Crash rekindles memories of 2010 Mangaluru accident

Crash rekindles memories of 2010 Mangaluru accident

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Thiruvananthapuram: 8.8.2020

The accident that happened at Karipur airport on Friday night has striking similarities to the 2010 Mangaluru air crash. In both cases Air India flights met with the disaster and both airports have ‘table-top’ runways, which need adept negotiation skills for the pilot to land.

It was on May 22, 2010 that an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 flight from Dubai to Mangaluru over shot the runway while landing at Bajpe airport and fell into a cliff. Of the 166 passengers on board, only seven survived.

The final conversations between Air traffic control (ATC) and the pilot prior to the landing showed no indication of any distress.

Like the Mangaluru accident, Karipur crash too happened when the flight was attempting to land.

The captain of the aircraft which crashed at Mangaluru, Z Glucia, was an experienced pilot with 10,000 hours of flying experience and had 19 landings at the Mangalore airport. Co-pilot S S Ahluwalia, with 3,000 hours of flying experience had as many as 66 landings at this airport. Both the pilot and co-pilot were among the victims.

An investigation into the accident later found that the cause of the accident was the captain’s failure to discontinue an ‘unstabilised approach’ and his persistence to continue with the landing, despite three calls from the First Officer to ‘go-around’.

Many of the passengers were stranded tourists

Kochi:

Most of the passengers of the aircraft that crashed at Kozhikode on Friday were either stranded tourists or those who lost their jobs. Many of them had been waiting for months to return home. Of the around 190 passengers, 60 were tourists, while at least 25 had returned after being let go by their employers. There were five students, who were stranded following the pandemic, travelling by the flight. Pregnant women, those travelling for medical purposes were also among the passengers. At least two passengers had come back to get married.

Those on vacation also figure among the passengers. TNN

Tabletop Tragedy

 

Karipur airport unsafe, safety expert had warned in 2011

Karipur airport unsafe, safety expert had warned in 2011

My Warning After M’galore Crash Was Ignored: Says Captain Mohan Ranganathan

Ayyappan.V@timesgroup.com

Chennai  8.8.2020

Karipur airport is unsafe and landing should not be allowed here, especially during wet conditions, Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a member of a safety advisory committee constituted by the ministry of civil aviation, had warned more than nine years ago. The crash of an Air India plane on Friday suggests the warning went unheeded.

“My warning, issued after the Mangalore crash, was ignored. It is a tabletop runway with a downslope. The buffer zone at the end of the runway is inadequate,” he said. Given the topography, he pointed out, the airport should have a buffer of 240 metres at the end of the runway, but it has only 90 metres (which the DGCA had approved). “Moreover, the space on either side of the runway is only 75 metres instead of the mandatory 100 metres,” he told TOI.

Ranganathan said there is no guideline for operations on a tabletop runway when it is raining. In his June 17, 2011 letter addressed to the chairman of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Committee (CASAC), with copies to the civil aviation secretary and director-general of civil aviation, Ranganathan had said: “Runway 10 approach should not be permitted in view of the lack of ‘runway end safety area (RESA) and the terrain beyond the end of the runway. RESA of 240m should be immediately introduced and runway length has to be reduced to make operations safe.”

If an aircraft is unable to stop within the runway, there is no RESA beyond the end. The ILS localiser antenna is housed on a concrete structure and the area beyond is a steep slope. The 2011 letter said: “The Air India Express accident in Mangalore should have alerted AAI to make the runway conditions safe. We have brought up the issue of RESA during the initial Casac subgroup meetings. We had specifically mentioned that the declared distances for both runways have to be reduced in order to comply with ICAO Annex 14 requirement.”

He said the condition of the runway strip was known to the DGCA teams that have been conducting inspection and safety assessments. “Have they considered the danger involved? Did the DGCA or the airline lay down any operational restrictions or special procedures,” Ranganathan asked.

CRASH AND BURN: First responders gather around the wreckage of an Air India Express jet, which was carrying more than 190 passengers and crew from Dubai, after it crashed by overshooting the runway at Calicut International Airport in Karipur, Kerala, on Friday

PM, Shah express shock over crash

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock over the crash of an Air India Express plane while landing at Kozhikode airport on Friday evening.

“Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest,” tweeted the PM who also spoke to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan soon after the crash in which two people, including the pilot were killed.

Union home minister Amit Shah directed the NDRF to rush to the spot of the crash to assist in the rescue and relief operations. “Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala ... Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations,” Shah tweeted. TNN

16 killed as AIE flight skids off Kozhikode runway, splits into 2

16 killed as AIE flight skids off Kozhikode runway, splits into 2

Plane Falls Into Valley; Pilot & Co-Pilot Dead

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kozhikode/New Delhi: 8.8.2020

An Air India Express flight from Dubai trying to land in torrential rain with 191 passengers on board overshot the tabletop runway at Kozhikode’s Calicut International Airport in Kerala on Friday and fell into a 35-foot-deep gorge at 7.41pm, killing at least 16 people.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737, broke in two. The deceased include flight commander Deepak V Sathe and co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar. According to flight tracking sites, the aircraft made two attempts to land before touching down the third time, leading to the accident.

The flight was part of the Vande Bharat repatriation mission and most passengers were stranded non-resident Keralites returning home from the UAE following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sources said at the time of the third attempted landing the wind speed was 15 knots and there was heavy rain. The aircraft was high on approach, possibly due to strong tailwinds. It landed beyond the touchdown point on the runway, which was why it failed to stop in time.

The impact snapped the plane fuselage into two

Red alert issued for Coimbatore, Nilgiris

A red alert has been issued for Coimbatore and The Nilgiris districts following IMD’s forecast of intense rain on Saturday. The two districts had been already battered by four days of intermittent rain. Fields in many parts of the two districts are completely submerged in water. Heavy winds had uprooted trees, disrupting power supply in several areas. Meanwhile, inflow into the Mettur dam surged from 6,000 cusecs on Thursday to 45,000 cusecs on Friday evening, raising the water level in the reservoir by nearly four feet. P10

Many passengers suffered serious injuries due to crash impact

The nose of the aircraft and the cockpit area were completely destroyed and the fuselage had broken into two pieces. Many passengers suffered serious injuries, including to the head and fractures, due to the crash impact. Fortunately, the plane did not burst into flames.

Aviation minister H S Puri said he was “deeply anguished and distressed at the air accident in Kozhikode... We are in touch with local authorities. State police have reported 11deaths. Relief teams from Air India & AAI are being immediately dispatched from Delhi & Mumbai. All efforts being made to help passengers. A formal enquiry will be conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).”

“Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.” Prime Minister Narendrs Modi tweeted.

Firefighting personnel and hundreds of rescue workers immediately reached the airport and the injured were taken to government medical colleges in Kozhikode and Malappuram and private hospitals in Kozhikode and Kondotty. State health minister K K Shailaja said many passengers had serious injuries.

According to Air India, there were174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and five cabin crew on board the aircraft. It is the first major accident at Calicut International Airport in its 32-year history.

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Educational institutes cannot be treated as retail outlets: HC

Educational institutes cannot be treated as retail outlets: HC

Asks PU To Again Decide Case For Extension Of Affiliation For MBA Course

Ajay.Sura@timesgroup.com

Chandigarh:7.8.2020

Coming down heavily on the Panjab University (PU) over denial of extension of affiliation for MBA course conducted by the DAV Institute of Management, the Punjab and Haryana high court has observed that “educational institutes cannot be treated as retail outlets of a licensed commodity that can be commissioned or de-commissioned anytime.”

“Here discontinuation/ withdrawal of temporary affiliation of petitioner institute is stated to be on account of overall loss of brand equity of the MBA course, apart from alleged non-compliance of the pre-requisite conditions for getting extension of affiliation. Illustratively, it has been pointed out that the Regional Management Centre of PU at Ludhiana, imparting MBA course, has been a failure. Educational institutes, to my mind, cannot and ought not to be treated as retail outlets of a licensed commodity. It is not a gas station/petrol retail outlet which can be commissioned or de-commissioned, in any manner, as the licensing authority so wishes, depending upon its business exigencies,” the high court observed while setting aside the inspection report of the PU regarding affiliation to the DAV Institute of Management to run the MBA course.

The high court was also of the view that for every student, alma mater carries a certain sense of pride for the rest of their life. “In the present case, a peculiar situation has arisen owing to the institutional clash of the country’s two premier institutions, the alumnae of 2nd academic sessions are facing the paradox of no alma mater. If the stated stand of the respondent university (PU) is to prevail, the management institution shall have to shut down. The students who have already graduated would naturally be awarded degrees but, for the rest of their lives, will be products of a defunct institution,” observed the HC.

Justice Arun Monga of the HC has passed these orders while disposing of a petition filed by DAV Institute of Management, Chandigarh. The management had approached the HC against the decision dated April 10, 2019 of the university syndicate conveyed vide letter dated May 2, 2019 asking the petitioner institute to fulfil the deficiencies pointed out by inspection committee constituted by the university and further directions for grant of temporary affiliation to the petitioner-institute for its academic session 2018-19.

The petitioner had applied to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for approval to start the course of MBA, which was granted on April 30, 2017 subject to the obtaining necessary affiliation/permission from the PU.

Accordingly, petitioner then applied to the PU for affiliation (temporary), which though was granted, but later denied to extend owing to alleged non-compliance of the contingent conditions/deficiencies pointed out by PU’s inspection committee. Aggrieved from denial of extension of affiliation, the management had approached the HC.

The counsel for the management, advocate R D Anand, submitted that the university was still considering the grant of extension of affiliation for the session 2018-19 till May 2, 2019 but the session had already started in July/August 2018.

Contesting the plea, the university pleaded that the petitioner had failed to remove the deficiencies pointed out by the inspection committee for extension of affiliation, therefore, the petition should be dismissed.

After hearing both the parties, the HC observed that the university allowed the students to take the examination on May 2, 2019, which amounts to implied grant of extension for 2018-19. “It was mandatory for the university to grant or refuse the extension of affiliation by May 15, 2018 for the ensuing session 2018-19. This entire lackadaisical approach/ demeanour of the university in such a nonchalant manner does not inspire confidence, to say the least. The university ought to be mindful of the students whose future life and career is at stake,” observed the HC.

The HC also set aside the inspection reports of PU regarding the petitioner management observing that the inspection committees constituted in the present case and their inspection reports forming the basis for refusal of temporary extension of petitioner’s affiliation are not in accordance with law.

The university has also been asked to constitute a fresh inspection committee strictly in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 4.6 of the UGC (Affiliation of Institutes by Universities) Regulations 2009 and on receipt/consideration of its inspection report, to decide the petitioner’s case afresh for extension of the petitioner’s affiliation.

Flight from UAE brings back 179

Flight from UAE brings back 179

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mohali:7.8.2020

In continuation to the Vande Bharat mission of evacuating stranded Indians from various countries, a flight from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) arrived at the Chandigarh International Airport with 179 Indians on Thursday.

With this, a total of 27 flights have arrived so far under the Vande Bharat evacuation mission. Flights from the US, Ukraine, Auckland in New Zealand, Kuwait, two flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sharjah and four flights from Dubai have so far arrived with approximately 2,400 passengers.

Spicejet Flight Number SG-9302 from the UAE arrived at the Chandigarh International Airport at 2.45 pm with 179 passengers on board. This is the sixth flight connectivity to the UAE.

Mohali civil Surgeon Dr Manjit Singh said all the passengers arriving from Sharjah and the UAE have been asked to undergo strict institutional quarantine at their respective districts and their passports have also been taken into possession by the administration.

Recently, the government of India had permitted airline operators from the Middle East and the Gulf counties to bring stranded Indians back to their home country. These foreign airlines will operate along with Air India or Indian-based airline operators.

Foreign-based airline operators like Qatar Airways, Kuwait Airways, Air Arabia, Jazeera Airways, and SalamAir, so far have been given permission to operate their flights to Chandigarh International Airport in Mohali.

Covid can cause temporary facial paralysis: Docs

Covid can cause temporary facial paralysis: Docs

Mumbai:7.8.2020

Novel coronavirus can cause temporary facial paralysis — called Bell’s palsy — in some patients, doctors treating patients for five months said.

Neurologist Rajesh Benny, with Fortis Hospital (Mulund) said he saw an unusual number of cases of Bell’s palsy between April-July.

“The incidence seems to have reduced in Mumbai now, but neurologist in areas where the infection is at its peak or reaching it, say they are seeing a surge in Bell’s palsy cases,” he said.

In other countries too doctors noted the link between Covid-19 and neurological manifestations such as Bell’s palsy. In April, doctors from China reported in a peer-reviewed journal, Neurology, Bell’s palsy as a symptom.

“Covid-19 patients may present with Bell’s palsy at an initial stage. Bell’s palsy may be attributed to an immune response, caused by SARSCoV-2,’’ they wrote.

Patients with facial paralysis — usually on one side of face — would go to a neurologist if they had typical Covid symptoms such as fever, breathlessness or cough. It is only when the neurologist finds a normal MRI that a CT scan and/or a Covid-19 test are ordered. “It’s only then that Covid is identified as the cause,” said a doctor.

Generally, Bell's palsy takes a month or two to disappear but could in some cases leave behind residual weakness, said Dr Sangeeta Ravat, who heads the neurology department of KEM Hospital, Parel. Patients may need physiotherapy to recover fully. TNN

Pay fine 24/7 at virtual traffic court

Pay fine 24/7 at virtual traffic court

Bengaluru: 7.8.2020

A virtual court for traffic challans inaugurated on Thursday will enable an offender pay the fine online any time, without requiring him/her to appear before the court.

Cases of drunken driving, riding vehicles without licence and display board-related offences can be settled at this virtual court; its jurisdiction combines the city’s all six traffic courts.

Inaugurating the court along with e-filing facilities at the high court and district courts, Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud said the legal system has to keep pace with exponential growth in information technology.

Justice Chandrachud, who is chairman of the Supreme Court’s ecourt committee, said considering the country’s technological divide, 3,000 e-seva kendras will be set up in courts across the country.

Police commissioner Kamal Pant said the facility will help save time for police, prosecutors, judicial officers and litigants. With the city’s population and vehicles increasing, serving summons and challans had become a problem for police. TNN

4-day closure of Dwarka temple

4-day closure of Dwarka temple

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Rajkot: 7.8.2020

The famous Dwarkadhish temple of Lord Krishna will remain closed for four days from August 10 to August 13 to avoid heavy rush of devotees for Janmashtami.

Lakhs of people throng the temple town for Krishna Janm on the day of the festival and they start trooping in a day before. Devbhumi Dwarka district collector NK Meena, who issued a notification in this regard on Thursday, said, it’s not possible to control the massive rush even with pass systems. “With passes, we can only accommodate 10,000 devotees in a day.”

Though the temple will remain closed, prayers will be performed inside and the entire ritual will be streamed live on the social media. There are total 97 Covid-19 positive cases in the district out of which eight are reported in Dwarka town.

The temple will remain closed for Janmashtami from August 10 to 13 due to Covid pandemic

Couple moves HC to talk to grandchild

Couple moves HC to talk to grandchild

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad  7.8.2020

An elderly couple has moved the Gujarat high court with a prayer that it should direct their son-in-law in the US to allow them to talk on video call to their 9-year-old granddaughter, who is not in their contact for over a year.

The city-based couple has filed a habeas corpus petition to establish contact with their granddaughter, who is a US citizen because of her birth in Texas. They complained that their son-in-law has snapped all ties with them suddenly more than a year ago after demise of their daughter and after his second marriage.

Their advocate Bhargav Hasurkar said that since custody of a foreign national cannot be secured through a habeas corpus petition and this is a family matter, court’s directions were sought.

The lawyer said that after hearing the case, the high court on Thursday issued notice to the son-in-law and asked him to remain present along with the girl before the court through video conferencing next week.

In this case, the couple got their daughter married to a US-based professional in 2009. The couple had a girl child in 2011. The wife died in 2016 at an age of 30, and the man re-married few months later. The family left for the US in January 2017. The grandparents in Ahmedabad claimed that they last saw the child in 2016. After the family went to USA, they continued to talk on video.

However, in April 2019, the son-in-law suddenly snapped all ties with them. They have urged the HC to direct their son-in-law to allow them to talk to the girl on video call because they cannot visit USA.

Govt staff kin compensation cut to ₹25 lakh

Govt staff kin compensation cut to ₹25 lakh

Chennai: 7.8.2020

Tamil Nadu government has reduced its compensation and sanctioned ₹25 lakh each to the 28 families/legal heirs of government staff and local body employees who died of Covid-19 while engaged in frontline pandemic work. The members died between May 10 and June 26, and at least eight of them were from Greater Chennai Corporation limits.

In April, CM Edappadi K Palaniswami had announced that ₹50 lakh each will be extended as relief to the bereaved families of government employees involved in Covid-19 duty. This was reduced to ₹25 lakh each. “The relief has been revised due to more deaths and likely numbers in future,” said a senior official, seeking anonymity. TNN

Fake online maid agency busted, 1 held

Fake online maid agency busted, 1 held

Chennai: 06.08.2020

A 41-year-old woman was arrested in Neelankarai on Tuesday night for running a fake domestic help placement agency online.

The newly launched cyber cell at Adyar police district busted the fake agency and arrested R Bulkees alias Amul, of Saidapet.

Police said Ashokraj of Vettuvankani recently lodged a complaint with the Neelankarai police alleging that Roja Manpower Services, an agency providing house maids, cheated him. A woman who called him within five minutes of him contacting the agency promised to send a maid to his house and made him pay ₹4,500 online. However, since she did not send the maid even after a week, Ashokraj dialled the agency number which remained unreachable. Realising that he had been cheated he lodged a complaint. A case of cheating was registered and the woman was traced with the help of the cyber cell police.

Investigation revealed that she has cheated several people using the same modus operandi. She was remanded in judicial custody on Wednesday. TNN

திருவாரூரில் உள்ள தமிழ்நாடு மத்தியப் பல்கலைக்கழகத்துக்கு பொறுப்பு துணைவேந்தர் நியமனம்

திருவாரூரில் உள்ள தமிழ்நாடு மத்தியப் பல்கலைக்கழகத்துக்கு பொறுப்பு துணைவேந்தர் நியமனம்

incharge-vc-appointed-as-central-university

ஏ.பி.தாஸ் ஓய்வுபெற்ற நிலையில் பொறுப்புகளை புதிய துணைவேந்தராக (பொ) பொறுப்பேற்றுள்ள கற்பக குமாரவேலிடம் ஒப்படைத்தார். அருகில் பல்கலைக்கழக பதிவாளர் புவனேஸ்வரி உள்ளார்.

திருவாரூரில் உள்ள தமிழ்நாடு மத்தியப் பல்கலைக்கழகத்துக்கு துணைவேந்தர் (பொறுப்பு) நியமனம் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளார்.

திருவாரூர் அருகே, நீலக்குடி கிராமத்தில் தமிழ்நாடு மத்தியப் பல்கலைக்கழகம் செயல்பட்டு வருகிறது. இந்த பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் துணைவேந்தராக ஏ.பி.தாஸ் பதவி வகித்து வந்தார். இவரின் பதவிக்காலம் நேற்றுடன் (ஆக.5) நிறைவடைந்த நிலையில், பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் இடைக்கால துணைவேந்தராக பேராசிரியர் கற்பக குமாரவேல் (பொறுப்பு) பதவி ஏற்றுள்ளார்.

நேற்று மாலை பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் நடத்தப்பட்ட நிர்வாகக் குழுக் கூட்டத்தில் இந்த முடிவு எடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இவர் முன்னதாக மதுரை காமராஜர் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் துணைவேந்தராக பணியாற்றியுள்ளார். மேலும், மனித வள மேம்பாட்டு மையத்தின் இயக்குநராகவும், யூஜிசி ஆராய்ச்சி ஒருங்கிணைப்பாளராகவும் பணியாற்றி வருகிறார்.

"ஜனநாயக வழியில் எனது நிர்வாகப் பணி இருக்கும். நடுநிலையுடன் மத்திய பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் வளர்ச்சியை துரிதப்படுத்த அனைத்து வகையான முயற்சிகளும் மேற்கொள்ளப்படும்" என கற்பக குமாரவேல் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

[Breaking] 11 Students Move SC Seeking Postponement Of NEET, JEE Exams

[Breaking] 11 Students Move SC Seeking Postponement Of NEET, JEE Exams

LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK

6 Aug 2020 6:41 PM

Citing the risk of COVID-19 pandemic, a writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the postponement of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), scheduled to be held in September 2020.

The petition filed by eleven students from eleven States contends that the decision to hold JEE(Main) through online mode from September 1 to 6 and NEET UG-2020 through offline mode on September 13 at 161 centres across India are "utterly arbitrary, whimsical and violative of the fundamental right to life of lakhs of affected students".

"It is further respectfully submitted that due to their unwell health conditions or due to strong possibility of getting affected by COVID-19, many students may be deprived from appearing in their aforesaid JEE (Main) April-2020 and NEET UG-2020 Exams, which will be in flagrant violation of their fundamental right to equality, as enshrined within Article 14 of Constitution of India", states the plea filed through Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava.

The petition points out that the Institution of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has cancelled the CA exams citing COVID-19 risk. The remaining exams of CBSE/ICSE/ISC have also been cancelled. The Common Law Admission Entrance Test (CLAT) and the National Institute of Open School exams have also been postponed.

Therefore, the petitioners seek parity with the said examinations.

"Lakhs of young students are likely to appear in the aforesaid JEE (Main) April-2020 and NEET UG-2020 Exams in the months of September, 2020. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases are increasing in India at an alarming rate. The deadly pandemic COVID-19 has already affected about 20 Lakh people in India and situation is worsening by every passing day. Conducting the aforesaid examination across India at such perilous time, is nothing else but putting lives of lakhs of young students (including Petitioners herein) at utmost risk and danger of disease and death", the plea reads.

It is further argued that the authorities have arbitrarily overlooked that most of the parents of the affected students are facing utmost financial distress due to reduced financial opportunities amid COVID-19 crisis.

"In such a situation, further burdening them with the cost of Transportation, Accommodation and Medical Treatment of their wards, for appearing in the captioned examination, is utterly unjust, unfair and unwarranted", the plea states.

The petitioners also argue that there will be discrimination between students who have access to technology and the internet and those who lack such access.

"It is respectfully submitted that the students who are well equipped with computer and strong internet connection will give online exams while in other hand the students who are unable to give and arrange online exams, will have to come to exam centres by risking their lives. This is a discrimination between students which must be avoided".

"The Respondents have ignored the plight of lakhs of students belonging to Bihar, Assam and North Eastern States, which are presently witnessing incessant flood and thus conducting online or offline examinations in such places, is not possible. The Rail/ Bus and/or other Public Transport are still operating in a restricted manner, as of now. There is no free movement of Railways and only a selected number of Trains are operating.

Those students who are not living in the close proximity of the Examination Centres, will face a lot of difficulties in getting rented/ PG accommodations across India, as Landlords are unwilling to give such accommodation nowadays, due to COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, those students who are living in Hostels, will have to share rooms, washrooms and mess with other students, which will enhance their chances of COVID-19 infection", the plea adds.

The petitioners therefore seek to direct the authorities to conduct NEET and JEE "only after normalcy in restored in our country, post COVID-19 crisis".

The petitioners also urge the Court to increase the number of NEET and JEE examination centres across the country and provide at least one centre in one district of each state.

[Breaking] 11 Students Move SC Seeking Postponement Of NEET, JEE Exams

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SC Upholds Conviction Of Man Accused Of Raping Minor Girl; Rejects His Plea That It Was Consensual [Read Order]

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'Pvt Hospitals Are Robbing Covid19 Patients': Plea In SC Seeks Guidelines for Admission of Patients,Fees and Discharge from Hospitals

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Delhi HC Constitutes A Committee To Finalise The Process of Issuing Digital Degree Certificate To Students [Read Order]

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[Breaking] SC Refers Pleas Challenging EWS Reservation To Constitution Bench

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[RTI] Wife Not Entitled To Seek Details Of Income Tax Returns Filed By Her Husband: CIC [Read Order]

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Teacher till March now runs mirchi-bajji stall for a living

Teacher till March now runs mirchi-bajji stall for a living

Nirupa.Vatyam@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:  05.08.2020

After spending over 12 years in teaching, B Bhaskar has decided to call it quits and instead run a street food stall in his village in Warangal (rural). Bhaskar vowed he would never to come back to teaching as there is no security in the job. He would instead spend the rest of his life in his village. “I don’t want to go back to the city or the teaching field. If my mirchi bajji stall doesn’t run, I will take up some odd jobs,” said Bhaskar.

“Despite working for over a decade, no one came to my rescue during the crisis. So from now on, I will advise people not to become a teacher as there is no job security,” said the 33-year-old, who used to earn ₹35,000 per month as a teacher. A BSc degree holder, who also did the Hindi pandit course, Bhaskar said that he earns about ₹500-600 per day by selling fritters. Like Bhaskar, many teachers have decided to move away from the teaching field and are taking up farming or menial and private jobs to make ends meet.

“I was prepared to survive without salary for March, April, and May. I was really confident that coronavirus is not going to affect me in any way as I have tuitions lined up. I came back to the city on June 3 and tried to contact my students. One after other everyone started cancelling and by end of June, I had nothing,” said P Narayana, a math teacher who used to earn over ₹50,000 per month. An MSc holder, Narayana, who now works as a farmer in Krishna district, said it was easier in his village as cost of living is cheap and there is no burden of paying rent.

Bhaskar, who now sells fritters, has vowed not to return to teaching

Even profs moving on due to low pay

—Nirupa Vatyam

Hyderabad:

It is not only school teachers but also those teaching in technical colleges have started quitting the profession over meagre pay and lack of job security. “I was working as a head of department (HoD) until recently and was paid only ₹22,000 per month. Now, I am working at a medical store. My salary here is ₹24,000 per month and I have health insurance and other benefits,” said Mani Kanta, who was working in a private college in the master of business administration department. He also claimed that no college was paying as per AICTE norms and faculty are afraid of losing their jobs any day.

Sandeep Kumar, who used to work as an assistant professor in the electrical and communication engineering department said, “On paper, I was paid ₹50,000 but in reality I was getting only ₹25,000 per month. I resigned and drove a cab for a few days. Now, I have secured a private job.” He is now earning ₹7.2 lakh per annum. Kumar, who did his MTech and registered for a PhD, said that had the management paid him full salary he would not have thought of quitting.

2nd heaviest August downpour in a decade leaves 3 dead in Mumbai

2nd heaviest August downpour in a decade leaves 3 dead in Mumbai

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai:  05.08.2020

As the skies opened up on Monday night and Tuesday morning, parts of the city received 300 mm of rain, the second highest for a day in August in a decade. The downpour caused road and rail disruptions and tragedy, with three persons dead — two in a chawl collapse in Vakola and one by electrocution in Thane — and a 6-year-old child reported missing.

Proving the Met department’s forecast of heavy rain for Mumbai correct, parts of Dadar, Worli and Malabar Hill got 300mm of rainfall. In the 24 hours ending 8.30 am Tuesday, the IMD Colaba observatory recorded 252.2 mm of rain and Santacruz 268.6 mm. The highest 24-hour rainfall in August in the decade was 331 mm in 2017.

At around 7.30am, boulders and soil came crashing down on the arterial Western Express Highway in Kandivli East, but no motorist or pedestrian was injured in the landslide. Vehicular traffic was however affected.

Train services on all three lines were hampered, and BEST had to divert buses from 60 routes owing to waterlogging. MIAL, though, said flight operations at Mumbai airport were nearnormal. The state government quickly stepped in to declare a holiday for its offices in the city and suburbs, and the Bombay high court suspended all hearings.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Mumbai, Thane and Palghar for Wednesday and warned of extremely heavy rain at isolated places. The spell of heavy rain is likely to continue over 24-48 hours.

CITY GOES DOWN UNDER: With parts of Mumbai getting over 300mm rain, many

Can’t move to next level of MBBS without exam: MCI

Can’t move to next level of MBBS without exam: MCI

Yogita.Rao@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:  05.08.2020

Medical Council of India has advised universities not to permit any batch of students to move to the next level of MBBS without an exam in a circular on Tuesday. It was meant to clear the air over queries and representations from stakeholders on re-opening of medical colleges and conduct of university exams. The council also indicated that final year MBBS students can join internships after passing final exams.

State medical education minister Amit Deshmukh had earlier directed Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) to start classes for first, second and third year undergraduate students. He also told them to allow final year students to start internships and to conduct exams whenever the situation improves. Following this advisory from the council, though colleges affiliated to MUHS can commence lectures, they may not be able to allow students to start internships without exams.

The council has told universities to conduct pending supplementary exams for final year MBBS students, scheduled in the first half of 2020, at the earliest “...as the students have completed the course once and need not wait for the formal reopening of colleges. Such students will be joining college/hospitals for internships after passing final exams”.

Colleges were directed to complete first year MBBS course for 2019 batch within two months of reopening of colleges and then conduct the exam, preferably within a month. MCI had revised syllabus for first year MBBS batch of 2019 and directed holding of the exam by September, an MUHS official said. But after Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, their course was disrupted midway. MCI also advised universities to complete the course for other classes in two months and then conduct the exams.

The council also suggested alternatives to get external examiners for conduct of the exam.

For practicals and clinical examination, MCI recommended alternative methods of skill evaluation that can include simulations, case scenarios, objectives structured clinical or practical examinations. The advisory is a one-time measure in view of Covid-19, it stated.

MUHS exam controller Ajit Pathak said their priority will be to hold certifying exams first in compliance with MCI and state government directives. But he did not elaborate as the matter is sub judice and is scheduled for hearing later this month.

A parent representative, Sudha Shenoy, said the MCI directive was fair as students cannot be sent for internships without clinical exposure, which is a vital part of their final year curriculum.

No need to panic over cases spike, detection is key: Govt

No need to panic over cases spike, detection is key: Govt

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 05.08.2020

Even as daily cases of Covid-19 infection are increasing rapidly, the Centre on Tuesday said there is no need to be “overawed” by the numbers so long as timely detection, isolation and treatment happens to prevent deaths.

“There is no need to be overawed from rising positive cases because in every country with large population bases, cases are bound to increase. It is important to find them in time, isolate and treat them,” health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said.

The government plans to bring up daily testing to 10 lakh tests, even as India’s daily positivity rate has come down to 8.89% though the weekly average remains at 11% with some states still reporting high positivity. Testing will be ramped up in such areas, Bhushan said.

“We have adopted a policy of intelligent and calibrated testing depending on which area needs more testing...We are trying to reach 10 lakh tests per day,” said Balram Bhargava, director general, ICMR. At present, 28 states and UTs have less than 10% positivity rate, while India is conducting 15,119 tests per million of population.

On the issue of vaccines, Bhargava said while there is no drug or vaccine available yet, but it is not just the development but prioritisation and distribution such as logistics, cold chain, stockpiling and training of people to administer the vaccine which are also important.

Those above 60 account for 50% of Covid deaths, shows govt data Centre Says No Under-Reporting Of Mortalities

Those above 60 account for 50% of Covid deaths, shows govt data

Centre Says No Under-Reporting Of Mortalities

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi  05.08.2020

: Even as deaths due to Covid-19 continue to be higher in the elderly with those above 60 accounting for 50% of total mortalities, those in the relatively younger age band of 45-60 years are also appearing increasingly vulnerable — accounting for 37% of fatalities. The percentage for this group is up from 32% a month ago, official data showed.

While releasing data regarding age profiles in mortalities, the government refuted concerns related to under-reporting of Covid-19 deaths as “mere conjecture” not backed by evidence, saying that there were clear protocols on how fatalities due to the disease are to be recorded.

Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the health ministry, at a very early stage, had issued clear guidelines as some states were not clear initially whether Covid-19 deaths of patients with co-morbidities should be reported as such. “In the guidelines, we made it clear that all such deaths of people with co-morbidity and who were Covid-positive should be counted as Covid-19 deaths,” Bhushan said.

He said specific states and urban areas like Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, with high case loads and a large number of deaths, had better death registration averages than the the national figure even in a non-Covid scenario indicating a robust system of reporting deaths.

The death registration average in Maharashtra is 93%, whereas it is 100% in Delhi and Tamil Nadu, against a national average of 80%. Besides, while the proportion of medically certified deaths at the national level to all registered deaths is 22%, it is 67% in Maharashtra, 69% in Delhi and 85% in Tamil Nadu.

“In such a scenario, to say that deaths are not reported is baseless,” Bhushan said. India’s Covid-19 fatality rate is progressively declining. At present, the death rate is 2.10% with 38,938 deaths recorded so far.

While half of the deaths have taken place among people aged 60 years and above, those in the younger age band of 26-44 years and 45-60 years accounted for 11% and 37%, respectively.

While the government has made slight changes to the age matrix as was reported on July 9, a comparison shows the percentage of deaths in the younger age groups remains largely the same with those below 17 years and people aged 18-25 years reporting 1% deaths in each category. In July, these age groups were classified as less than 14 years accounting for 1% and those between 15 to 29 years accounting for 3% deaths.

The latest data showed 68% of Covid-19 deaths were in male patients, whereas 32% were among females, broadly in line with the global scenario.

The number of recovered Covid-19 patients in India is increasing daily and is now over double the number of active cases.

Top court verdict today if 5-judge bench should decide validity of 10% EWS quota

Top court verdict today if 5-judge bench should decide validity of 10% EWS quota

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:05.08.2020

The Supreme Court will decide on Wednesday whether the validity of 10% quota for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in government jobs and admissions to educational institutions should be referred to a five-judge bench.

The court had reserved its verdict on this question on July 31 last year and the decision will be pronounced after more than a year by CJI S A Bobde, who had heard arguments along with Justices R Subhash Reddy and B R Gavai. While the Centre is opposed to referring the issue to a larger bench, nearly three dozen petitioners want the validity of EWS quota to be adjudicated by a constitution bench. The petitioners had challenged the 103rd constitutional amendment to provide 10% EWS quota in government jobs and admissions to educational institutions on the ground that it breached the 50% ceiling on reservation put by the SC in its 1992 judgment in Indra Sawhney case (Mandal case). However, the Centre had said the 50% cap on reservation was “fallacious” and not binding and the constitutional amendment to provide quotas in jobs and education was meant to socially uplift nearly 200 million poor people.

Attorney general K K Venugopal had said Parliament had unanimously passed the EWS quota, which was not violative of the apex court’s earlier verdicts on reservation. He said the SC had never ruled on a 50% cap on reservation and its verdicts allowed breaching the 50% ceiling if there were sufficient reasons to justify it. He said reservation up to 68% was prevalent in Tamil Nadu and the decision was upheld by the HC and not stayed by the SC.

Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for the petitioners, had argued that the amendment was unconstitutional as it breached the 50% ceiling and said the concept of backwardness on the basis of economic status was not recognised under the Constitution. He had pleaded for reference of the issue to a larger bench.

Gold stolen from dead Covid patient

Gold stolen from dead Covid patient

Coimbatore: 05.08.2020

An unidentified person stole a gold bangle weighing three sovereigns from the body of a Covid-19 patient, who died in the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) on Monday evening.

The Race Course police identified the deceased as a 60-year-old woman from Ukkadam.Adiabetic,shewastaken to a private hospital with breathing difficulty on Monday morning. As hospital authorities askedthefamily members to pay an advance of ₹40,000 to hospitalise her, the woman’s kin rushed her to CMCH, where she was admitted to the Covid-19 ward.

A police officer said, “Her daughter stayed back in the hospital. The woman’s condition was steady till 3pm. Her breathing difficulties aggravated and she died around 4pm. When her daughter came out of the ward, an unidentified person stole the gold bangle from the body.”

The woman’s daughter informed doctors about the theft and the latter advised her to lodge a police complaint.

“A similar incident had taken place in CMCH earlier and we have collected details of suspects. We will register a first information report and arrest the culprit,” the officer said. TNN

Tamils in Kuwait wait for rescue flight to Trichy

Tamils in Kuwait wait for rescue flight to Trichy

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Trichy:05.08.2020

Despite hundreds of Tamils still stranded in Kuwait following the Covid-19 lockdown, not a single service has been operated so far by Air India Express under Vande Bharat mission to Trichy. Though rescue flights were expected in the fifth phase of the mission which began on August 2, it came as a dampener when Trichy didn’t figure in it.

In all, 49 services were operated from other countries to Trichy under Vande Bharat mission. Sources said about 20,000 Indians, mostly Tamils, stuck in Kuwait have been waiting for four months to return. The Kuwait government had arranged eight services to Trichy, bringing 909 people via Kuwait Airlines. Jazeera Air and Indi-Go Air brought back 1,810 passengers in 11 services. “However, the ticket fare and other expenses like Covid-19 test in Trichy, isolation at private hotels and food make it charter flights unaffordable. In the case of Vande Bharat except for flight fare, the others are taken care of,” Nowshath Ali, president of Association of Overseas Tamils in Kuwait, said.

A total of 2,719 Tamils had so far been brought to Trichy on 19 foreign charter flights including Kuwait Airways. Yet, hundreds still await Vande Bharat rescue flights.

Some services were operated to Chennai, said AB Khaleel Ahmed Baaqavee, general secretary of Kuwait Tamil Islamic Committee (K-Tic). “We filed a petition before Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Union government to operate Vande Bharat rescue flights to Trichy. We hope we will get a favourable order from the court,” he told TOI.

A total of 49 services were operated to Trichy from other countries as part of Vande Bharat mission. But not one flight was scheduled from Kuwait to Trichy

VAO accused of taking ₹15,000 bribe to issue caste certificates

VAO accused of taking ₹15,000 bribe to issue caste certificates

Karal.Marx@timesgroup.com

Villupuram:  05.08.2020

A 17-year-old girl from the irula community, accompanied by fellow villagers and relatives from Koralur, lodged a petition at Villupuram collector office on Tuesday, requesting the authorities to give students of the village Scheduled Tribe caste certificates and demanded stringent action against the VAO, who, she alleged, had collected a bribe of ₹15,000 to provide them community certificates.

R Ramya, in her petition, said, “Koralur, a remote village located near Kanjanur, houses 45 irula families. All though we are living at the village for more than five decades, only seven families have community certificates. In the absence of community certificate, none of us can pursue higher education and are forced to stop our education after HSC.”

Ramya’s mother R Sumathi, 35, said “The Koralur village VAO Vasudevan, promising people of providing community certificates, had collected ₹750 each from parents of 20 irula children two months ago. However the VAO is now trying to avoid the issue, claiming all the applications have been forwarded to Villupuram RDO office.”

K Rajendran, revenue divisional officer of Villupuram, said, “The district administration is yet to receive any application for irula caste certificates from Koralur village. We will take stringent action against the VAO if he is found guilty.”

RDO of Villupuram K Rajendran said the district administration is yet to receive any application for irula caste certificates from Koralur village

20 docs have died in TN, says med council

20 docs have died in TN, says med council

Chennai: 05.08.2020

At least 20 doctors have died of Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu so far, according to reports collated by the state wing of the Indian Medical Council. The doctors’ body has urged the state to offer a compensation of Rs50 lakh to the family members of these doctors.

“We have so far sent death certificates and test reports of 18 doctors in the state to the chief minister’s office. We have reports of two more doctors. We are in the process of collecting information regarding more doctors from 166 branches of IMA across the state,” said IMA state president Dr CN Raja. “All doctors are like soldiers in the battle field. Their death is martyrdom,” he told TOI.

In April, a Chennai-based senior neurosurgeon Dr Simon Hercules was among the first doctors to succumb to the viral infection. Since then several doctors have died due to the viral infection. TNN

No MBBS batch should be allowed to move to the next level without exam: MCI

No MBBS batch should be allowed to move to the next level without exam: MCI

TOI-Online | Aug 4, 2020, 08.03 PM IST

NEW DELHI: The board of governors in suppression of Medical Council of India (MCI) has issued advisory on MBBS examination and external examiners for the MBBS examinations in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As per the advisory no batch should be permitted to move to the next level of the MBBS course without an examination.

It further said that the colleges should aim to complete the first MBBS course within two months of re-opening of the colleges and thereafter the first MBBS University exams should be completed as soon as possible, preferably within a month.

The Board has further advised that relaxations provided for the conduct of final year postgraduate examination in terms of the appointment of examiners and the exam patterns, would also be applicable for the conduct of MBBS university examinations.

In respect to external examiners for the MBBS examinations the university is advised to considering the risk stratification of the areas where the Medical colleges/institutions are located, if external examiners are not available from outside the state due to pandemic that the external examiners to be selected from a different university in the state. These external examiners have to be physically present at the venue of the examination.

If this is also not possible then at least half the external examiners to be selected from a different university, who would be physically present at the venue of the examination and the other half from a different university who would participate through video conferencing.

Conduct of practical/clinical examinations

The Board stated that since the objective of the practical examination is to ascertain skills relevant to the subject as outlined in the respective course curricula, alternative methods of skill evaluation which may include OSCE/OSPE, simulations, case scenarios, etc. may be used in lieu of clinical cases, wherever the latter is not feasible as provided for in the regulations.

Govt may go back to monthly billing of power

Govt may go back to monthly billing of power

Sivakumar.B@timesgroup.com

Chennai: 5.8.2020

Tamil Nadu government is mulling changing the electricity billing cycle of domestic consumers from bimonthly to monthly system, said state power minister P Thangamani on Tuesday.

“We will have to discuss it with the chief minister before taking a decision. There is a demand for returning to the monthly cycle. We have to take a call on this,” said Thangamani.

Changing the billing cycle with the current tariff system would provide major benefits to consumers as their tariff will remain in lower slabs as most consumers will not cross 500 units. Moreover, the first 100 units are free for all domestic consumers. It is not clear as of now whether the government has plans to tweak the tariff along with change in the billing cycle. Changing the billing cycle without altering the tariff would be suicidal for the power utility, Tangedco.

People who cross consumption of 500 units bimonthly, after factoring in the 100 free units, are paying Rs 6 per unit at present. Use of air-conditioners, especially in cities like Chennai, leads to power consumption crossing 500 units in the bimonthly cycle.

“The bi-monthly cycle of billing was introduced in August 1987 as the then TNEB did not want crowding of consumers at bill collection centres. But things have changed a lot now. Only a few consumers pay at collection centres at present. Most consumers make online payment, either using Tangedco App or its website,” said Pattabirambased consumer activist T Sadagopan.

Domestic sector alone follows bimonthly billing cycle at present. All other segments like commercial and industrial are paying monthly bills in Tamil Nadu.

“Lack of adequate assessors was one of the reasons to introduce bimonthly billing cycle for domestic consumers. Moreover, there was no hand-held machine for taking meter reading those days. Everything was done manually and it was not possible to record meter readings every month. Since technological advancements have simplified everything now, it is time we got back to the monthly cycle,” said a senior Tangedco official.

The discom has not got any official communication from the government regarding the change in the billing cycle. Hence, even deliberations have not started, he said.

International flights on radar of airlines

International flights on radar of airlines

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

5.8.2020

With the Union government promising to open an air bubble between select routes, airlines have begun preparations to start limited international flights from next month. However, the Centre has not clearly said if it would allow flights from a particular date.

The approval to conduct IPL in Dubai has raised hopes that the government may allow flights to the Middle East from next month. Many Indian carriers including IndiGo, SpiceJet, Vistara had flights to the Middle East during the pre-shutdown days and have started to display fares on online booking sites for direct flights from Mumbai and Chennai.

SpiceJet has already got slots in London to fly to India from September 1 but is yet to decide which city to fly to. “We have the slots and will announce flight dates soon,” said a spokesperson of the airline.

Ajay Singh, chairman & managing director, SpiceJet, said, “The identical arrival/departure slots that we have secured at Heathrow should suit the convenience of our passengers.”

An airline official said many airlines have begun to push for international flights because there was huge demand from people to travel to the Middle East, southeast Asia, Europe and the US.

Lizard found in food at CP eatery, police register case of negligence

Lizard found in food at CP eatery, police register case of negligence

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:04.08.2020

A man who went to dine at a popular restaurant in Connaught Place on Saturday night was shocked to find a lizard in his food. He later filed a police complaint of negligence and endangering a person’s life.

The victim, identified as Pankaj Aggarwal, also uploaded a video on a friend’s Twitter handle where he is seen talking to staff members. “I have already eaten some of the food and half of the lizard is missing,” he told them.

Aggarwal reached the restaurant along with two friends around 9.30pm. “We had ordered two items. I was eating my food when I spotted a lizard in my sambhar. I immediately called staff members. They were more interested in removing the dish from the table than addressing our issue,” Aggarwal told TOI. “I had eaten half of my food and half of the lizard was also missing. I later uploaded the video as I wanted to make people aware about the incident.”

He added, “My family has been coming to this restaurant for long and we celebrate most of our occasions here. This was my first dineout experience after the lockdown and it disappointed me.”

Stressing that hygienic conditions at the restaurant should be looked into, Aggarwal said the same items were available at roadside eateries too, “but we come to restaurants for better facilities and good hygienic conditions in which the food is prepared”.

The restaurant didn’t charge them the bill of Rs 290 but, Aggarwal said, he is more worried about hygiene at such a popular restaurant. “With the pandemic still raging, everyone thinks all measures and precautions are being taken while serving customers and people are coming out to eat with that trust in mind.”

Following a call to the police control room, an officer came to the restaurant from Connaught Place police station. Police have recorded statements of staff members, including those on duty at the kitchen.

AGGARWAL SAYS

I immediately called staff members. They were more interested in removing the dish from the table than addressing our issue