Instal CCTV cameras at bus stands, depots and offices to curb irregularities: court

STAFF REPORTER

MADURAI, JULY 05, 2019 00:00 IST

Directs Transport department to investigate allegations of fund misappropriation

After a former Senior Superintendent of the Transport Corporation alleged serious misappropriation of the Corporation’s funds, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday directed the department to conduct an inquiry into the allegations.

Justice S.M. Subramaniam directed the Principal Secretary to issue suitable orders to install CCTV cameras at bus stands, depots, administrative offices and other workplaces of the department for the purpose of monitoring its employees and to ascertain if there were any irregularities.

Asset details

The court directed the Principal Secretary to investigate in order to ascertain asset details of all higher officials working in the management level as well as their spouse and dependants with reference to the declarations given by them in service records, within a period of six weeks.

If any discrepancy was uncovered, disciplinary proceedings should be initiated.

Four months

The exercise should be carried out within four months, the court said.

The court was hearing the petition filed by P. Rajendran who sought a direction to the Principal Secretary to the Transport Department to take appropriate disciplinary action against M. Sugumar, Joint Managing Director (JMD) of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Development Finance Corporation, Chennai. The petitioner alleged deliberate and wilful misappropriation of funds by the JMD.

The court observed that all Transport Corporations in the State were running up financial losses despite an increase in the number of passengers, while private players were earning profits. It is a high time for the State to conduct an investigation and inquire into the large scale irregularities, in order to win the confidence of the public, the court added.

Anna varsity among top 50 young institutions in the world in QS ranking

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, JULY 05, 2019 00:00 IST

University rated ‘very high’ in research output

The QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) ranking for 2020 has placed Anna University among the top 50 young institutions in the world. It is the only State-run university to be among the ‘under 50’ category.

The other two institutions ranked ahead of it are the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati and Jindal University.

The university has been placed in the 101-150 rank band, and among the world universities it is placed in the 751-800 rank band. The institutions are rated based on their academic and employer reputation; faculty-student ratio; citation per faculty; international faculty and international student ratio.

Anna University, with a student strength of 15,196 and academic faculty strength of 698 is rated “very high” in research output. Unlike even the older IITs, it has international students and international faculty. The citation per faculty is 45.3, which Vice-Chancellor M.K. Surappa said was the best among universities.

“Eight IITs and the IISc are ahead of us. IIT Bombay has a citation per faculty score of 54.6, just ahead of us,” he pointed out, adding: “It can be improved. We have to improve our faculty-student ratio.” The University has not recruited faculty for over two years.

Mr. Surappa said the ranking had failed to factor in the university’s outreach programmes and service to the nation. This had been the central issue for the IITs too. They had rejected the international ranking exercises pointing out that the institutions’ effort at nation-building were ignored.

No vice-chancellor in TS varsities may get second term this time

R. Ravikanth Reddy

HYDERABAD, JULY 05, 2019 00:00 IST

Process of appointment to the posts tobegin soon

No vice-chancellor in the conventional universities in Telangana is likely to get renomination this time even as the government is making efforts to complete the appointment process by August this year.

Seven vice-chancellors will complete their term by July 24 while three varsities are already vacant. “The process of appointment of new VCs is on and the existing V-Cs may not get a second term,” said an official, wishing anonymity. Unlike in the past when the appointment of vice-chancellors was inordinately delayed, leading to criticism, the government this time it is keen on appointing the V-Cs by August itself.

Institutional changes

The delay in the appointment of V-Cs after the formation of Telangana was delayed as Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was keen on some institutional changes in the varsities and he toyed with the idea of a Chancellor for each varsity and bringing in a few bureaucrats apart from academics. However, that did not materialise but the government relaxed the norms for SC and ST aspirants deviating from the UGC norms. It relaxed the applicants’ experience of a professor to just five years for SCs and STs but it was challenged in the court. The Government justified the relaxation, saying SC and ST teachers with the mandatory 10 years’ experience as professors were not available and it wanted to appoint a few from these sections. However, the relaxation was withdrawn after the court’s intervention.

However, this time it wants to continue with the existing norms assuming any deviation will be challenged in the courts, leading to delay again.

“The notification seeking the applications will come out any time and aspirants will have 14 days to apply,” said a senior official. Applications will be scrutinised and three names will be picked up by the search committee, which is comprised of nominees from the UGC, Executive Council of the university concerned and the State government. The Chief Minister will have the final say which the Governor generally endorses.

Completion of term

As of now, three varsities are without vice-chancellors while the term of seven V-Cs will ends by July 24. While the posts in Satavahana University in Karimnagar and Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), Basar, have been vacant for long, the V-C of Mahatma Gandhi University, Nalgonda, completed his term last month.

Seven other V-Cs who will complete their term this month are S. Ramachandram, Osmania University, B Rajarathnam, Palamuru University, R Sayanna, Kakatiya University, K Seetharama Rao, Dr. BR Ambedkar Open University, P Sambaiah, Telangana University, SV Satyanarayana, Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University and A Venugopal Reddy, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad.

The vacancy for Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University will arise in January next. The government has already announced another extension of for Prof. Jaishankar Telangana State Agriculture University (PJTSAU) Vice chancellor, V. Praveen Rao, who will also complete his term on July 24.

Pension for disabled: War hero slams HQ
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:05.07.2019

Amid the continuing row over the government’s decision to tax the disability pension of military personnel, a 1971 war hero has criticised Army Headquarters for using his name to defend the move as well as deride soldiers with non-combat disabilities, medical conditions and ailments.

Maj Gen Ian Cardozo (Retd), who as a young major amputated his own leg with his khukri after a landmine blast, conveyed his “deep anguish and concern” to the Army HQ. “What soldiers suffering from any disability require is care and compassion, not disdain!” he wrote.

‘Misuse of system by a few must not be used to target actual cases’

The two types of disability benefits given to soldiers are the war injury pension and a normal disability pension due to the stress and strain of operational service.

The government, as well as Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat, have faced flak for the finance ministry’s recent order that the disability pension of all military personnel will now be taxed unless they have been forced or “invalidated” out of service prematurely, as was reported by TOI earlier.

The Army HQ, on its part, initiated the move on the ground that the “broad-banding and higher compensation awarded for disability with tax exemption” has led to a significant rise in personnel seeking it even for lifestyle diseases.

“The trend, if not checked at this stage, is a cause for worry. The Army cannot have a large number of personnel with medical disabilities in the rank and file when security challenges to the nation are on the rise,” it said.

But the move has not gone down well among veterans, who contend that misuse of the system by a few personnel should not be used to target all genuine disability cases.

“It’s ethically, morally wrong. We need to correct the system and not punish innocent disabled soldiers,” said former Army Chief Gen V P Malik (Retd).

An organization, the Disabled War Veterans (India), also took strong exception to the Army’s endorsement of the government’s decision, stressing any “discrimination or invidious distinction” affects the morale of the entire military community.

Gen Cardozo, on his part, said the disabilities painted as “lifestyle diseases” by the Army “are fully covered under the rules for disability pension” for the armed forces as well as central armed police forces because of their tough service conditions.

“If there indeed are a few instances of ‘feigned disabilities’, the loopholes may be plugged rather than broadbrushing. It is not understood why permissible benefits mandated by law are being demeaned,” he added.

Yogi govt retires 200 tainted officials
Pankaj.Shah@timesgroup.com

Lucknow:05.07.2019

The Yogi Adityanath government in UP on Wednesday said that in pursuance of its ‘zero tolerance’ policy against corruption, it has given compulsory retirement to over 200 tainted officials and employees in the past two years, while more than 400 others are under the scanner for ‘exemplary punishment’.

The move has been initiated on the basis of a report of a screening committee formed in July 2017, soon after the BJP government came to power and Yogi ordered to identify officials and employees who have crossed 50 years of age and are involved in graft cases.

“The government has given forced retirement to 201state employees. Many are on the radar,” UP minister and government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said, adding that 417 others are being watched and could get ‘exemplary punishment’. Sharma said all departments have been asked to prepare a list of officials facing corruption charges.

Among those who have been given forced retirement, 51 are from the home department, 36 from revenue, eight from basic education, seven from dairy development and six from cane development. Besides, five employees each of urban development and excise departments and three of khadi and village development board were also handed over retirement letters, said official sources.

For full report, www.toi.in

Centre told to pay pension to freedom fighter aged 100
K.Kaushik@timesgroup.com

Madurai:5.7.2019

Taking a dig at the Centre for making a 100-yearold freedom fighter run from pillar to post for his pension, the Madurai bench of the Madras high court dismissed an appeal by the Union government against a single judge order and directed it to grant pension to him from the date of application submitted in 2014, within a period of four weeks.

A division bench of Justice K Ravichandrabaabu and justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy which heard the appeal filed by M Kaliyan, of Sivaganga, observed, “A man aged about 100 years who fought for the freedom of this country, was imprisoned by the British, and ultimately succeeded in seeing a free India, is now made to suffer at the hands of the bureaucrats.”

Kaliyan had participated in the Quit India Movement and was imprisoned from March 1943 to March 1944 at the Madurai Central Prison. The state government under the State Freedom Pensioner’s Scheme had granted pension to Kaliyan. He appliedfor theCentre’s Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme,1980. As pension was not granted, he moved the high court. A single judge on October 30, 2018 passed an order to grant pension. During the hearing, the counsel for the Centre stated Kaliyan produced only secondary evidence — co-prisoner’s certificate and lacked primary evidence — jail certificate, and denied pension.

‘Consider raising retirement age’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:05.07.2019

Citing improved life expectancy, the Economic Survey has made a case for increasing the retirement age, raising expectations among government and private sector employees that their working years could go up.

“Given that life expectancy in India is likely to continue rising, increasing the retirement age for both men and women could be considered in line with the experience of other countries,” the document tabled in Parliament said. Although lower than other economies, in 2016, healthy life expectancy at the age of 60 in India (the number of years a 60-year-old is expected to live in good health) was estimated at 12.9 years — 12.5 for males and 13.3 for females — compared to 20 years or more in Singapore, Japan, France, Canada and Australia.

‘Higher retirement age crucial for viability of pension system’

Currently, the retirement age for most government employees is 60 years and most private companies have aligned their age of superannuation to the Centre and state governments. Teachers, doctors and high court and Supreme Court judges are exceptions as they get to work longer.

Even private bank CEOs can stay in office till the age of 70 as do a few corporate sector bosses. For a vast majority, however, working life ends between 58 and 60 years, although a large section of the urban population lives well past 80.

The Economic Survey has suggested that a higher retirement age would be crucial for the viability of the pension system, which was in a nascent stage, apart from increasing female labour force participation in older age groups.

It went on to suggest that this was “perhaps inevitable” and, therefore, recommended that it would be useful to signal the change a decade before the anticipated shift to help people in their pensions and retirement planning.

In fact, whenever the Centre constitutes a Pay Commission, there is heightened anticipation that the retirement age will be reviewed, especially because the retirement age for government employees was last revised over two decades ago. With the next pay revision due in 2026, the signalling may have to begin now.

Full report on www.toi.in

Can wife be prosecuted as abettor post death of husband booked for corruption?

SC Entertains Woman’s Plea In ‘Unique’ Case

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:5.7.2019

Can a woman, accused of abetting her public servant husband to indulge in corruption, be prosecuted after the man dies and the trial court closes the case against him? The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to examine this unique legal question raised in the woman’s petition.

The vigilance department in Odisha had in 2005 chargesheeted retired electrical superintending engineer Anant Ram Behera under Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to his sources of income. It had roped in his wife Arati Behera nee Sahoo as co-accused as an abettor as most of the properties purchased through the alleged ill-gotten wealth were registered in her name.

Challenging concurrent decisions of the trial court and Orissa high court refusing to quash the case against her despite death of her husband who was the prime accused, advocate Shibashish Misra argued before a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta that she has been made an accused as an abettor, a role which could be proved only if the commission of corruption against her husband was established.

Since the husband died on June 12, 2017 and the case against him has abated, there was no means for the prosecution or her to establish what was the accused public servant’s known sources of income, Misra said. “When the husband of the petitioner who is the principal accused in the case has died and the case against him has abated, the accounting of such alleged disproportionate income cannot be fastened on the wife,” he said.

Though the CJI-led bench initially observed that “it will be a dangerous proposition to be accepted”, it later felt that the question of law raised by the woman had not been dealt with by the apex court in the past. It issued notice to the Odisha government’s vigilance department seeking its response to the petition.

The trial court while closing the case against Behera after his death, decided to continue trial against his wife under Section 13 of PC Act as well as Section 109 of IPC for helping her husband amass ill-gotten wealth. The special judge at Cuttack had held that even in case of death of the main offender, the case shall stand against the abettor.

The HC had dismissed Arati’s plea for quashing of the case against her saying there was no provision under the criminal procedure code that on the death of the main accused, the case shall be closed against the abettor of the crime. “Whether the offences under PC Act has been proved or whether the public servant cannot satisfactorily account for the property disproportionate to his income has to be determined at the end of the trial and not in the midst of it,” it had said.

ONE-OF-A-KIND ISSUE

Power shutdown for maintenance tomorrow

Chennai:05.07.2019

Power supply will be suspended in the following areas from 9am to 4pm on Saturday for maintenance work. Supply will be resumed before 4pm if the works are completed.

Seven Wells: Nattu Pillaiyar Koil, Thatha Muthaiappan, Arumugam St, Manikanda St, Seenu Mudali St, Ramakrishnan St, Karuppanna St, Somasundaram St, Vardha Muthaiyappan St, Achariyappan St, Buddhi Sahib St, Sahib Azarath St, Muthu Naicken St, Gate St, Subramani St, Sambu Iyer St, Govindappa St, Amman Koil St, Nattu Pillaiyar St, Krishna Iyer St, Arumugam St, Govindhappa Naicken St, MK Garden, Mint St, Anaikaran St, Girigori St among several other streets and areas.

Pallavaram: Eswari Nagar, Rajaji Nagar, Sanjai Gandhi Nagar, Ganapathy Nagar and 200 Feet Road.

Keelkattalai: Big St, Baskar Nagar, Ranga Nagar, Ambal Nagar (part), Anbu Nagar, Gandhi St, Arul Murugan Nagar, Kirubananda Varrier St, Kumaran Nagar, Sudukadu St, and others.

Pammal: Santhi Road, Muthamizh Nagar, Ranganathan St, Krishna Nagar & Abdul Park St.

Melur: Minjur, TH Road, Theradi St, Seemapuram, RR Palayam/Ariyanvoyal, Pudhpedu, Nadhiyambakkam, Melur, Pattamandhiri, Valloor, Athipattu and other areas in Melur.

Kamaraj Nagar: Kamaraj Nagar, NM Road, Avadi TNHB Area, Vasantham Nagar, Govarthangiri, Paruthipet, Kannapalayam,PHRoad,AvadiMarket,Kumaran Nagar, Periyar Nagar, Anandam Nagar.

Ayanavaram: Raju St, Mettu St, Solaiamman St, Sabhapathi St, Veerasamy St, Palani Andaver Koil St, Elumalai St, NMK St, Muthamman Koil St, Chetty St, Kuppusamy St, SS Devar 1-6 st, and other places.

MMDA Colony: A- Block to RBlock, Kamala Nehru Nagar 1st and 2nd St, Sidco, Ashoka Nagar, Subbarao Nagar, Veerapandi Nagar, Rani Annanagar, Kalki Nagar,100 Feet Road.

Arumbakkam: Metha Nagar, NM Road, MH Colony, Railway Colony, Ampa Skywalk, Franko India, Vaishnav College, Govindan St, Collectrate Colony, Ayyavo Colony, Gayathri Devi, Razak Garden, JD Durai Raj Nagar, Azad Nagar, VGA Nagar, Sbi Officers Colony.

Choolaimedu: Sakthi Nagar 1st to 5th St, Thiruvalluvapuram 1st and 2nd St, Thiruvengadapuram 1st and 2nd St, Nelson Manikam Road, West Namachivayapuram, Choolaimedu High Road, Gill Nagar, Abdulla St, Basha St, Neela Kandan St, Khan St.

Kodambakkam: Bajanai Koil 3rd and 4th St. TNN

HC summons home secretary, former DGP in contempt case

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:5.7.2019

The Madras high court has ordered statutory notices to the Tamil Nadu home secretary Niranjan Mardi and former director general of police (DGP) T K Rajendran in connection with a contempt of court proceeding.

Both the officers were directed to appear in the court and explain why a court order dated January 10, 2017 directing the authorities to regularise the services of 168 grade-II constables was not implemented. Justice T Raja passed the interim order on a contempt plea moved by the constables whose services were not yet regularised.

When the plea came up for hearing, additional advocate general submitted that the order was not implemented since the government has filed an appeal against the order and sought the court to adjourn the contempt plea. Refusing to accept the submission, the judge said, “There is no justification for making such a prayer to defer the compliance of the order passed by this court long time back. Since such a prayer can never be entertained, this court is constrained to issue statutory notice.”

The issue pertains to a batch of pleas moved by R Rajakumar and 167 others seeking to regularise their service.

The petitioners joined the state police as grade-II constables in 2011 under category-3 of the Tamil Nadu special police and they received two yearly increments in 2012 and 2013. They had been given earned leave, gratuity and other benefits from 2011. As per the service condition, if such grade-II constables work for 10 years in category-3 in special police they would be transferred to category-2, armed reserve police, with continuity of service and pay protection together with seniority.

Accordingly, the department called for applications from petitioners for entering into category-2 by way of appearing in the examination. After obtaining no objection certificates from their heads of departments, the petitioners appeared and got selected. In the notification inviting applications, the department specifically provided a clause safeguarding their seniority.

However, after selection and granting two yearly increments up to 2013, they were informed that their seniority could be counted only from 2013 and their basic pay would also start from 2013 only while giving all other benefits with continuity from the year 2011.

Aggrieved, the petitioners moved the high court. On January 10, 2017 the court allowed their pleas and directed the authorities to grant continuity of service with all attendant benefits.

Both officers were directed to appear in court and explain why an order directing authorities to regularise services of constables was not implemented

இந்தியாவின் கண்டு பிடிப்புகளுக்கு காப்புரிமை பெற தவறி விட்டோம்'

Updated : ஜூலை 03, 2019 06:32 | Added : ஜூலை 03, 2019 06:30



சென்னை: ''இந்தியாவின் கண்டுபிடிப்புகளுக்கு, காப்புரிமை பெற தவறி விட்டோம்,'' என, விஞ்ஞானி, மயில்சாமி அண்ணாதுரை பேசினார்.
தமிழ்நாடு டாக்டர் எம்.ஜி.ஆர்., மருத்துவ பல்கலையில், அறிவுசார் சொத்துரிமை குறித்த, இரண்டு நாள் பயிலரங்கம், நேற்று துவங்கியது. மருத்துவ பல்கலை துணைவேந்தர், சுதா சேஷய்யன் தலைமை வகித்தார். இதில், விஞ்ஞானியும், மாநில அறிவியல் தொழில்நுட்ப கவுன்சில், துணைத் தலைவருமான, மயில்சாமி அண்ணாதுரை பேசியதாவது:




இந்தியாவில், எத்தனையோ கண்டு பிடிப்புகளும், கலைகளும் படைக்கப்பட்டு உள்ளன. அவை அனைத்துக்கும், காப்புரிமை பெற்று, காப்பாற்ற நாம் தவறி விட்டோம். ஆப்பிள் நிறுவனத்தின் நிறுவனர், ஸ்டீவ் ஜாப்ஸ், 299 பொருட்களுக்கு காப்புரிமை பெற்றிருந்தார்.

ஆப்பிள் போன்களுக்கு பயன்படுத்தப்படும், சார்ஜர்களின் முனையில் உள்ள, 'பின்'களுக்கும், அவர் காப்புரிமை பெற்றிருந்தார். அதனால் தான், அந்த வகையான பின்களை, பிற நிறுவனங்கள் தயாரிக்க முடியவில்லை. அதுதான், அவரது வெற்றிக்கு முக்கிய காரணமாக அமைந்தது.

அறிவுசார் சொத்துரிமை என்பது, புதிய படைப்புகளை பாதுகாப்பதற்கு மட்டுமின்றி, அதை வர்த்தகப்படுத்தவும் வழிவகுக்கும். இதுபோன்ற சட்டங்களும், நடைமுறைகளும், பல நுாற்றாண்டுகளுக்கு முன் இருந்திருந்தால், உலகத்திற்கு நீதி நெறியை போதித்த திருவள்ளுவர், 1,330 குறள்களுக்கும் காப்புரிமை பெற்றிருப்பார்.

இந்தியாவின் முகவரியாக, வரும் காலங்களில், தொழில்நுட்பம் தான் இருக்கும். எனவே, தொழில்நுட்பங்களை, அடுத்த தலைமுறையிடம் சேர்க்க வேண்டுமானால், அதற்கு காப்புரிமை அவசியம் என்பதை உணர வேண்டும்.இவ்வாறு, அவர் பேசினார்.

இந்தியாவில் முகநூல் சேவை திடீர் பாதிப்பு 

By DIN | Published on : 04th July 2019 02:50 AM |

இந்தியாவில் பிரபல சமூகவலைதளங்களான முகநூல், வாட்ஸ் அப், இன்ஸ்டாக்ராம் ஆகியவற்றின் சேவைகள் புதன்கிழமை திடீரென பாதிக்கப்பட்டன.

இதேபோல், மேற்கு ஐரோப்பிய நாடுகள், அமெரிக்கா, தென் அமெரிக்க நாடுகள், இந்தோனேசியா ஆகிய நாடுகளிலும் மேற்கண்ட 3 சமூகவலைதளங்களின் சேவைகள் பாதிக்கப்பட்டன.

இதுகுறித்து முகநூல் நிறுவன செய்தித் தொடர்பாளர் கூறுகையில், எங்களது செயலிகள் மூலம் படங்களை பதிவேற்றம் செய்தல், விடியோக்களை அனுப்புதல், பிற கோப்புகளை அனுப்புதல் ஆகிய சேவைகளில் இடையூறு ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. இதை கூடிய விரைவில் சரி செய்யும் முயற்சியில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளோம் என்றார்.

"பல்கலைக்கழக முறைகேட்டில் தொடர்புடையவர்கள் அரசியல் செல்வாக்கால் தப்ப முயற்சி' By மதுரை | Published on : 04th July 2019 07:37 AM

  மதுரை காமராஜர் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் தொலைநிலைக்கல்வி இயக்ககத்தில் நடைபெற்ற முறைகேட்டில் தொடர்புடைய 3 பேரும் அரசியல் பின்புலத்தால் தப்ப முயற்சிப்பதாக தமிழ்நாடு உயர்கல்வி பாதுகாப்புக்குழு புதன்கிழமை குற்றம்சாட்டியுள்ளது.

இதுதொடர்பாக தமிழ்நாடு உயர்கல்வி பாதுகாப்புக்குழு விடுத்துள்ள அறிக்கை விவரம்: மதுரை காமராஜர் பல்கலைக் கழகத்தில் கடந்த 2014 முதல் 2017 வரை நடந்துள்ள முறைகேடு வெளியே வந்துள்ளது.

500-க்கும் மேற்பட்டவர்களுக்கு தேர்வு எழுதாமலேயே தொலைநிலைக்கல்வி இயக்ககம் மூலம் மதிப்பெண் பட்டியல்கள் கொடுக்கப்பட்டிருப்பதாக லஞ்ச ஒழிப்புத்துறை குற்றம் சாட்டியுள்ளது. மாணவர்கள் பட்டப்படிப்பில் சேராமலேயே அவர்கள் படித்தார்கள் என்பதை நிரூபிக்கும் வகையில் எல்லாத் தகவல்களும் திருத்தப்பட்டுள்ளன. 5 ஆயிரத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட மாணவர்களுடைய முகவரிகள், புகைப்படம், தொலைபேசி எண் ஆகியவை அவர்களுடைய விண்ணப்பங்களில் இல்லை.

மேலும் மாணவர்கள் யாரும் பதிவுக் கட்டணம் செலுத்தவில்லை என்று வங்கிகளும் தெரிவித்துள்ளன. கேரளத்தில் உள்ள சில பல்கலைக்கழக மையங்கள் மூலமாக இந்த ஊழல் நடத்தப்பட்டு இருந்தாலும், இவை அனைத்திற்கும் மூல காரணமாக கூடுதல் தேர்வாணையரை லஞ்ச ஒழிப்புத்துறை குறிப்பிடுகிறது.

இந்த முறைகேட்டில் ஏறக்குறைய ரூ.50 கோடி வரை லஞ்சமாக பெறப்பட்டுள்ளது. ஏற்கெனவே கூடுதல் தேர்வாணையரை பதவி நீக்கம் செய்ய வேண்டும் என்று மதுரை காமராஜர் பல்கலைக்கழக பாதுகாப்பு கூட்டமைப்பு கோரியிருந்தது.

அவர் மீதுள்ள குற்றச்சாட்டுகளுக்காக விசாரணை நடத்த பல்கலைக்கழக ஆட்சிக்குழு இரண்டு மாதங்களுக்கு முன்பே முடிவு செய்தது. ஆனால் அரசியல் தலையீட்டால் அவர் மீது விசாரணை மேற்கொள்ளப்படவில்லை.
இந்நிலையில் லஞ்ச ஒழிப்புத்துறை விசாரணையை தொடங்கவிருக்கிறது. ஆனால் குற்றம்சாட்டப்பட்ட 3 பேரும் அரசியல் பின்புலத்தால் பதவிகளில் இருந்து பணியிடைநீக்கம் செய்யப்படாமல் தங்களைப் பாதுகாத்துக் கொள்ள பல வேலைகளை செய்து வருகின்றனர்.

எனவே முறைகேட்டில் ஈடுபட்ட 3 பேர் மீதும் லஞ்ச ஊழல் ஒழிப்புத்துறை உறுதியான நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும் என்று அதில் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

பிழைக்குமா ?
பி.எஸ்.என்.எல்., நிறுவனம்   4.7.2019  dinamalar

புதுடில்லி : கடுமையான நிதி நெருக்கடியில் சிக்கி தவிக்கும், பி.எஸ்.என்.எல்., - எம்.டி.என்.எல்., ஆகிய நிறுவனங்களை மீட்கும் வகையில், மத்திய அரசு, 74 ஆயிரம் கோடி ரூபாய் நிதியுதவிக்கான ஏற்பாடுகளுக்காக திட்டமிட்டு வருகிறது.




இத்திட்டத்தில், விருப்ப ஓய்வு பெறுபவர்களுக்கு, 5 சதவீதம் அளவுக்கு கூடுதல் இழப்பீடு தொகை வழங்குவது, 4ஜி ஸ்பெக்ட்ரம் மற்றும் மூலதன செலவினங்களுக்காக நிதி வழங்குதல் என, பல்வேறு அம்சங்கள் இடம்பெற்றுள்ளன. நாட்டில், அரசுக்கு, மிகப் பெரிய இழப்பை ஏற்படுத்தும் நிறுவனங்களில், பி.எஸ்.என்.எல்., முதலாவது இடத்தில் உள்ளது. கடந்த நிதியாண்டின் முடிவில், இந்நிறுவனத்தின் நஷ்டம், 13 ஆயிரத்து 804 கோடி ரூபாய் என மதிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. 3 ஆயிரத்து, 398 கோடி

ரூபாய் இழப்புடன், எம்.டி.என்.எல்., நிறுவனம், மூன்றாவது இடத்தில் உள்ளது. அரசுக்கு அதிக இழப்பை ஏற்படுத்துவதில், இரண்டாவது இடத்தில், ஏர் இந்தியா நிறுவனம் உள்ளது. இந்நிலையில் இந்த இரு தொலைதொடர்பு நிறுவனங்களையும் மீட்கும் முயற்சியில் மத்திய அரசு இறங்கி உள்ளது.

இது குறித்து, தொலைதொடர்பு துறையை சேர்ந்த உயரதிகாரி ஒருவர் கூறியதாவது: பி.எஸ்.என்.எல்., - எம்.டி.என்.எல்., நிறுவனங்களை மீட்டெடுக்கும் திட்டத்தின்படி, 4ஜி ஸ்பெக்ட்ரமுக்கு, 20 ஆயிரம் கோடி ரூபாயும், விருப்ப ஓய்வூதிய திட்டம் மற்றும் முன்கூட்டிய ஓய்வூதிய சலுகைகள் ஆகியவற்றுக்காக, 40 ஆயிரம் கோடி ரூபாயும் ஒதுக்கப்படும்.

இவைதவிர, இந்த இரண்டு பொதுத் துறை நிறுவனங்களின் மூலதனச் செலவுக்கு, 13 ஆயிரம் கோடி ரூபாய் வழங்கப்படும். மேலும், நிறுவன ஊழியர்களின் ஓய்வுக்கான வயதை, 60லிருந்து, 58 ஆக குறைத்து, அவர்களுக்கு நியாயமான ஓய்வூதிய சலுகையை வழங்கவும் திட்டமிடப்படுகிறது. இதன் மூலம், நஷ்டத்தில் இயங்கி வரும் இந்நிறுவனங்களின் சுமையை, கணிசமாகக் குறைக்க முடியும் என அரசு கருதுகிறது. அடுத்து, இந்நிறுவனங்களின் சொத்துக்கள், தொலை தொடர்பு கோபுரங்கள், கைவசம் உள்ள நிலம் ஆகியவற்றின் மூலம் நிதியைத் திரட்டுவது குறித்தும் அரசு பரிசீலித்து வருகிறது.


தொலை தொடர்பு துறையினரைப் பொறுத்த வரை, இந்த இரண்டு நிறுவனங்களை மூடுவதை விட, மீட்பு நடவடிக்கையே சிறந்த வழி என, கருதுகிறார்கள். இதற்காக, 1.2 லட்சம் கோடி ரூபாய் செலவாகும் என கணிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இந்நிறுவனங்களில் அதிக நிதி அழுத்தத்தை வைத்துக் கொண்டு, பங்குவிலக்கல் உள்ளிட்ட நடவடிக்கைகளில் இறங்குவதும் கடினம். தற்போதுள்ள சிக்கல்களிலிருந்து மீள, இந்த இரு நிறுவனங்களும் இணைந்து, ஒரு கூட்டு நிறுவனத்தை ஏற்படுத்துவதும் ஒரு வாய்ப்பாக அமையும்.

காஞ்சி அத்தி வரதர் வைபவம்; மாலை நேர சிறப்பு நுழைவு, இனி கிடையாது

Added : ஜூலை 04, 2019 00:40




காஞ்சிபுரம் : காஞ்சி அத்தி வரதர் வைபவத்திற்கு, உள்ளூர் பக்தர்களுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்டு வந்த மாலை நேர சிறப்பு நுழைவு, இனி கிடையாது என, கோவில் நிர்வாகம் தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

காஞ்சிபுரம், வரதராஜ பெருமாள் கோவிலில், அத்தி வரதர் வைபவம், திங்கட்கிழமை துவங்கியது. வெளியூர் பக்தர்கள்இந்நிகழ்வு, 40 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு பின், நடைபெறுவதால், அன்றாடம் பல்லாயிரக்கணக்கான பக்தர்கள், உள்ளூர் மற்றும் வெளியூரிலிருந்து வந்து, அத்தி வரதரை தரிசனம் செய்து வருகின்றனர்.காஞ்சிபுரம் தாலுகாவைச் சேர்ந்த பக்தர்கள், கோடை உற்சவம், கருடசேவை உற்சவம் போன்ற உற்சவ நாட்கள் தவிர, மாலை 5:00 மணி முதல், இரவு 8:00 மணி வரை, தரிசனம் செய்ய அனுமதிக்கப்படுவர் என, தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டிருந்தது.மாலை, 5:00 மணிக்கு மேல், வெளியூர் பக்தர்களுக்கு அனுமதி கிடையாது எனவும் தெரிவித்திருந்தனர்.

ஆனால், மாலை நேரத்தில் அதிகளவில் பக்தர்கள் கூட்டம் வருவதால், அவர்களுக்கு அனுமதி மறுக்க கோவில் நிர்வாகம் தயங்கியது. இதனால், மாலை நேரத்திலும், அத்தி வரதரை தரிசிக்க, வெளியூர் பக்தர்களுக்கு நேற்று முதல், அனுமதி வழங்கப்படுகிறது.

வருத்தம்:

உள்ளூர் பக்தர்களுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்ட மாலை, 5:00 மணி முதல், இரவு 8:00 மணி வரை தரிசன நேரத்தில், வெளியூர் பக்தர்களும் தரிசனம் செய்ய அனுமதிக்கப்படுகின்றனர்.இதனால், உள்ளூர் பக்தர்களுக்கு எந்த சிறப்பு நுழைவும் இனி கிடையாது. மாலை நேரத்தில், சிறப்பு நுழைவு கிடையாது என்பதால், ஆதார் அட்டையை பதிவு செய்து, ரசீது பெற, உதவி மையங்களில் கால் கடுக்க நின்ற பக்தர்கள், வருத்தம் தெரிவிக்கின்றனர்.

5:00 மணி வரை மட்டுமே தரிசனம்:

காஞ்சி வரதராஜ பெருமாள் கோவிலில், கோடை உற்சவம் இன்று துவங்குவதால், அத்தி வரதரை, மாலை, 5:00 மணி வரை மட்டுமே, பக்தர்கள் தரிசிக்க முடியும். வரும், 10ம் தேதி வரை, கோடை உற்சவமும், 11ல், ஆனி கருடசேவையும், 25 முதல் ஆக., 4 வரை, ஆடி பூரம் உற்சவமும், ஆக., 13 மற்றும் 14ல், ஆளவந்தார் சாற்றுமுறையும், 15ல், ஆடி கருடசேவையும் நடைபெற உள்ளது. இந்த நாட்களில், மாலை, 5:00 மணி வரை மட்டுமே அத்தி வரதரை தரிசிக்க முடியும் என, கோவில் நிர்வாகம் தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

சிறுமிகளிடம் தவறாக நடந்த இந்தியருக்கு சிறை

Updated : ஜூலை 04, 2019 04:25 | Added : ஜூலை 04, 2019 04:08

சிங்கப்பூர் : இந்தியாவைச் சேர்ந்த, ஜாப் மேத்யூ பனக்கல், 37, சிங்கப்பூரில், கட்டுமான இன்ஜினியராக பணியாற்றி வருகிறான். அங்குள்ள நீச்சல் குளத்தில், 10 - 13 வயதுள்ள சிறுமிகளிடம் தவறாக நடந்துள்ளான். புகாரின் அடிப்படையில் கைது செய்யப்பட்ட அவருக்கு, 20 வார சிறை தண்டனை விதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. சிறுமிகளிடம் தவறாக நடந்தால், சிங்கப்பூரில், சிறை தண்டனை, அபராதம் மற்றும் சவுக்கடி கொடுக்கப்படும்.

Husband Has to Pay Maintenance For Children Irrespective Of His Wife Earning: Delhi HC [Read Judgment]

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Supreme Court To Make Its Judgments Available In Regional Languages

Supreme Court To Make Its Judgments Available In Regional Languages: To begin with, judgments will be translated into six vernacular languages: Assamese, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Odia and Telugu.

Can University be considered State? Supreme Court notice in Petition by HNLU Murali Krishnan July 1 2019

Can a University be considered an office of Central government or State government for fixing responsibility under Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The Supreme Court will decide this issue in a petition filed by Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU).

A Bench of Justices NV Ramana and Ajay Rastogi said that it will hear the matter and issued notice to Insurance Company ICICI Lombard.

Advocates Aniruddha P Mayee and Selvin Raja appeared for HNLU.

The case concerns a motor accident death caused by a vehicle belonging to the HNLU. One Vineet Shrivastava, was hit by Motor Vehicle Bus owned by HNLU. The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal awarded a compensation of Rs.10,81,700 to the claimants. While passing the award, the Tribunal fastened the liability upon the driver, owner (HNLU) and insurer (ICICI) of the vehicle jointly and severally.

ICICI preferred an appeal to the Chhattisgarh High Court against the MACT judgment. The appeal of the insurance company was mainly on two grounds. First, that the vehicle belonging to HNLU did not have valid permit at the time of accident to operate the Bus as a passenger carrying vehicle and secondly, the driver of offending vehicle did not have proper licence at the time of accident.

Therefore, it was submitted that the insurance company should be exonerated of its liability and the liability should have been fastened upon the owner and driver of the vehicle.

On the issue permit, the question before the High Court was surrounding Section 66(3) of the Motor Vehicles Act. As per the said Section, any transport vehicle owned by the Central Government or a State Government and used for Government purposes unconnected with any commercial enterprise, is exempted from the requirement of having a permit.

Thus, the question before the High Court was whether the University can be considered State so as to avail the exemption under Section 66(3) of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The High Court noted that HNLU was established under an Act of the State government known as Hidayatullah National University of Law Chhattisgarh, Act, 2003. Be that as it may, the High Court proceeded to observe that HNLU is an autonomous body being run and maintained by an independent body not connected and controlled by the State government in any manner except for periodical funds given by the State Govt for smooth functioning of the university.

Except for receiving periodical funds, there is no control of the State government over the said establishment. Further, HNLU does not impart free education and it is charging a substantial amount as fees from the students who are taking education from the University. Thus, under no circumstance, can the university be said to be an office of the Central government or for that matter of the State government nor can the use of the vehicle be said to be for government purpose when the accident occurred, the High Court concluded.

Based on the same, the High Court allowed the appeal filed by ICICI Lombard and ordered that the insurance company can recover from HNLU, the compensation amount paid to the claimant.

HNLU has now appealed to the Supreme Court against this High Court judgment.

When the matter was taken up today, the Court remarked that a judgment of Supreme Court squarely states that University is “State”.

It, therefore, said that it will hear the matter and issued notice to the respondent. Advocate Binay Kumar Das accepted notice on behalf of respondent.

Can University be considered State? Supreme Court notice in Petition by HNLU

Murali Krishnan July 1 2019

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Can a University be considered an office of Central government or State government for fixing responsibility under Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The Supreme Court will decide this issue in a petition filed by Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU).

A Bench of Justices NV Ramana and Ajay Rastogi said that it will hear the matter and issued notice to Insurance Company ICICI Lombard.

Advocates Aniruddha P Mayee and  Selvin Raja appeared for HNLU.

The case concerns a motor accident death caused by a vehicle belonging to the HNLU. One Vineet Shrivastava, was hit by Motor Vehicle Bus owned by HNLU. The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal awarded a compensation of Rs.10,81,700 to the claimants. While passing the award, the Tribunal fastened the liability upon the driver, owner (HNLU) and insurer (ICICI) of the vehicle jointly and severally.

ICICI preferred an appeal to the Chhattisgarh High Court against the MACT judgment. The appeal of the insurance company was mainly on two grounds. First, that the vehicle belonging to HNLU did not have valid permit at the time of accident to operate the Bus as a passenger carrying vehicle and secondly, the driver of offending vehicle did not have proper licence at the time of accident.

Therefore, it was submitted that the insurance company should be exonerated of its liability and the liability should have been fastened upon the owner and driver of the vehicle.

On the issue permit, the question before the High Court was surrounding Section 66(3) of the Motor Vehicles Act. As per the said Section, any transport vehicle owned by the Central Government or a State Government and used for Government purposes unconnected with any commercial enterprise, is exempted from the requirement of having a permit.

Thus, the question before the High Court was whether the University can be considered State so as to avail the exemption under Section 66(3) of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The High Court noted that HNLU was established under an Act of the State government known as Hidayatullah National University of Law Chhattisgarh, Act, 2003. Be that as it may, the High Court proceeded to observe that HNLU is an autonomous body being run and maintained by an independent body not connected and controlled by the State government in any manner except for periodical funds given by the State Govt for smooth functioning of the university.

Except for receiving periodical funds, there is no control of the State government over the said establishment. Further, HNLU does not impart free education and it is charging a substantial amount as fees from the students who are taking education from the University. Thus, under no circumstance, can the university be said to be an office of the Central government or for that matter of the State government nor can the use of the vehicle be said to be for government purpose when the accident occurred, the High Court concluded.

Based on the same, the High Court allowed the appeal filed by ICICI Lombard and ordered that the insurance company can recover from HNLU, the compensation amount paid to the claimant.

HNLU has now appealed to the Supreme Court against this High Court judgment.

When the matter was taken up today, the Court remarked that a judgment of Supreme Court squarely states that University is “State”.

It, therefore, said that it will hear the matter and issued notice to the respondent. Advocate Binay Kumar Das accepted notice on behalf of respondent.

Supreme Court judgments to be made available in Regional Languages Bar & Bench July 3 2019

Judgments of the Supreme Court of India will soon be available in six Indian languages. As per news reports, Hindi, Telugu, Assamese, Kannada, Marathi and Odia translations of Supreme Court judgments are set to be introduced on the Court's website by the end of the month.

To this end, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi is reported to have formally cleared a software indigenously developed for the purpose by the Supreme Court's “in-house” electronic software wing.

The move to make Supreme Court judgments multi-lingual is reportedly credited to a 2017 conference held in Kochi, during which President Ram Nath Kovind highlighted the need to render judgments in regional languages for the benefit of non-English speakers.

CJI Gogoi is said to have commenced working with the Supreme Court Registry to make available Supreme Court judgments in regional languages the same year. The six regional languages named above were chosen for the initial phase based on the volume of appeals coming in from the High Courts of the states where these languages are spoken. It is reported that a similar exercise will be taken in the second phase as well.

It is further reported that, to begin with, regional language translations of matters relating to individual litigants in civil disputes, criminal matters, landlord-tenant issues and matrimonial discord will be undertaken.

A source has been quoted as explaining that,

"This is because the idea is to ensure that the judgment is easily understood by the litigant, who may not be conversant with English."

RGUHS to make Kannada compulsory subject

TNN | Jun 30, 2019, 10.04 AM IST

MANGALURU: From this academic year, the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Science (RGUHS) is all set to introduce Kannada as a compulsory subject at the undergraduate level (medical, dental, nursing and others), for non-Kannada speaking students.

The 40-hour Kannada course aims to prepare students from other states to learn the language, to make it easy for them to converse with patients and others. Dr S Sacchidanand, vice-chancellor, RGHUS, told TOI that this is a 40-hour course which is compulsory for first-year students of MBBS, BDS, nursing and other courses taught at the university.

Explaining why the course was introduced, Sacchidanand, who was in Mangaluru to preside over a syndicate meeting, explained that about 25 per cent to 30 per cent of MBBS and BDS students, and almost 70 per cent of nursing students, who enrol for medical studies in Karnataka, are non-Kannadigas. "The RGHUS has specially prepared a book called 'Balake Kannada,' which contains language used to carry out day-to-day business in Kannada. Apart from it, students will also be given a Kannada-English dictionary for learning more words," said Dr Sacchidanand. When asked, whether there will be an exam conducted on the subject, he replied in the affirmative.

Dr H S Ballal, pro chancellor, MAHE, said it's a good move, and will help medicos in interacting with patients who cannot speak English or Hindi. MAHE has similar language classes for its students, and various languages are taught to them, he said. There are also interpreters during practical examinations, he added. Sakshi Paul K, a third-year MBBS student, who hails from Delhi, and is studying in Mangaluru, said that knowing the local language has its advantages. "Being in the medical line, patients feel more comfortable talking to people who can talk in their mother tongue. It's difficult to communicate with hospital staff such as nurses, cleaners, relatives of patient and others if we don not know their mother tongue. Apart from it, even in day-to-day life, communicating with small shopkeepers, autorickshaw drivers and others, they prefer being friendly and more helpful to Kannada-speaking folk instead of those like us, who do not speak the language," he said.

According to Madhu, who is an MBBS, it's a good idea for students from outside the state to learn Kannada. "You need to know Kannada to converse with patients here in Karnataka, and can't practise medicine without knowing the language. Most candidates studying in medical colleges here don't speak Kannada, so it will be very useful for them."

Scams force MKU to revamp distance education centre

tnn | Jul 3, 2019, 04.49 AM IST

Madurai: The Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) administration has decided to undertake a major revamp of its directorate of distance education (DDE), which has been in troubled waters and in the news for wrong reasons of late. According to the officials, five broad changes would be made to the current functioning of the DDE and the courses it offers.

The university had recently received a letter from the directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC) which pointed to a major scam in DDE. MKU conducted a syndicate meeting immediately to grant permission to DVAC to probe the matter. Officials from MKU said that DVAC had claimed that bogus mark sheets and provisional certificates were issued to about 500 students who had not even registered for the distance education courses properly. “They (DVAC) seem to have proof for this and further, they even claimed that Rs 1lakh was demanded from each of those candidates as bribe. The certificates were issued in 2017,” a highly placed official in the university said.

With such allegations of irregularities surfacing, MKU administration decided to revamp the functioning of DDE and sort out its troubles. The officials said that this was indeed the reason for the April examination being postponed to August so as to have enough time for implementing some changes. Speaking to TOI, MKU vice-chancellor M Krishnan said that the revamp would mainly consider bringing about a change on two major aspects: increasing transparency by shifting the procedures to online and ensuring that only approved courses were being run there. “Further, in order to ensure that the courses are being run in a proper manner, we are restricting the learner centres to just four districts – Madurai, Theni, Virudhunagar and Dindigul. There would be no private centres as well hereafter,” he said. According to the DVAC complaint, three people from MKU and a handful of centres had a role in the scam.

When asked about the DVAC’s letter to MKU, Krishnan said that the university had given its nod to DVAC to conduct the inquiry but that it was yet to be held. The other changes that would be implemented in DDE are conducting examinations for distance education along with regular courses and ensuring there are enough qualified faculty for all the courses offered via distance education.

Chennai: Transwoman struggles hard, no job in sight

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | YAMUNA R

Published  Jul 3, 2019, 1:02 am IST

State’s failure to pass GO proving to be hurdle.

Rakshika Raj

Chennai: Be it education, societal acceptance or recognition of rights the transgender community has never had it easy, always having to overcome the hurdles thrown at them by society. The story of 22-year-old Rakshika Raj, a transwoman with a nursing degree and no job in hand, is yet another example of the hard lives of illustrious transgenders.

Born as Rajkumar in Walajabad, Kanchipuram, she says she identified her sexuality when she was in high school. She says,”When I confessed this to my parents, they treated it as a mental disorder. I then undertook a hormonal assay which showed my testosterone levels to be below average than that of a male. “

After she was identified as a transgender, her family shunned her and she was left to fend for herself. She says,” I worked as a peer educator at the NGO SWAM Social Welfare Association for Men during my student days, where I educated HIV positive people on safe sex. This helped pay my tuition fees.” She says this was when she became interested in nursing.

“My community faces a lot of discrimination. As a nurse, I want to help my community,” she says.

She then joined Padmashree college of nursing, Walajabad where she says she received a lot of support from the college’s then principal Dr.K.Menaka.

“I never faced discrimination in college. My principal extended her full support and warned of severe action against anyone who bullied me. I was easily accepted in my college circle.”

However, life was not easy for this aspiring nurse later.

Rakshika who was recently in the news for receiving her degree in BSc Nursing from Governor Banwarilal Purohit at the 31st convocation ceremony of MGR medical varsity asks,”What is the use of receiving a degree when one can’t find a job? The Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Council (TNNMC) does not have a separate box for transgenders. When I approached the council’s registrar regarding the matter, they asked me to tick the female box.

But I don’t identify myself as a female. All my documents have been changed to identify myself as a transgender which I am extremely proud of. Identifying as another gender is forgery.”

This news comes after the Supreme Court’s historic 2014 judgement which ruled that transgenders are eligible for all rights just as every other citizen of the country and can apply for education and employment under the ‘other’ gender category. “The TNNMC is waiting for a government order (GO) to implement it,” Rakshika accuses. The failure on government’s part to pass the GO has made Rakshika’s life hard, as she is struggling financially with no job in hand, even a year after she graduated.

Chennai-Kollam Express receives refurbished coaches

There is an auto janitor system to spray air freshener every few minutes automatically and health faucets have been provided in lavatories.

Published: 01st July 2019 07:13 AM 

Chennai-Kollam Express (Photo | EPS)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI : Four months after introduction, Chennai-Kollam Express got the upgraded refurbished coaches on Sunday. The 14 coaches were upgraded at Perambur Carriage Workshop, Perambur Loco workshop and Golden rock workshop, Ponmalai.

The refurbished rake also called Utkrisht coaches are environment-friendly developed as a part of Utkrisht Project of Indian Railways.

The coaches are fitted with energy efficient LED tube lights, panel of LED lights in doorway and gangway, dustbins in the toilets and stickers with ‘Go Green’ messages. In addition, integrated basin-cum-dustbins provided in AC coaches.

There is an auto janitor system to spray air freshener every few minutes automatically and health faucets have been provided in lavatories.The provision of Braille signage for berth numbers and information stickers has also been provided.

Most within 1-km radius unaware of smart city plan in Chennai's T Nagar

Apart from lack of awareness, the report also said implementation of the mission had resulted in loss of livelihood.

Published: 01st July 2019 07:27 AM 

Apart from lack of awareness, the report also said implementation of the mission had resulted in loss of livelihood. (Photo | EPS)
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Around 80 per cent of residents within one-km radius of implementation of the Smart City in T Nagar do not know about the project nor about its mission, a report on the level of participation of deprived urban communities in the project, has found.

The report by Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC) also said of the 20 per cent that has heard about it, none participated in any consultation or discussion regarding the same.

For this, the centre surveyed 100 individuals. Of these 64 per cent belong to SC, two per cent belong to ST, 12 per cent are from OBCs and 22 per cent from general category.

“It is claimed that Chennai is one of the first few cities in Tamil Nadu to create the discussion page at mygov portal and one among the first five cities in India and that the discussion page has the highest number of responses and comments received in the area,” the report said.


It is believed that the comments received were from people other than the ones living in the vicinity of the smart city project.“However, the marginalised sections do not have access to these portals. Therefore, the needs and priorities of the Mission is also more towards those who can access these platforms,” it added.

Impact on livelihood

Apart from lack of awareness, the report also said implementation of the mission had resulted in loss of livelihood. “As the assessment was predominantly undertaken at T Nagar where the project under Urban Mobility is being implemented, only two per cent said there were positive impacts, 60 per cent pointed out there was no impact and 38 per cent said there were negative impacts,” the report said.

Of the 38 per cent, 47 per cent said their livelihood was affected. Vendors and small-scale businesses were affected by the diversion of traffic and temporary or permanent closure of vending spaces.

When contacted, a Corporation official said, “All projects, including water bodies restoration, smart classrooms in corporation schools, public parks, public spaces like pedestrian plaza and smart roads, sensory park next to corporation school for children with disabilities are meant for all citizens, equally and inclusively.” The official said any suggestion on improving inclusiveness is welcome.

Vendors affected

While some street vendors who were in the job for over 40 years have lost their livelihood, others said they were inconvenienced by the temporary closure of roads

Faster than IRCTC: Tout held for using illegal app to book tatkal tickets worth Rs 5 lakh

The arrest happened after RPF director general Arun Kumar got an alert from the Railway Board about ‘unusual transactions’. Later, an inquiry was ordered into the matter.

Published: 02nd July 2019 04:55 AM |

By Anbuselvan B

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Though IRCTC claims its ticket booking portal is secure and immune to threats from external software applications, a travel agent was arrested on Monday for using external software to book tatkal tickets.

R Dipak Shit (30) was arrested a few days ago and 141 expired tickets worth over Rs 5.19 lakh were seized from his ‘Bhai Bhai Bengal’ travel agency in Thousand Lights. Dipak also had 14 other tickets worth Rs 50,657 booked for a future date.

Inquiry has revealed that Dipak was using an illegal software called ANMS, sold online for about Rs 2,600, to book multiple tatkal tickets within a time span of 10 to 20 seconds. The software, officials say, transfers information provided on it to the IRCTC portal for booking while helping the user bypass CAPTCHA codes and bank OTPs.

“The software used by the agent allows ticket booking on six windows at a time on a laptop, each with a different user ID. In the home page of each window, he would key in the passenger and banking details in advance,” said an RPF official, while explaining how it works.


“When booking opens, all he does is click enter and tickets get booked. He has booked 24 tickets in one go.” The RPF official said it was not clear how the information entered on the software’s home page gets transferred to IRCTC portal.

The arrest happened after RPF director general Arun Kumar got an alert from the Railway Board about ‘unusual transactions’. Later, an inquiry was ordered into the matter.

Agents target patients who travel to Chennai

Dipak Shit was arrested based on an inquiry into sources of bank accounts from which large amounts had been paid for e-tickets. “The agent made all his payments through one bank account,” said an RPF official.
Industry sources say there are over 30 travel agents in Thousand Lights which focus on patients coming here for treatment from other States, especially West Bengal and North East.

“Patients and those who accompany them will not be in a position to book the tickets at counters. They mostly purchase tickets from travel agents for double the price,” said a travel agent.

K Baskar, a member of divisional rail users consultative committee, said the complaints regarding manipulation in e-ticket bookings had fallen only on the deaf ears.

When contacted, a senior IRCTC official claimed ignorance about the incident. “In December 2017, when a similar incident happened in Delhi, IRCTC introduced additional safety feature in the portal which disabled the ticket booking in less than 60 seconds,” said the official.

Jet Airways crisis makes dent in Chennai airport’s earnings

The Airports Authority of India is now giving away slots that Jet is not able to operate to Indigo and SpiceJet.

Published: 04th July 2019 06:02 AM 

By C Shivakumar

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The grounding of Jet Airways has chipped away 10-15 per cent of Chennai airport’s earnings. The Airports Authority of India is now giving away slots that Jet is not able to operate to Indigo and SpiceJet. Thanks to the Jet crisis the aviation sector’s performance has been sluggish this financial year, and Chennai airport is planning strategies to overcome the challenges, says airport director S Sreekumar.

It’s learnt that the airport is losing out on landing and parking charges and other rental revenues from Jet. Operators and fuel suppliers, too, have lost a big customer.

Being one of the largest private airlines, Jet had a fleet of 119 aircraft and operated 600 flights a day before the liquidity crisis came to the fore on December 31.

The domestic airline traffic in April declined for the first time in six years, as per International Air Transport Association’s data. India’s air traffic fell by 0.5 per cent in 2019 compared to the previous year, primarily due to the Jet impact.

Sreekumar, however, is worried about how Chennai airport will handle the growing traffic in future. Works are being undertaken to enhance operational capacity. Rapid taxi-ways and new, parallel taxi-tracks are being constructed to handle more flights.

“This will ensure that flights get take-off clearance faster, thereby helping us operate more flights per hour. The works are likely to be completed within six months,” says Sreekumar. This, however, may not be enough. Chennai airport is likely to reach its saturation level in the next 5-8 years. The runway capacity will hit the saturation point by 2025. A masterplan made for the Chennai-Bengaluru industrial corridor by Japanese agency JICA stresses on the need for an additional airport.

It says a second airport is necessary in Chennai as the passenger demand is likely to surpass the capacity of the current one by 2020-21. Sreekumar says the government has identified certain land parcels for a second airport, but he is not aware of further developments.

Currently, Chennai Airport is going in for a major expansion under the second phase .

3K medicos fail to send documents, rank list delayed

According to Health department officials, this made the selection committee delay the release of rank list tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.

Published: 03rd July 2019 06:21 AM |

By Sinduja Jane

Express News Service

CHENNAI : The Directorate of Medical Education, which introduced online submission of MBBS and BDS applications on June 7 for the first time, faced a new challenge after about 3,000 candidates, who filled and submitted applications online, failed to send hard copies of the necessary documents to the selection committee even after the lapse of the June 21 deadline.

According to Health department officials, this made the selection committee delay the release of rank list tentatively scheduled for Tuesday. Over 3,000 candidates goofed up by just applying online, but failing to send photocopies of documents including NEET UG mark-list, Plus-Two mark-sheet, transfer, community and nativity certificates.

Meanwhile, the selection committee, in its website notification on Monday, requested the candidates to send the certificates by email immediately. “Don’t forget to mention their online application number. The documents can be mailed to mbbsbds20191@gmail.com”, the notification said.


Dr G Selvarajan, secretary, selection committee, said,”We have asked the candidates to send the certificates by email since there is no time to send by post. We have given time till 7 pm on Wednesday. By Tuesday we have received documents from many candidates and we hope we will receive from all candidates before the deadline”.Meanwhile, Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar said in the Assembly that the rank list would be released in one or two days.

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter down globally, users in a fix

On Facebook, users reported that specific posts or photos did not appear, but that the page was loading.

Published: 03rd July 2019 10:48 PM |

By IANS

NEW DELHI: Millions of users worldwide, including in India, were left clueless on Wednesday evening when Facebook and its family of apps including WhatsApp and photo-sharing platform Instagram entered a global outage. Users also reported about glitches on Twitter.


"Everyone moved to twitter when Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp get down, including me!" tweeted one Indian user.

"Social media breakdown is the only thing that unites the world," said another user. Users faced specific problems rather than the entire app not working.

We’re aware that some people are having trouble uploading or sending images and videos on Instagram. We're sorry for the trouble and are working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. #instagramdown
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On Facebook, users reported that specific posts or photos did not appear, but that the page was loading.

Millions of users had problems sending photos, videos and voice messages on WhatsApp in India. Only the text messages were being shared on the mobile messaging service.

At Instagram, people failed to upload photos in various parts of the world. Online outage tracker Down Detector logged several complaints from across the world including in India.

Facebook said in a statement that confirmed there is a problem with its apps, and it's "working as quickly as possible" to fix it.

PIL in Madras high court to provide equal reservation to OBC students

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedJul 3, 2019, 3:10 am IST

The reservation in general and more specifically in educational institutions is a right that flows from the constitution.

Madras high court

Chennai: A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Madras high court to restrain the authorities from proceeding with the counseling, admitting the students to the course of MBBS/BDS course without providing equal reservation to OBC students in all institutions to be admitted under the All India Quota for medical admission under UG courses.

The PIL filed by Dr.G.R.Ravindranath, which also sought to quash Clause 5 (a) of the Information Bulletin issued by National Testing Agency for admission to MBBS/BDS courses for the academic session 2019-2020 and consequently direct the authorities to provide equal reservation to OBC students in all institutions to be admitted under the All India quota for medical admission under UG courses without any discrimination, is likely to come up for hearing tomorrow.

According to E.Vijay Anand, counsel for the petitioner, the present lis is questioning the denial of “Other Backward Class Reservation” to institutions other than central educational institutions in respect of All India Quota in Medical admission for both MBBS/BDS courses and MD/MS/PG Diploma courses.

The reservation in general and more specifically in educational institutions is a right that flows from the constitution.

The said right cannot be taken away or waived or negated in any manner as it is a fundamental right guaranteed under our constitution of India. Any action in contra to the above will have to be curbed as an action against constitution.

As such it is done in our present case wherein the reservation guaranteed under constitution has been restricted to central institutions alone, which is unreasonable and amounts to discrimination of Constitutional right. Therefore, the petitioner has filed the present petition. The petitioner has filed a similar petition in respect of PG courses admission, he added.

27 employees of private university get Madras high court reprieve

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

Published    Jul 3, 2019, 3:17 am IST

According to petitioners, pursuant to a notification issued by the University, they applied for the post of Skilled NMR.

Manonmaniam Sundaranar University

Chennai: Coming to the rescue of 27 employees of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, who had put in 9 to 10 years of service as Skilled NMR on daily wages initially and thereafter on consolidated appointment, but were issued with disengagement memo, the Madras high court has directed the University to consider their representations, to be made afresh, in accordance with law and also in the light of regularization made in respect of similarly situated persons, within 4 weeks.

Justice R.Mahadevan gave the directive while disposing of the petitions from V.Srinivasan and 26 others.

According to petitioners, pursuant to a notification issued by the University, they applied for the post of Skilled NMR. The University, after completion of selection process, such as certificate verification, written examination and interview, appointed them as Skilled NMRs and after sometime, they got consolidated appointment. In the minutes of the meeting held on February 7, 2015, the Syndicate sub-committee held that the consolidated skilled NMRs, on completion of five years of service, would be made permanent/regularized and in accordance with the recommendation, they made a request to absorb them as Junior Assistant. But the University rejected their claim. While so, to their shock and surprise, the University issued a notification calling for application for various posts. Consequently, disengagement memos were issued against them, they added.

The judge said though it has been submitted that the appointment of the petitioners were not in accordance with the constitutional scheme of employment and the constitutional scheme of employment requires public notification, inviting applications from all eligible candidates, the fact remains that the petitioner were appointed as skilled NMRs by public notification, after undergoing certificate verification, written examination and interview. Thereafter, they were appointed on consolidated basis in the year 2009 and completed 9 to 10 years of service in the University. Even though it was stated on the side of the university that the University has the authority to engage temporary employees in emergent situations, the question now arises for consideration was, how long the emergent situation would remain. If the petitioners have been appointed in an emergent situation, this court was unable to understand as to why the University has not taken steps to fill up the regular vacancies, even at this length of ti
me, the judge added.

The judge said the authorities would have very well aware of the statutory rules of the University as well as the other rules in force, which may come to the aid of the incumbents like that of the petitioners, if they put up their services up to a certain period. In the circumstances, the University should have been cautious enough, and had they been cautious, this type of situation would have been avoided. The university has all along been permitting the petitioners to work all these years, coupled with the fact that the similarly situated persons have been given regular appointment. This led to a legitimate expectation in the minds of the petitioners that they would be given regular appointment. “In these circumstances, this court is of the view that a duty is cast upon the respondents (University) to review their orders impugned herein by considering the plight of the petitioners, if they are otherwise found eligible”, the judge added.

Coimbatore: Docs, nurses go on strike protesting attack by mob

DECCAN CHRONICLE.

PublishedJul 4, 2019, 3:53 am IST

Kin of patient assault medical fraternity

Doctors who examined her declared her ‘brought dead’, upon which angry relatives attacked the duty doctor, Laxmana Kumar, nurse Mahalaxmi and attender Kumarasamy. (Representational Image)

COIMBATORE: Doctors and nurses at the Mettupalayam government hospital went on a strike on Wednesday after the family members and relatives of a patient who died in a road mishap, attacked their colleagues on Tuesday evening.

According to police, Rajan (43), a daily wage labourer residing at Kuttaiyoor near Mettuplayam was returning home on his bike along with wife Rukmani (36), after darshan at Bannari Amman temple on Tuesday evening. While nearing a cinema theatre on Karamadai road by around 6 pm, a speeding truck knocked down the bike and the couple suffered serious injuries.

Motorists crossing the stretch rushed them to the Mettupalayam government hospital. After providing first-aid, doctors asked their relatives to take Rukmani to the Coimbatore Medical College hospital (CMCH) for further treatment. While their relatives took Rukmani to a nearby private hospital at Mettupalayam, doctors there directed them to rush the patient back to Mettupalayam government hospital, since her condition was very serious.

As they were heading back to Mettupalayam government hospital, Rukmani allegedly died on the way. Doctors who examined her declared her ‘brought dead’, upon which angry relatives attacked the duty doctor, Laxmana Kumar, nurse Mahalaxmi and attender Kumarasamy.

They also ransacked the ward and blocked traffic in front of the hospital, raising slogans demanding action against the duty doctor for allegedly taking time to treat the patient.

Following a talk with Periyanaickenpalayam DSP Mani, the mob withdrew their protest and road-roko. Traffic on the stretch was affected for more than an hour, while the body of Rukmani was sent to the Coimbatore Medical College hospital (CMCH) on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, doctors and nurses of the Mettupalayam government hospital went on a strike on Wednesday by around 11 am, condemning the attack and demanding action against the gang that assaulted their colleagues.

Two special teams have been deployed to nab the offenders based on CCTV camera footages received from cams installed in the hospital.

More than 100 policemen were deployed on duty at the hospital premises. The doors of the out-patient (OP) ward remained closed on Wednesday, while hundreds of outpatients gathered at the hospital premises for treatment. Department higher officials gathered at the spot and held discussions.

‘Probe administrative and academic irregularities in MKU’

STAFF REPORTER

MADURAI, JULY 03, 2019 00:00 IST

Appointments made in violation of UGC norms: PIL petition

Calling for a probe into the appointments made to various posts in Madurai Kamaraj University during the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor P. P. Chelladurai, a public interest litigation petition was filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday.

The petitioner, M. Lionel Antony Raj of Madurai, said that the appointments made between May 2017 and June 2018 were in violation of UGC norms. No rule of reservation was followed, either, he alleged.

Further, the petitioner said advertisements were not published, as mandated, calling for applications from eligible candidates to posts that included Guest Lecturer and Office Superintendent. Even Guest Lectures were appointed to constituent colleges without the knowledge and approval of the Syndicate, the petitioner said.

The violations were duly pointed out in the audit report for the period 2017-18. Ineligible teachers were also promoted during the said period through the Career Advancement Scheme.

Under such circumstances, a resolution was adopted by the Syndicate to constitute a high-level committee to enquire into the violations.

However, despite repeated petitions submitted by the Save Madurai Kamaraj University Coalition to the present Vice-Chancellor, there was no progress, the petitioner said. He sought a direction for constituting a high-level committee headed by a former High Court Judge to probe the academic and administrative irregularities.

A Division Bench of Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and B. Pugalendhi directed the Department of Higher Education to consider the representation made by the petitioner and take appropriate action within 12 weeks.

High Court laments selective nature of disciplinary action

STAFF REPORTER

MADURAI, JULY 03, 2019 00:00 IST

Seeks a response from Tamil Nadu Electricity Board

Pulling up the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board [now holding company of TANGEDCO and TANTRANSCO for being selective in initiating disciplinary action against its employees, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday sought a response from it.

Justice D. Krishnakumar observed that the court was hearing a number of cases where employees sought revocation of their suspension, pending Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) inquiry. While in some cases departmental proceedings were initiated, in other cases no such action was initiated.

“It is seen that now a days, the public are suffering at the hands of employees of the board, who demand money to carry out repair works, including for installation of electricity connection and replacement of any materials. This court fails to understand why there is no uniformity to initiate action against those employees involved in such serious offences,” the court said.

The court directed the Chief Engineer (Personnel), TNEB, to submit relevant guidelines/ circulars/ memorandums issued by it to initiate disciplinary action against employees involved in serious offences.

The case was adjourned to July 11. The court was hearing a petition filed by Sivasamy, a foreman from Theni, who was placed suspended after a complaint of demanding and accepting bribe. He sought revocation of the suspension order.

Two-day intellectual property rights workshop begins

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, JULY 03, 2019 00:00 IST

A two-day workshop on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), organised by the Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology (TNSCST) and the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R Medical University (TNMGRMU), was inaugurated in the city on Tuesday.

Mylswamy Annadurai, vice-president, TNSCST, while addressing the gathering at the event supported by the Department of Science and Technology, said that Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) should encourage inventors to bring out better inventions and innovations. “We are holding similar awareness programmes in 13 other places across the State including colleges and universities,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of documenting ideas properly and patenting it, he said that in the coming years the country will be known for its scientific creations in different fields ranging from agriculture to space research.

Free darshan reduces waiting time at Athi Varadar festival

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, JULY 03, 2019 00:00 IST

Devotees waiting in a queue for Athi Varadar darshan at Devarajaswamy temple in Kancheepuram.B. Velankanni Raj

A new way has been opened to help the disabled, elderly

After removing ticketed darshan for the Athivaradhar festival at Devarajaswamy temple in Kancheepuram, devotees on Tuesday spent less time waiting in queues. It took people less than half-an-hour for entering through the eastern gopuram to exiting via the western gopuram after having darshan, said a temple official.

The Kancheepuram Collector P. Ponniah said they were able to streamline devotees after darshan was made free for all. A new way has been made to help the disabled and the elderly have darshan of the Athivaradhar idol at the Vasantha Mandapam. “On Monday, devotees on wheelchairs were allowed through the exit route for other devotees. It caused a delay and people in the queue had to wait to let the wheelchairs pass. But that has also been changed now,” he said.

Students get to experience a doc’s life on Doctor’s Day

TNN | Jul 2, 2019, 12.11 AM IST

July 1 is observed as the National Doctor’s Day across the country. While we saw different events being held to felicitate doctors for their relentless services, a hospital in Chennai decided to make use of this day to encourage school students to take up medical profession. According to a press release, the Fortis Malar Hospital reached out to 50 students of class XI and XII from the biology stream of Avvai Girls Higher Secondary School, and the doctors from the hospital inspired them to take up medical profession while interacting with the students. To give them a better clarity on the challenges and responsibilities of a doctor on a daily basis, students were made to form small groups and each group was assigned under a doctor to give them a first-hand experience of a doctor’s life. The students wore medical coats and stethoscopes and went around with the doctors. The press release also mentioned that the main objective of this activity was to create awareness among the students regarding the commitment required in this profession. The activity also enlightened the students on the importance of maintaining a good doctor-patient relationship. National Doctor's Day is observed every year across India on July 1 in remembrance of the eminent physician Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy.

What the flash strike tells us about MTC

TNN | Jul 2, 2019, 06.53 AM IST

CHENNAI: Office-goers and students were put to inconvenience on the first day of the new working week when crew of government-run Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses resorted to a flash protest. Protesting workers’ unions claimed that their monthly salaries were not credited as promised on Monday.

“Commuters were forced to travel in already-full local trains,” said T Sadagopan, a regular MTC bus user from Avadi. West Chennai was worst affected as buses did not leave five depots including Avadi right from 5am.

Transport minister M R Vijayabaskar met the staff, gave assurances and services resumed around 12.45pm when salaries got credited.

MTC said the payment was delayed because external financial support did not come in time. Somehow, it managed funds for salaries this month. But from the episode it is evident that the once profit-making body is struggling due to a financial crunch. It is also ironical that despite enjoying a monopoly, more than 35 lakh passengers — one-fourth of city’s population — travel in 3,200 MTC buses every day, MTC has empty coffers.

“The amount spent towards salaries is increasing exponentially. Salaries of 21,000 employees contribute to 52% of the operational cost,” said a senior MTC official.

Also, there is a drop in earnings per kilometre due to fall in passenger footfall and increase in fuel and maintenance costs, Vijayabaskar said.

This has forced MTC to take more loans and mortgage properties. Nine depots and 500 buses were mortgaged recently to gather funds.

Experts and unions attribute this to inadequate financial support from the state government. “Transport corporations are given a step-motherly treatment. When the government absorbed the Rs 22,800 crore debt of Tangedco, why is it not ready to help transport corporations,” asked K Anbalagan from SVS-APP transport workers’ union.

There is no clarity of whether the government has waived off MTC’s loans. Total outstanding loan value increased by 333% in the four years, according to official data. From Rs 80 crore in 2013, it stood at Rs 347 crore in 2017.

Besides, diesel subsidy to MTC was cut for a few months and the corporation was allowed to generate it by other ways and means.

Rubbing salt to injuries, absenteeism among workers is high. On an average, 200 buses remain idle due to non-availability of staff. Amid this, union office-bearers are given light duties or desk jobs.

Alongside salary, pending retirement benefits and accident claims are other components which add to MTC’s financial burden. A total of 180 employees, who retired last year, are yet to receive provident funds worth Rs 392 crore.