court allowed the writ petition on September 30, 2009 and quashed the relieving order.

Subsequently, on April 18, 2012, a Division Bench of the High Court too dismissed a writ appeal preferred by the Governor’s secretariat. A special leave petition before the Supreme Court also got dismissed on October 25, 2013.

Final deadline ignored

In 2014, the official respondents filed a review petition before the High Court and the petitioner moved a contempt of court petition. The Division Bench of Justices Manikumar and Venugopal dismissed the review petition in October 2015 and kept the contempt proceedings pending with a direction to reinstate the petitioner within two weeks.

Though more than three years had passed since the order was passed, it was reported to the court that the petitioner was yet to be reinstated. Hence, they chose to issue a statutory notice, which requires the presence of a contemnor, to Mr. Rajagopal as it was not disputed that he was aware of the orders passed by the court on the present issue.

Kapil’s Devils demand more than ₹15 lakh for movie on ’83 WC win

K.ShriniwasRao@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:22.02.2019

The legendary Kapil’s Devils – members of the1983 World Cup winning team – who have a movie coming up on their historic achievement, are “unhappy” about the remuneration they will be drawing for sharing their ‘story of a lifetime’.

TOI has learnt that a majority of the former team members met in Mumbai on Thursday to share their concerns over the fact that the makers of the biopic are paying them a “paltry” ₹15 lakh each for their participation.

These former cricketers, sources say, had signed contracts to share their story on the World Cup win 36 years ago, a win that changed the face of Indian cricket forever. At ₹15 lakh per player, a total of 10 team members will collectively draw Rs 1.5 crore.

“That’s a pittance. A cricketer making his IPL debut takes twice of that or more. You’re talking about players who won the biggest trophy ever for Indian cricket. It is 1983 that changed everything for India,” say sources. It is further learnt that Kapil Dev, the captain of the 1983 team, has a separate contract with the filmmakers while another legend from that side, Sunil Gavaskar, is the only team member to have not signed the contract.

“Yes, we (rest of the team members) have been offered that amount (₹15 lac) and there’s no profit sharing either. We have decided to take this matter up with them (the filmmakers),” two members of the1983 squad said.

Under Kapil, Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Balwinder Sandhu, Syed Kirmani, Sunil Valson, Madan Lal, Sandeep Patil, Roger Binny, Kirti Azad, Yashpal Sharma and Ravi Shastri were part of the team that won the tournament.

Those speaking on behalf of these team members say 1983 win is their biggest achievement. “It is not fair if they are being made to undersell this legendary achievement. Biopics on sports legends overseas are not treated like this,” say sources. All other team members are learnt to have signed the contract.


GAME CHANGERS: Kapil Dev poses with the 1983 World Cup along with Mohinder Amarnath

It is further learnt that Kapil Dev has a separate contract with the filmmakers while another legend from that side, Sunil Gavaskar, is the only team member to have not signed the contract

Swiggy in talks to buy Uber’s India food delivery business

Uber Also Talking To Zomato For The Share Swap Deal

Madhav Chanchani & Sidhartha TNN

Bengaluru/New Delhi:22.02.2019

India’s online food delivery sector is headed for consolidation as ride-hailing major Uber is looking to sell its Ubereats business in the country in run-up to its public offering, according to three sources familiar with the development. The San Francisco-based company is in talks with Bengaluru-based Swiggy and has also been in discussions with Gurugram-based Zomato for the deal, as the two rivals are competing for market leadership in the space, said these sources.

The transaction will be structured as a share-swap deal, with Uber taking shares in the buyers for the agreed upon valuation. “Swiggy is currently leading the discussions but Zomato is also in contention as well,” said one of the sources mentioned above, adding that the valuation and share-swap ratios are being discussed.

Ubereats’ India business is currently doing about 1,50,000 to 2,50,000 deliveries a day with gross sales run rate of about $200-250 million, according to multiple industry executives.

Both Ola and Zomato do four-five times more deliveries than Ubereats, said these executives.

This makes Ubereats a contender for a distant third spot in the market again rival ridehailing company Ola-owned Foodpanda. “The Ubereats India business may get valued at about two-to-three times their gross sales,” said one of the sources mentioned above, pegging the valuation at over $500 million.

“We do not comment on rumour or speculation,” said an Uber India spokesperson. When contacted, Swiggy and Zomato spokespersons declined to comment.

The transaction will help Uber cut down loss from the India business as it heads for a public offering. Uber, which has already made a confidential filing with US regulators for an IPO, reported loss of $1.8 billion for 2018.

“Ubereats was losing about $15-20 million a month in India late last year,” said an investor tracking the space.

India is one of the markets where Uber still sees high loss even as it has sold off operations in China, Russia and Southeast Asia to rivals. While there have been rumours of a potential consolidation with Ola, as both companies share SoftBank as the largest shareholder, these talks have not progressed. This has forced Uber to look at other alternatives. Ubereats had said last year it is adding 4,500 delivery personnel a week and 100 restaurants a day in the country.

› TPG Growth in talks to invest $40m in Nykaa, P 20

Why French schools won’t use ‘mother’ & ‘father’

Likely To Be Replaced By ‘Parent 1’ & ‘Parent 2’ To Avoid Discrimination Against Same-Sex Parents

Olivia Petter  22.02.2019

France’s National Assembly has passed a law that will see the removal of the labels “mother” and “father” from forms used in the country’s schools.

The amendment made to the nation’s School of Trust Bill would see the terms be replaced with “parent 1” and “parent 2” in a move designed to avoid discriminating against same-sex parents.

The decision was widely supported by the majority La République en Marche Party, which was founded by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“This amendment aims to root in law children’s family diversity in administrative forms submitted in school,” said Valérie Petit, an MP who tabled the amendment, claiming that the previous law did not take into account the existence of same-sex parents.

“We have families who find themselves faced with tick boxes stuck in rather oldfashioned social and family models. For us, this article is a measurement of social equality,” she added.

However, some French conservative MPs disagree with the principle of the ruling.

MP Fabien Di Filippo, for example, who is deputy general secretary for The Republican party, described the amendment as a “frightening ideology,” reports ‘The Daily Telegraph’, “which in the name of limitless egalitarianism promotes removing points of reference, including those regarding the family”.

Meanwhile, MEP Nicolas Bay, member of France’s right-wing National Rally party expressed his views on Twitter, writing: “One father, one mother! Stop theis pseudo-‘progressive’ delirium! #Parent1Parent2”.

Right-wing Twitter users concurred, with one person writing that the concept of abolishing the labels of “mother” and “father” is “dehumanising”.

Others queried how parents would decide who was number one and who was number two.

The amendment says: “To prevent discrimination, school enrolment, class registers, parental authorisations and all other official forms involving children must mention only Parent 1 and Parent 2”.

It was first mentioned by French government officials in 2013, when same-sex marriage was legalised in the country.

The amendment could still be rejected by the French Senate, but would then go back to the National Assembly for a final reading. THE INDEPENDENT

GOING GENDER-NEUTRAL

Ex-Punjab SP gets 10 years RI for rape

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Gurdaspur:22.02.2019

Punjab Police’s former superintendent (SP) Salwinder Singh was sentenced to10 years’ rigorous imprisonment by a local court in a rape case on Thursday. The court also fined him ₹1.7 lakh. The court had pronounced him guilty in the case on February 15.

Salwinder was also quizzed in the 2016 Pathankot airbase terror attack, but the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had given him a clean chit.

Salwinder was on August 3, 2016, booked under Section 376 of the IPC for allegedly raping a woman. Salwinder was conducting an inquiry against the woman’s husband and allegedly took ₹50,000 from her for clearing her husband’s name and sexually exploited her as well. The then chief minister had ordered an inquiry in the case following a complaint by the woman’s husband. Salwinder also faces another case of sexual harassment filed by five policewomen.

In November 2017, the Punjab government had ordered his compulsory premature retirement in view of the two FIRs against him along with five pending charge sheets in various cases of indiscipline.

Earlier in 2017, NIA had given Salwinder a clean chit in the Pathankot airbase attack. Then Gurdaspur SP, Salwinder’s name had cropped up after he claimed he was abducted near the India-Pakistan border by Pakistani terrorists who later carried out an attack on the Pathankot Air Force station on January 2, 2016. He was interrogated by the NIA and subjected to polygraph test, but was later given clean chit by the premier agency.

After the sentence was handed out, Salwinder told mediapersons he would move the Punjab and Haryana high court to get justice.

Due to shortage of sub-registrars, offices are headed by clerical staff

Yogesh.Kabirdoss@timesgroup.com

Chennai:22.02.2019

A shortage of subregistrars has led to clerical staff heading at least seven sub-registrar offices in and around the city. The offices should be led by sub-registrars in the rank of district registrars.

Official sources with the registration department said 172 of the 767 sub-registrar posts or about one-fifth of them have not been filled. “This has resulted in staff below the rank of sub-registrars, such as assistants (in the grade of clerk), acting as officers at the registration offices,” an official said. Chennai zone, comprising 64 sub-registrar offices spread across the city, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, does not have sub-registrars heading seven offices. “Of these, a few include registration offices that should have officials designated as district registrars. But, they are headed by clerks,” the source added. These offices include the ones in Sowcarpet, Sembium, Chennai Central Joint I and II, sources said.

The posts are usually filled through direct recruitment or by promoting existing staff. While registration department sources said 20% of subregistrar posts are vacant, several clerical-level officials facing disciplinary action could not be promoted.

There are 575 sub-registrar offices functioning across the state and of those offices registering more than 5,000 documents annually must have a joint sub-registrar as well. Sub-registrars are also engaged in other wings of the registration department, such as guidelines and chits and societies at the district registrar offices.

The registration department is a key source of revenue for the state government. This fiscal, property registration has generated revenue of ₹5,750 crore from April 2018 to November 2018, of which Chennai zone contributed nearly 45%.

When contacted, a senior registration department official said as per rules clerical staff can serve as the registration officer.

Official sources with the registration department said 172 of the 767 sub-registrar posts or about one-fifth of them have not been filled

Guv’s secy summoned for contempt of court
Directed To Appear Before HC on Mar 19

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:22.02.2019

R Rajagopal, senior bureaucrat and secretary to Tamil Nadu governor, is staring at contempt of court proceedings for his failure to implement a five-yearold Supreme Court order quashing ‘involuntary’ repatriation of a Raj Bhavan employee to his parent department.

The Madras high court summoned the officer to be personally present before a bench of Justice S Manikumar and Justice M Venugopal on March 19. Suspecting wilful disobedience of court orders, the bench has asked the officer to appear and explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him.

The bench passed the order while noting that though contempt was committed by his predecessor, it could be extended against the present officer who holds the post and has the knowledge of such contempt.

The matter relates to a case filed by S Nagaraj, an assistant section officer of the governor’s secretariat, challenging an order dated November 25, 1996, by the then secretary transferring him back to the department of animal husbandry.

After joining the department as a stenotypist on August 1, 1983, Nagaraj’s service was regularised in 1986. He was transferred to the governor’s secretariat and appointed as acting assistant on January 20, 1988.

Subsequently, he was promoted as personal clerk to deputy secretary to the governor and was also provided quarters on the vast Raj Bhavan campus.

On October 4, 1996, Nagaraj wrote to the then governor’s secretary to consider him for promotion to the post of private secretary or to upgrade his post as section officer. The then governor also made a note of endorsement on the representation. But, for reasons best known to the official concerned, within four days of sending the representation, Nagaraj was reverted to his parent department.

Assailing the order, Nagaraj moved the administrative tribunal. On January 24, 1997, the tribunal granted an interim stay against the transfer. Challenging the stay, the governor’s office moved the high court. On September 30, 2009, the high court dismissed the plea noting that once a person was regularly appointed to a post, in accordance with existing rules and in the absence of anything contrary to the rules, they cannot be involuntarily repatriated to their parent department.

A division bench for the court also confirmed the order on appeal. Aggrieved, the governor’s office moved the Supreme Court. On October 25, 2013 the apex court also confirmed the high court order and dismissed the appeal. Since the governor’s office had failed to implement the court order even after expiry to five years, Nagaraj moved the present contempt petition.

R Rajagopal, senior bureaucrat and secretary to Tamil Nadu governor, has been asked to appear before court and explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him

New suburban exp to Nellore flagged off

Thiruvottiyur Stn Gets Foot Over-bridge, Ticketing Centre
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:22.02.2019

To facilitate the movement of suburban and long-distance passengers in north Chennai and Tiruvallur district, Southern Railway on Thursday inaugurated three major facilities in presence of Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu. One is a Chennai-Nellore Express MEMU, which will help commuters come to Chennai for work in the morning. Another is a two-storey passenger reservation centre in Thiruvottiyur with eight counters, akin to Chennai Central and Egmore. The third is a foot over-bridge at the same station which is a longpending demand of passengers in light of safety issues.

The Express MEMU Service, Nellore-Chennai Moore Market Complex-Nellore (66056/66055), will be a boon to commuters travelling between Chennai and Nellore and for those using the northeastern line of the Chennai suburban corridor, Southern Railway said in a statement. While the regular service from Chennai Moore Market Complex began on Thursday, the Nellore-Chennai Moore Market Complex service will commence from Nellore on Friday.

Train 66056 is scheduled to leave Nellore at 5.45am every day and arrive at Chennai Moore Market Complex at 9.05am, halting at Vedayapalem (5.55/56), Venkatachellam

(6.00/01) Gudur (6.25/26), Nayudupeta (6.50/51), Sullurpeta (7.10/11), Tada (7.22/23), Gummindipundi

(7.40/41) and Ponneri (7.54/55).

In the return direction, train 66055 will leave Chennai Moore Market Complex at 4.30pm and reach Nellore at 8:20pm, stopping at Ponneri (5:14/15), Gummindipundi

(5.34/35),Tada (6.09/10), Sulllurpeta

(6.23/24), Nayudupeta (6.49), Gudur

(7.29/30), Venkatachellam (7.49/50) and Vedayapalem (7.57/58).

The passenger reservation system centre at Thiruvottiyur, built at₹40 lakh considering the station’s status as an important rail head in North Chennai, will have five counters on the ground floor and three on the first floor, rivalling the number of counters at Chennai Central. Considering that the station receives heavy passenger inflow from the eastern and western sides, a foot over-bridge connecting the sides has been built as part of the Korukkupet-Thiruvottiyur fourth line at ₹1.42 crore.

A new booking office with a toilet for staff was inaugurated at Akkampet Railway Station, between Sullurupeta and Tada in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore, which gets a number of passengers for its proximity to Tirupati railway station. A limited use subway, built in lieu of LC 34 at Gummidipundi yard at ₹2.13 crore was also inaugurated.

ADDING TO EASE: The newly built foot over-bridge and a two-storey passenger reservation centre at Tiruvottiyur railway station

UGC forbids deemed univs from fixing fees

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:22.02.2019

Deemed universities, including those offering engineering and medical courses, can no longer jack up fees or prescribe fees on their own. The University Grants Commission (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2019, released on Wednesday say no deemed university can collect fee more than what has been prescribed by the committee constituted as per the new regulations.

For a long time, students, parents and activists have been urging the state, Centre and other government agencies to ensure deemed medical universities don’t arbitrarily fix and increase tuition fees. Now, states are mandated to set up UGC mentioned fee-fixation committees. Two years ago, the Supreme Court permitted deemed universities to retain their present fee structure until fee fixation committees come out with a new one.

On an average, the annual fee for engineering course in a deemed university is ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh, and for an MBBS seat, it is ₹23 lakh. The latest regulation reiterates the ban on capitation fee under any name. In a relief for students opting out of courses, the new rules also bar universities from retaining original certificates of candidates.

UGC tightens rules for deemed univ status

They should, after verifying originals, retain only copies attested by candidates for their records.

The Directorate General of Health Services allots seats under the all India quota in government colleges and deemed universities, but by the time seats are allloted, many join engineering colleges and say universities harass them before returning originals.

The UGC has also tightened rules for those seeking deemed university status. First, no new institution can apply for such status. New rules mandate 20 years of existence, National Assessment and Accreditation Council tag with a continuous grade point average of at least 3.26 for three consecutive cycles. For technical institutions, two-thirds of the eligible programmes should have National Board of Accreditation nod. They must also figure among the top 50 ranks in any specific category or top 100 of overall National Institute Ranking Framework list. The rules say deemed universities have to be unitary in nature but cannot affiliate constituent institutions.

Category I and II deemed universities or those ranked 1-50 among “universities” on current NIRF list can start new off-campus centres. UGC promises to monitor number of students getting jobs, the number pursuing high education, research papers published by varsity, level of credit based applications and compulsory NIRF participation.

நவீன O T P திருடர்கள் ஜாக்கிரதை!

நவீன O T P திருடர்கள் ஜாக்கிரதை!

நவீனகால திருடர்கள்  தெளிவு இல்லாத மக்களை
எவ்வாறு ஏமாற்றலாம் என்று சிந்தித்துக் கொண்டே இருக்கிறார்கள் அதற்கு நாம் எந்த வகையிலும் பலியாகிவிடக்கூடாது

சமீபகாலமாக பலருக்கு போன் கால் வருகிறது அதில் அரசாங்கத்தின் நல திட்டங்கள் சிலவற்றை கூறி இதில் நீங்கள் இருக்கிறீர்களா      கேட்கின்றார்கள்
அதில் உங்களை சேர்க்க உங்களுடைய ஆதார் நம்பரை கூறுங்கள் என கேட்பார்கள்

அவ்வாறு நீங்கள்  உங்களது ஆதார் கார்டு நம்பரை கூறினால் ஆக்டிவேசன் ஆக உங்கள்  மொபைலில் ஒரு O T P நம்பர் வரும் அதனை கூறுங்கள் என்று சொல்வார்கள்.

அந்த  O T P நாம் கூறிய சில நிமிடங்களில் நமது அக்கவுண்டில் இருந்து பணம் முற்றிலும் திருடப்பட்டுவிடும்

ஆகையால் எப்போதும் நாம் விழிப்புடன் இருக்கவேண்டும்.

மேலும் எந்த வங்கியிலும் யாரும் உங்களுக்கு போன் செய்யமாட்டார்கள்.
மேலும் உங்களிடம் ஒடிபி கேட்கமாட்டார்கள்.

அதேபோன்று எந்த அரசு அதிகாரிகளும் உங்களுக்கு போன் செய்து ஆதார் நம்பர் கேட்கமாட்டார்கள்

உங்கள் தனிப்பட்ட விவரம் கேட்டு யார் போன் செய்தாலும் நீங்கள் எச்சரிக்கையாக இருக்கவேண்டும்.  அந்த நபர் மீது சந்தேகம் கொள்ளவேண்டும்.

நாம்  கொடுத்த மனுவில் தான் ஆதார்கார்டு ஜெராக்ஸ் வைத்து குடுத்தோம் என்று நினைக்கவேண்டாமா

ஒருவேளை உங்களுக்கு அதுபோல் போன்கால்கள் வந்தால் நீங்கள் இருக்கும் அட்ரஸை கூறுங்கள் நான் நேரிலேயே வந்து சமர்ப்பிக்கிறேன் என்று கூறிவிடுங்கள் எப்போதும் விழிப்புணர்வுடன் இருப்போம்

 

Posted by SSTA

NEET PG-2019: Delhi HC Issues Notice On Plea Seeking Re-valuation And Revision of Results

NEET PG-2019: Delhi HC Issues Notice On Plea Seeking Re-valuation And Revision of Results: In an encouraging step for systemic accountability, the Delhi High Court has, while issuing notice to the National Board of Examinations (NBE) and Ministry of Health

ராஜஸ்தானில் இருந்து பெங்களூருவுக்கு டெலிவரி: ஸ்விக்கி ஊழியரின் அர்ப்பணிப்பைக் கலாய்த்த நெட்டிசன்கள்

Published : 20 Feb 2019 11:10 IST





ராஜஸ்தானில் இருந்து பெங்களூருவுக்கு உணவு டெலிவரி செய்ய முயன்ற ஸ்விக்கி ஊழியரின் அர்ப்பணிப்பை நெட்டிசன்கள் கலாய்த்துவருகின்றனர்.

மாறிவரும் இணைய உலகில், ஆன்லைன் வர்த்தகம் இன்றியமையாததாக மாறிவிட்டது. தலைக்கு ஷாம்பு முதல் காலுக்கு செருப்பு வரை அனைத்துமே ஆன்லைனில் கிடைக்கின்றன. உணவும் இதில் விதிவிலக்கில்லை. உட்கார்ந்த இடத்தில் இருந்து ஆர்டர் செய்தால், வீடு தேடி பொருட்கள் வருவது இன்றைய தலைமுறையை வெகுவாகக் கவர்ந்துவிட்டது. இதனால் ஆன்லைன் சந்தை இந்தியாவில் வேகமாக வளர்ந்துவருகிறது.

பிரபல உணவகங்கள், தங்களின் உணவுகளை ஆன்லைனில் விற்பனை செய்தாலும், அனைத்து உணவகங்களின் உணவுகளையும் ஆன்லைனில் விற்பனை செய்யும் ஸ்விக்கி, சொமேட்டோ, உபர் ஈட்ஸ் மற்றும் ஃபுட்பாண்டா ஆகிய விற்பனை நிறுவனங்கள் அபார வளர்ச்சியடைந்துள்ளன.

இதில் முன்னணியில் திகழும் ஸ்விக்கி ஊழியர் செய்த கலாட்டா, சமூக வலைதளங்களில் வைரலானது. பார்கவ் ராஜன் என்னும் பெங்களூருவாசி, அங்குள்ள உணவகம் ஒன்றில் ஸ்விக்கி மூலம் ஆர்டர் செய்துள்ளார்.

அதேபெயரில் ராஜஸ்தானில் உள்ள உணவகம் ஒன்றில் தவறுதலாக ஆர்டர் பதிவாகியுள்ளது. ஆர்டரை ரத்து செய்ய முயன்ற பார்கவ், ராஜஸ்தானில் இருந்து பெங்களூருவுக்கு ஸிவிக்கி டெலிவரி பாய் வருவதாக மேப் செய்யப்பட்டிருந்ததைக் கண்டு அதிர்ந்தார். பிரபாகரன் என்பவர் உணவை டெலிவரி செய்வார் என்றும் அதில் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டிருந்தது.

இதை ஸ்க்ரீன்ஷாட் எடுத்தார் பார்கவ். ''வாவ் ஸ்விக்கி, என்ன அற்புதமாய் வண்டி ஓட்டுகிறீர்கள்?'' என்று ட்விட்டரில் பதிவிட்டார். இந்தப் பதிவைப் பகிர்ந்த நெட்டிசன்கள் கலாய்க்கத் தொடங்கினர்.

இதற்கு பதிலளித்த ஸ்விக்கி, ''இதுபோன்ற தவறுகள் எதிர்காலத்தில் நிகழாமல் தவிர்க்கப்படும். தவறைச் சுட்டிக்காட்டியதற்கு நன்றி'' எனத் தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

நாங்கல்லாம் அப்பவே அப்படி! ஆனால் இப்போ? மறந்தே போன மால்கள்!!

By ENS  |   Published on : 20th February 2019 06:16 PM  

மிகப்பெரிய மால்களும், கண்ணைக் கவரும் பொழுதுபோக்கு அம்சங்களும் தற்போது நகரங்களின் அடிப்படை அம்சங்களாக மாறி நிற்கின்றன.

பொழுதுபோக்குக்காக பூங்காக்களை நாடும் பொது ஜனங்களுக்கு இணையாக, மால்களை நாடும் ஐ.டி. குடும்பங்களும் தற்போது அதிகரித்து வருகிறது.

இதன் காரணமாக திரையரங்குகள், கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள் கூட இடித்துத் தரைமட்டமாக்கப்பட்டு மால்களால் நிரப்பப்படுகிறது.

பரந்துவிரிந்த இடம், ஒரு சில மாடிகள், ஒரு மணி நேரத்துக்கு இவ்வளவு என கட்டணக் கொள்ளையடிக்கும் வாகனப் பார்க்கிங் வசதி, எந்தப் பொருளைத் தொட்டாலும் விரலைச் சுட்டுவிடும் விலை, கையில் பணத்தை எடுத்துச் சென்று செலவிட முடியாத ஒரு கலாசாரம் என எங்கும் நீக்கமற நிறைந்திருக்கும் அன்னிய அடாவடித்தனத்தை ஒருங்கேக் கொண்டிருப்பதுதான் மால்கள். இது மால்களைப் பற்றி சாமானிய மனிதன் சொல்லும் கருத்து.

தற்போது புதிது புதிதாக மால்கள் திறக்கப்பட்டு கலைகட்டத் தொடங்கிவிட்டது. ஆனால் பல ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பே இதுபோன்ற மால்கள் திறக்கப்பட்டு, அதுவும் கன்னா பின்னாவென்று புகழ் அடைந்து, நாளடைவில் பழையதாகி, பிறகு மங்கி, மக்களின் மனதில் இருந்து மறைந்தே போன சில ஓய்வுபெற்ற மால்களைப் பற்றி இங்கேப் பார்க்கலாம்.

அல்சா மால்
எழும்பூரில் உள்ள அல்சா மாலைப் பற்றி பேசியதுமே, சென்னைவாசிகளுக்கு அங்கிருக்கும் சான்ட்விட்ச் கடைதான் நினைவுக்கு வருகிறது. 1980ம் ஆண்டு வாக்கில் தொடங்கப்பட்டது அல்சா மால். ஸ்பென்சர் ப்ளாஸாவுடன் தொடங்கப்பட்டு, மங்கி வரும் மால்களில் இதுவும் ஒன்றாக உள்ளது. அருகே இருக்கும் பல கல்லூரி மாணவர்கள் ஒன்றாக சந்திக்கும் இடமாக தற்போதும் அல்சா மால் உள்ளது.

அங்கே கடை வைத்திருக்கும் ஸகிர் என்பவர், இங்கே பல கடைகள் காலியாகி, அலுவலகமாக மாற்றப்பட்டுவிட்டது. கணிசமான வாடகை, நமக்கென்று இருக்கும் சில கஸ்டமர்களுக்காக இங்கே 20 ஆண்டுகளாகக் கடை வைத்திருக்கிறோம். குறிப்பாக கடந்த 10 ஆண்டுகளில்  வாடிக்கையாளர்களின் எண்ணிக்கை கணிசமாகக் குறைந்துவிட்டது என்கிறார்.

தற்போது ஆசிரியராக இருக்கும் பூர்ணிமா கூறுகையில், ஒன்றாவது படித்துக் கொண்டிருக்கும் போது உயர்தர பொருட்களை ஒரே இடத்தில்  தேடி வாங்க அல்சா மால்தான் சிறந்த இடமாக இருந்தது. ஆனால் இப்போது இதுபோன்ற பெரிய பெரிய மால்கள் வந்துவிட்டன என்கிறார் பழைய நினைவுகளோடு.

மாயாஸ் பிளாஸா
பாண்டிபஜாரில் அமைந்திருக்கும் மாயாஸ் பிளாஸா.. முக்கியமான மாலாக இருந்தது. தற்போது மறந்தே போன மால்களில் ஒன்றாக மாறியுள்ளது.

1994ம் ஆண்டு உருவாக்கப்பட்ட இந்த மாலில் 89 கடைகள் உள்ளன. 25 வருடங்களுக்கு முன்பு பட்னி பிளாசாவைப் பார்த்த ஸ்ரீசந்த் என்பவர், அதன் மீது ஈர்க்கப்பட்டு இந்த இடத்தை வாங்கி இந்தக் கட்டடத்தைக் கட்டத் தொடங்கினார். அப்போது துரதிருஷ்டவசமாக அவரது மனைவி மாயா மறைந்துவிட்டார். அவரது நினைவால், இந்த கட்டடத்துக்கு மாயாஸ் பிளாஸா என்று பெயரிட்டார். 

இன்னமும் இங்குக் கடை வைத்திருப்பவர்கள் அனைவரும், திரைத்துறைக்கு பல்க் ஆர்டர்கள் கிடைப்பதை வைத்தே லாபம் பார்த்து வருகிறார்கள். பல புதிய மால்கள் வந்துவிட்டதால் இங்கு வரும் வாடிக்கையாளர்களின் வருகைக் குறைந்திருப்பது உண்மைதான். ஆனால் முக்கியமான சில வாடிக்கையாளர்கள் இன்னமும் வந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறார்கள் என்கிறார்கள் கடை முதலாளிகள்.

ஃபௌண்டெயின் பிளாஸா
பாந்தியன் சாலையில் 1976ல் துவக்கப்பட்ட ஃபௌண்டெயின் பிளாஸாதான் நகரில் அமைந்த முதல் மால் என்ற பெருமையை பெருகிறது. தற்போது வணிகமே முற்றிலும் மாறிவிட்டது. பலரும் ஆன்லைன் ஷாப்பிங்கை அதிகம் விரும்ப ஆரம்பித்துவிட்டார்கள். அதனால் இங்கு வணிகம் பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருப்பது உண்மைதான். ஆனால் எங்களுக்கு என்று சில வாடிக்கையாளர்கள் இருக்கத்தான் செய்கிறார்கள் என்று கூறுகிறார்கள் வணிகர்கள்.

1980களில் இங்கு வரும் தினமும் வரும் வாடிக்கையாளர்களின் எண்ணிக்கை ஐந்து ஆயிரமாக இருந்தது. இது தற்போது வெறும் 2 ஆயிரமாகக் குறைந்துள்ளது.

1980ம் ஆண்டு காலம் என்பது பொன்னான நாட்கள். இதுபோன்றதொரு மால் சென்னையிலேயே இங்குதான் இருந்தது என்பதால் ஏராளமான மக்கள் இங்கு வர விரும்புவார்கள். இங்கு பெண்களுக்கான பொருட்கள் அதிகம் விற்பனையாகும் என்பதால் பெண் வாடிக்கையாளர்களை அதிகம் கொண்டிருந்தது என்று கூறுகிறார் 50 ஆண்டுகளாக இங்கு தையலகம் நடத்தி வரும் ஜெயந்தி லால்.

இங்கு ஏராளமான திரைப்படக் காட்சிகளும் படம்பிடிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. அவற்றை திரையில் பார்க்கும் போது மகிழ்ச்சியாக இருக்கும் என்கிறார் இந்த மாலின் சங்கத் தலைவர் சுரேஷ் குமார்.

மாவட்ட செய்திகள்

தண்டச்சோறு என்று மருமகள் திட்டியதால்வீட்டை விட்டு வெளியேறிய முதியவர்மாணவர்கள் உதவியால் போலீசார் மகன்களிடம் ஒப்படைப்பு



தண்டச்சோறு என்று மருமகள் திட்டியதால், வருத்தத்துடன் வீட்டை விட்டு வெளியேறி, தெருவில் சுற்றித்திரிந்த 80 வயது முதியவரை மாணவர்கள் உதவியால், போலீசார் மீண்டும் அவரை மகன்களிடம் ஒப்படைத்தனர்.
பதிவு: பிப்ரவரி 21, 2019 04:30 AM
சென்னை,

சென்னையை அடுத்த ஸ்ரீபெரும்புதூரைச் சேர்ந்தவர் விவசாயியான கணேசன் (வயது 80). இவரது மனைவி இறந்துவிட்டார். இவருக்கு 2 மகன்களும், 2 மகள்களும் உள்ளனர். அனைவருக்கும் திருமணமாகிவிட்டது. இவரது 2 மகன்களில் ஒருவர் ஆட்டோ டிரைவர். இன்னொருவர் தனியார் கம்பெனியில் வேலை பார்க்கிறார்.

கணேசன், தனியார் கம்பெனியில் வேலை செய்யும் மகனோடு தங்கி சாப்பிட்டு வந்தார். அவரை தினமும் தண்டச்சோறு சாப்பிட்டுவிட்டு, கிழவன் ஜாலியாக இருக்கிறான், என்று மருமகள் திட்டி இருக்கிறார்.

வீட்டை விட்டு வெளியேறினார்

உழைத்து வாழ்ந்த கணேசனுக்கு மருமகள் திட்டியது நெஞ்சில் முள்ளாக குத்தி வேதனையை தந்தது. இதனால் வீட்டை விட்டு வெளியேறிய அவர், சென்னைக்கு வந்தார். சென்னை வேப்பேரி பகுதியில் அனாதையாக சாப்பாட்டுக்கு வழி இன்றி தெருவில் சுற்றித்திரிந்தார். இதைப்பார்த்த அந்த பகுதி பள்ளி மாணவர்கள் இருவர், கணேசனோடு அன்பாக பழகி, அவரது சோக கதையை கேட்டார்கள்.

பின்னர் கணேசனை வேப்பேரி போலீஸ் நிலையத்துக்கு அழைத்து சென்றனர். கணேசனின் சோக கதையை சொல்லி, வேப்பேரி இன்ஸ்பெக்டர் வீரக்குமாரிடம் அவரை ஒப்படைத்தனர். இன்ஸ்பெக்டர் வீரக்குமார் கணேசனுக்கு உணவு வாங்கி கொடுத்து போலீஸ் நிலையத்தில் ஒரு நாள் தங்கவைத்தார்.

மகன்களிடம் ஒப்படைப்பு

கணேசனின் மகன்கள் மற்றும் மருமகள்களை வேப்பேரி போலீஸ் நிலையத்துக்கு வரவழைத்து கண்டித்தார். கணேசனை இனிமேல் ஒழுங்காக பார்த்துக்கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்றும், இல்லாவிட்டால் முதியோர் பாதுகாப்பு சட்டப்படி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என்றும் எச்சரித்தார்.

தனது மருமகள் மீது வழக்கு எதுவும் போட வேண்டாம், என்று கணேசன் கேட்டுக்கொண்டார். இதனால் நெகிழ்ந்து போன மருமகள், இனிமேல் தனது மாமனார் கணேசனை திட்டாமல், நன்றாக கவனித்துக்கொள்வதாக போலீசாரிடம் உறுதிபட கூறினார். பின்னர் கணேசன் அவரது மகன்களுடன் சந்தோஷமாக புறப்பட்டு சென்றார்.

தலையங்கம்

இளந்தளிர்களுக்கு இடைநிற்றல் வேண்டாம்



பள்ளிக்கூடங்களில் மழலை வகுப்பில் சேரும் மாணவர்கள் பிளஸ்–2 படிப்பை முடிக்கும்வரை தொடர்ந்து படிக்கவேண்டும். இடையில் பள்ளிக்கூடத்தைவிட்டு நின்றுவிடக்கூடிய சூழ்நிலை ஏற்பட்டுவிடக்கூடாது என்பதுதான் எல்லோருடைய எண்ணமும் ஆகும்.

பிப்ரவரி 21 2019, 04:00

அந்த இலக்கை நோக்கி பயணிக்கும் வகையில்தான், 2009–ம்ஆண்டு, ‘கட்டாய கல்வி உரிமை சட்டம்’ நிறைவேற்றப்பட்டது. இதில் மிகமுக்கியமான அம்சம் என்னவென்றால், 8–ம் வகுப்புவரை படிக்கும் மாணவர்களுக்கு தேர்வுகள் வைக்கலாம். ஆனால் தேர்வில் பெயிலாகி விட்டார்கள் என்ற காரணத்திற்காக எந்த மாணவரையும் பெயிலாக்கி விடக்கூடாது. அதாவது தேர்ச்சி இல்லை என்று கூறி அதே வகுப்பில் வைத்துவிடக்கூடாது. ஆனால் மாணவர்களுக்கு பாஸ் என்றும், பெயில் என்றும் இல்லாதநிலை ஏற்பட்டுள்ளதால் படிப்பில் ஆர்வம் இல்லை. கல்வித்தரம் குறைந்து விட்டது என்றெல்லாம் வந்த கருத்துகளின் அடிப்படையில், இந்த கல்வி உரிமை சட்டத்தில் மத்திய அரசாங்கம் ஒரு திருத்தத்தை கொண்டு வந்தது. இந்த திருத்தத்தின்படி, 5–ம் வகுப்பு, 8–ம் வகுப்பு மாணவர்களுக்கு இறுதித்தேர்வு நடத்தப்படவேண்டும். அதில் யாராவது மாணவனோ, மாணவியோ பெயில் ஆனால், அவர்களுக்கு நல்ல பயிற்சியை கொடுத்து 2 மாதங்களில் மீண்டும் தேர்வு வைத்து தேர்வு முடிவுகளை அறிவிக்க வேண்டும். அதிலும் அந்த மாணவன் தோல்வி அடைந்தால் அதே வகுப்பில் படிக்க செய்ய வேண்டும். இதில் மாநில அரசுக்கு ஒரு உரிமையும் கொடுக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. 8–ம் வகுப்பு வரை எந்த மாணவரையும் பெயிலாக்காமல், அடுத்த வகுப்பிற்கு அனுப்பிவிட மாநில அரசிற்கு உரிமை இருக்கிறது.

இந்தநிலையில், தமிழகஅரசு இந்த சட்டத்திருத்தத்தின்படி இந்த ஆண்டே மாணவர்களுக்கு 5–ம் வகுப்பிலும், 8–ம் வகுப்பிலும் இறுதித்தேர்வை நடத்த திட்டமிட்டு இருக்கிறது. 3–வது பருவத்தேர்வை இந்த 2 வகுப்புகளுக்கும் பொதுத்தேர்வாக நடத்த முடிவு எடுக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. 20 மாணவர்கள் ஒரு வகுப்பில் இருந்தால் அந்த பள்ளிக்கூடத்திலேயே தேர்வுமையம் அமைக்கவும், அதற்கு குறைவாக இருந்தால் அருகில் உள்ள பள்ளிக்கூடத்தில் தேர்வுகளை நடத்தவும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். மாணவர்களின் கல்வித்தரத்தை உயர்த்தவும், மாணவர்களுக்கு படிப்பின்மீது ஒரு அக்கறையை ஏற்படுத்தவும் பொதுத்தேர்வு நடத்துவது என்பது நிச்சயமாக வரவேற்கத்தக்கதாகும்.

இளந்தளிர்கள் ஒரு வகுப்பில் பெயிலாகி அதே வகுப்பில் படிக்க நேரிடும் சூழ்நிலையில் தன்னுடன் படித்த மாணவர்கள் எல்லாம் மேல்வகுப்பில் படிக்கிறார்கள். தனக்கு கீழ்வகுப்பில் படித்தவர்கள் எல்லாம் தன்னுடன் படிக்கிறார்கள் என்ற தாழ்வு மனப்பான்மை ஏற்பட்டு, ‘நான் பள்ளிக்கூடத்திற்கு போகமாட்டேன்’ என்றுகூறும் நிலை ஏற்படும். இதன் காரணமாக ஏழை–எளிய குடும்பங்களை சேர்ந்த மாணவர்கள் மத்தியில் இடைநிற்றல் அதிகரிக்கும். குறிப்பாக பெண் பிள்ளைகள் படிப்பை பாதியிலேயே நிறுத்திவிடும் நிலையும் ஏற்படும். இப்போதுதான் அரசு பள்ளிக்கூடத்திற்கு செல்லும் மாணவர்களின் எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரித்துக் கொண்டிருக்கும் நேரத்தில், இந்த பிற்போக்கான நடவடிக்கைகளை அரசு எடுக்கக்கூடாது. கல்வி கற்கும் மாணவர்களின் எண்ணிக்கையை இது வெகுவாக குறைத்து விடும் என்று பிரின்ஸ் கஜேந்திரபாபு உள்பட கல்வியாளர்கள் பலர் எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளனர். தமிழக அரசை பொறுத்தமட்டில் கல்வித்துறையில் பல முற்போக்கு நடவடிக்கைகளை எடுத்துக் கொண்டிருக்கும் சூழ்நிலையில் பொதுத்தேர்வு நடத்துவது என்பது நிச்சயமாக நல்லது. ஆனால் பெயிலாகி விட்டார்கள் என்றொரு காரணத்திற்காக அவர்களை அதேவகுப்பில் மீண்டும் படிக்க செய்யாமல், ஒரு எச்சரிக்கை கொடுத்து அவர்கள் பெற்றோரையும் அழைத்து எடுத்துச்சொல்லி அடுத்த வகுப்பிற்கு அனுப்புவதே சாலச்சிறந்ததாகும்.

Delhi HC Seeks NSUT, UGC Reply on Petition Against Vice Chancellor Appointment

The plea, filed through advocate Tarkeshwar Nath, claimed that neither a search committee was constituted nor the vacant post got advertised anywhere.

PTI

Updated:February 20, 2019, 12:59 PM IST

New Delhi: The Delhi high court has sought response of the Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT) on a plea challenging the appointment of its vice chancellor, terming it "illegal", "arbitrary" and contrary to UGC guidelines.

Justices G S Sistani and Jyoti Singh issued notice to NSUT, Vice Chancellor (VC) J P Saini, University Grant Commission (UGC) and the department of training and technical education of the Delhi government, asking them to file their replies on the petition within four weeks.

The plea, filed by a professor of NSUT, Sachin Maheshwari, alleged that the appointment of Saini as the university's first vice chancellor was "illegal", "arbitrary", "malafide" and contrary to UGC guidelines.

"The chancellor has not applied his mind," it claimed.

The plea, filed through advocate Tarkeshwar Nath, claimed that neither a search committee was constituted nor the post advertised anywhere inviting application from eligible candidates to ensure that a person with the highest level of competence, integrity and institutional commitment is appointed as vice chancellor as per the guidelines.

It further alleged that Saini, who was appointed as the VC on September 26, 2018, was facing several allegations of misconduct and irregularities.

"Saini has several allegations of misconduct and irregularities against him, including that of plagiarism which otherwise disqualify him to be appointed as vice-chancellor of a university," it read.

The plea also claimed that Saini's appointment was pre-determined, pre-decided and well planned which was clear from the stand taken by NSUT where they had made a categorical statement justifying the change of criteria in the advertisement for the appointment of director.

"The change was made just to appoint Prof Saini as Vice Chancellor after conversion of the institute into a university," it alleged.

The 2018 notification that said the first five VCs would be appointed by the chancellor was against the UGC guidelines, the plea claimed.

"Even the formation of search-cum-selection committee with members as enshrined under the said notification is contrary to UGC Guidelines... No member nominated by the chairman of the UGC has been placed in the committee and therefore, is illegal and unsustainable," it said.

Panic button for women launched in Tamil Nadu

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

Published

Feb 21, 2019, 1:30 am IST

For seamless service of the safety tool, the ERC will coordinate with District Coordination Centres (DCCs) deployed by respective states.

Ministry of Home Affairs.

Chennai: ‘Panic Button’ an Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) for women was launched across 18 states including Tamil Nadu on Tuesday.

The Panic Button will now enable women in distress to make emergency calls through a single number "112" that will connect her to the police, fire, health and other helplines through an Emergency Response Centre (ERC).

For enabling the safety tool, one needs to dial 112 from the phone and press power button on smartphones three times to connect to the ERC. Those who do not have a smartphone may long press "5" or "9" key on their phone to activate the panic call.

For seamless service of the safety tool, the ERC will coordinate with District Coordination Centres (DCCs) deployed by respective states.

The ministry of home affairs has come up with a suite of smart software applications to be used by the team of "call-takers" and dispatchers who constitute the ERC. The call-takers will be equipped to the source location of the caller through interaction, or smart phone's GPS location services.

The Central government has allocated `321.69 crore from the Nirbhaya Fund to implement the ERSS project across the country.

Speaking to the press, M.Ravi, IPS, Additional Commissioner of Police, Chennai Traffic said that in case of health emergencies, most people do not know whom to contact. "There are so many numbers, 100, 108, etc. In the US, '911' is an immediate response system. Here we think that we don't have it. To change that, we are implementing '112.' Within 6 months, '112' will be that immediate response number," he said.

One will not have to note down and remember several numbers, he said. "The number will be integrated with all the others, 108, 100, and other services. So all the others need not be used. Soon, everything will be 112," Ravi said.

Rogue monkey mauls three in Kembanoor village

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | ANANTH MATHIVANAN

Published

Feb 21, 2019, 5:42 am IST

Over a period of time, the monkey started to enter every house in the village and take away the food, sometimes even along with the vessels.

Gradually, the monkey expanded its territory within the human habitat. It started robbing households of food, snacks and fruits, triggering a scare whereever it went.

Coimbatore: The man-animal conflict in this region has at least in this case, assumed a different dimension. Often talked about and discussed is the co-existence of man and elephant in the forest fringes on the outskirts of the city.

But the woes of the villagers of Kembanoor in the suburbs of the city seem to be worried about a stray wild monkey disturbing them, and have demanded the forest department to relocate the simian that had mauled three persons, including a boy.

According to a villager of Kembanoor, few months ago, a monkey from the nearby forest area entered Kembanoor near Thondamuthoor. Villagers named the monkey ‘Ramu’ and started feeding it vegetables and fruits.

Over a period of time, the monkey started to enter every house in the village and take away the food, sometimes even along with the vessels.

Gradually, the monkey expanded its territory within the human habitat. It started robbing households of food, snacks and fruits, triggering a scare whereever it went. Small children were its easy target, since it comfortably snatched their snacks from them.

A few villagers made attempts to chase the animal using sticks, but the monkey pounced on them and mauled them. So far, three persons including a small boy have been injured by the monkey.

Panic gripped villagers have demanded the forest department officials to install a trap for the monkey, and relocate it into the dense forest area.

A forest source told DC, following weather changes, the water and fodder inside the forest becomes scarce.

The land turns dry, and as there is no water in the streams wild animals stray into nearby human habitats mainly in search of food and water.

Tamil Nadu wants to know: Where will ‘Captain’ go?

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | J V SIVA PRASANNA KUMAR

Published

Feb 21, 2019, 5:44 am IST

Union Minister Piyush Goel drove to Vijayakanth's Saligramam bungalow on Tuesday and paid respects with flowers.

Vijayakanth

Chennai: With both the prime political camps in Tamil Nadu finalising their alliances for the ensuring Lok Sabha elections, all eyes are now on 'Captain' Vijayakanth to see which way the former Kollywood hero would swing. His wife Premalatha, who speaks most of the political content from the DMDK after his illness, had promised the media persons at the Chennai airport Sunday morning that Captain would take the alliance decision pretty soon, after consulting party seniors. He was tired after the long flight from the US, she explained.

"We have not approached anyone; only the others are approaching us", Premalatha had then insisted, trying to underscore the DMDK importance in the TN poll scene. The party vote share had dropped from 7.88 per cent in 2011 to a measly 2.4 per cent in 2016 and could have slipped further in view of the leader's health. His inability to actively campaign could be a big drawback; but then, the DMDK even in its most famished form could still be useful as an ally in a closely contested poll with high stakes.

Perhaps realising this, the DMDK leadership could be pitching its demands rather high and might even be negotiating with both the AIADMK/BJP and the DMK/Congress. Union Minister Piyush Goel drove to Vijayakanth's Saligramam bungalow on Tuesday and paid respects with flowers. Though he insisted to the media that there was no politics in that trip and he had gone there only to wish him great health, that was hardly convincing. DMK president M K Stalin appeared distinctly irritated when a reporter asked him at the media conference on Wednesday, when he announced the poll pact with the Congress at the Anna Arivalayam, whether the reports were true that the DMDK was going to join his team.

One-day course offered for medics

Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research announced a one-day course for doctors and nurses in association with the Cardiac Surgery Advanced Life Support team from the UK.

Published: 21st February 2019 04:08 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research announced a one-day course for doctors and nurses in association with the Cardiac Surgery Advanced Life Support team from the UK.

According to a release, the two organisations have signed a Centre of Excellence MoU for the programme.

The course will be conducted for cardiac surgeons, anaesthetists, intensivists and nurses in emergency care.

The first batch of three courses will be held on March 23, 24 and 25 at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER). The first two-day classes will be conducted for SRIHER professionals and the third day it will be run for staff from other hospitals.

The course will also have practical teaching. The candidates will receive Cardiac Surgery Advanced Life Support (CALS) International Certificate with a unique international ID that is issued centrally by the CALS UK.


The course will be run by experienced faculty from the UK consisting of cardiac surgeon Dr Vincenzo Giordano from Edinburgh, cardiac intensivist Dr Kiran Salaunkey from Cambridge and lead cardiac nurse Tara Bartley from Birmingham.

Tamil Nadu: Nellai surgeons remove 8cm piece of knife from man’s chest

The man, who worked at a printing press, was stabbed in the back by a colleague in a brawl.

Published: 21st February 2019 04:07 AM -

By Express News Service

TIRUNELVELI: It’s bad enough being stabbed in the back, but what if the knife breaks, leaving an 8cm piece of steel lodged in your chest? That is what happened to a 36-year-old man from Kanniyakumari district. The man, who worked at a printing press, was stabbed in the back by a colleague in a brawl. Luckily for him, surgeons at the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TVMCH) successfully removed the steel piece in a recent two-hour procedure. On Wednesday, the hospital announced the success of the procedure and said the patient was ready to be discharged.


According to TvMCH Dean Dr SM Kannan, the patient had a severe stab injury on his back. Kanniyakumari Medical College Hospital, Asaripallam referred him to TvMCH for super-specialty cardiothoracic surgical care on February 4. “The stab injury was on the left side of his back. A chest CT (computed tomography) scan was done in TvMCH and a broken piece of steel, measuring 8x2x0.5 cm in size, was found inside the posterior aspect of the left side chest.

The foreign object was rubbing on his lungs and was close to his heart and great vessels,” Kannan said in the statement. Emergency exploratory thoracotomy was planned on February 6. The steel piece was removed in a mini-thoracotomy procedure that lasted two hours. The operation was done free-of-cost under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme. A similar procedure at a private hospital would have cost the patient more than `3 lakh, the hospital statement said.

Speaking to members of the media, Kannan acknowledged the members of the surgical, anesthesiology and nursing teams. “The patient has recovered from his illness and is ready to be discharged in a good condition,” Kannan told the media.

300 medical students stare at year loss as unpaid teachers go on strike
With the faculty and management of Maheshwara Medical College in Patancheru at loggerheads for the past several months, the institute’s students have become collateral damage.

Published: 20th February 2019 08:53 AM 

For representational purposes

By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: With the faculty and management of Maheshwara Medical College in Patancheru at loggerheads for the past several months, the institute’s students have become collateral damage. It’s been a month since the faculty stopped taking classes; they have not been paid for the last six months. Some of them haven’t been paid for the last nine months. With classes suspended and mid-term examination less than a month away, the fate of 300 students hang in the balance as they stare at year loss if classes do not resume soon.



On February 18, parents and students staged a dharna at the college and later complained to the district collector. Parents are now mulling legal recourse if the management does not resolve the issue with a week.

Parents said that they came to know about the issue around two weeks ago and since then they have met the director at least eight times, officially and unofficially.

Parents then went to Sangareddy district collector M Hanumanth Rao who has directed the Tehsildar to look into the matter since the college operates autonomously. On Tuesday, they also raised the issue with Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS), to which the medical college is affiliated to. Meanwhile, the faculty has told the director that unless the salary is paid to them they will not resume classes.

Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A350 to fly from city from May
The A350-900 features higher ceilings, larger windows, an extra wide body delivering more space and comfort as well as lighting designed to reduce jetlag.

Published: 20th February 2019 02:16 AM 

By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Singapore Airlines has introduced its A350 medium haul aircraft on the Bengaluru to Singapore route. Its inaugural service SQ505 will depart from Bengaluru International Airport at 1.20 am on May 18. It will be the first airline to start A350 services from Bengaluru airport. The A350-900 features higher ceilings, larger windows, an extra wide body delivering more space and comfort as well as lighting designed to reduce jetlag. The A350-900 medium haul aircraft are also designed with a new user interface that offers more navigation options. In-flight WiFi service will also be there.

Silk sarees ruined, courier company Blue Dart told to pay over Rs 1 Lakh

A consumer forum has directed a courier firm Blue Dart to pay a compensation of Rs 1,02,510 to a textile company for damaging silk sarees during transit to Hyderabad.

Published: 20th February 2019 05:03 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A consumer forum has directed a courier firm Blue Dart to pay a compensation of Rs 1,02,510 to a textile company for damaging silk sarees during transit to Hyderabad. In its complaint, S Rajamanicka Mudaliar Textiles, Kancheepuram, submitted that the company was in the business of manufacturing handloom cotton sarees and dress materials.

In March 2016, it had booked 42 fancy and handloom sarees worth Rs 1,12,000 with the courier company to supply to one of its customers at Hyderabad. However, 40 sarees were damaged by a chemical leak during the transit. As a result, the customer in Hyderabad refused to accept the shipment since it was damaged and the consignment was returned to Kancheepuram.

Finding that the courier company had damaged 40 sarees worth Rs 72,510, the textiles sought compensation and filed a complaint before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Chengalpattu.

The courier company submitted that the complainant has been carrying on commercial activities. Hence, the case does not come under the purview of the Consumer Protection Act.



However, the forum, presided by J Justin David, reasoned there was no buyer-seller relationship between the courier company and the manufacturer. Thus, the argument made by the courier firm is not sustainable.

The forum in a recent order observed that the courier firm failed in its duty to deliver the sarees safely. It directed the firm to pay a compensation of Rs 1,02,510.

Chemical leak during transit to Hyderabad

In March 2016, the textile firm had booked 42 fancy and handloom sarees worth `1,12,000 with the courier company to supply to a customer at Hyderabad. However, 40 sarees were damaged by a chemical leak during the transit

Chennai: One more toll plaza to charge motorists from today
Opposing the move, the state truckers association questioned the rationality behind collecting the user fee for a roads that were built for developing ports.

Published: 20th February 2019 06:01 AM 

The new toll plaza set up at Mathur village in Manali | Nakshatra Krishnamoorthy

By B Anbuselvan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Amid strong opposition from a section of motorists and state truckers association, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has set up another toll gate at Mathur Manali Ennore Express Highway. The user fee collection will begin from Wednesday.

With this, the northern outskirts of Chennai city now have got four toll plaza within a 20-km radius. 

The new toll gate was three km away from the Surapattu toll plaza (on the Chennai bypass road), five km from Nallur toll gate (Chennai-Tada road) and 20 km from Vanagaram toll gate (Chennai bypass road). 

The four stretches of roads covering 28.33 km have been developed at the cost of `600 crore under Ennore Manali Road Improvement Project (EMRIP). The EMRIP stretches include Manali Ennore Expressway, northern portion of Inner Ring Road, Tiruvottiyur-Ponneri-Panchetty road and Manali oil refinery road. 

The road projects were executed by the Chennai Ennore Port Road Company Limited (CEPRCL), which comprises Chennai Port Trust, Kamarajar Port Limited, NHAI and the state government as its stakeholders.

The state government’s gazette notification, dated October 1, 2018, permitted the CEPRCL or any agency authorised by CEPRCL to collect user fee from the toll plaza at Mathur until recovering the project cost. The motorists will be charged toll of `35 to `215 for single journey depending on the categories of the vehicles.



Opposing the move, the state truckers association questioned the rationality behind collecting the user fee for a roads that were built for developing ports.

“In early 2000 the project was proposed to provide last-mile connectivity for vehicles that transport goods for Kamarajar (Ennore) port and Chennai port. More than 50 per cent of project cost was borne by them. Then why should we repay the expenses through user fee?,” asked R Sukumar, president, Tamil Nadu Lorry Owners Federation (TNLOF).

Echoing the similar view, S Soundrajan, retired Manager (Finance), NHAI, Tamil Nadu questioned the legality of setting up the toll plaza on roads that were largely funded by public limited companies. 

“Indian Tolls Act 1951 authorises state governments to set up toll gates on roads that are funded by government or private companies. However, there was no provision in the NH Act or Indian Tolls Act to collect user fee for roads that are funded by companies (Chennai port and Kamarajar port),” he added.