Chennai goes under water, again

Chennai goes under water, again

Inlets Of Stormwater Drains Clogged; High Tide Results In Blocked Waterways; Several Roads Inundated

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

30.10.2020

This is one prediction that can seldom go wrong -- heavy rain inundating Chennai.

Till about noon on Thursday, motorists on major bus route roads and arterial roads had to wade through up to two feet of water. However, by 4pm, Greater Chennai Corporation’s command and control centre recorded water stagnation of two feet or more at only nine spots, an official said Residents complained that even stretches of Anna Salai and Poonamallee High Road were left flooded, while places like Wall Tax Road near Chennai Central, Cenotaph Road, Gemini flyover, Conron Smith Road in Gopalapuram had water logging.

According to a corporation analysis, there was 150mm-200mm of rain in four hours in a city’s whose storm water drain network can drain a maximum of 32mm per hour. “If we have to build for higher capacity, it would take up the road space,” said an official.

Since the rain came during the high tide period, waterways like Buckingham Canal and Otteri Nullah — final exit points for these drains — were running full and in areas like GP Road and PS Sivaswamy Salai in Mylapore, there were waves of water when a bus passed. After noon, when the high tide receded, water drained off in many places.

In some locations, chute pipes of drains were choked and officials were seen unclogging them. Many corporation playgrounds were under water.

GP Road, off Anna Salai, had three feet of water as drain work is in progress on the arterial stretch, officials said. In areas like Manali, Perungudi and Ram Nagar in Velachery, drain work has just begun.

Many residents found their electrical appliances damaged, while some said adaptors of internet modem and cordless phones stopped working. Experts suggested installing mini-circuit breakers, which automatically trip power, and lightning arresters.

Rakesh Ohri, president of The Central Park South Owners Association at Sholinganallur, a complex of 172 apartments said every (apartment) unit in their complex is equipped with mini-circuit breaker. “But, many small apartments and individual houses do not understand the importance of the device that prevents damage to electrical and electronic equipment as it trips power immediately after voltage fluctuates. But, several prefer sub-standard devices and regret when expensive electrical devices gets damaged later,” he said.

Installing lightning arresters is the need of the hour to prevent any damage to buildings, said experts. K V Pari, president of Sivagami Nagar Public Welfare Association at Medavakkam said that high rises have lightning arresters, but not all individual homes installed them. Pari, a civil engineer, said one could install the equipment that comes for ₹1 lakh to ₹2.5 lakh including installation charges.

USUAL SIGHT: Arterial roads and streets were submerged as the monsoon’s first heavy rainfall tested the city’s drainage infrastructure

PERIAMET

ROYAPETTAH

NANDANAM

MBBS cut-off may go up by 70-100 marks

MBBS cut-off may go up by 70-100 marks

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:30.10.2020

The cut-off marks for MBBS admission in TN may go up by 70 to 100 for most categories due to a surge in top scorers in National Eligibilitycum-Entrance Test 2020. The number of students with 500 and above NEET score is up almost four-fold compared to last year. While 5,240 students have scored more than 500 marks this year, 1,329 students had scored above 500 marks in 2019. The number of students who had scored 600 marks and above, too, has increased 10 times — from 135 last year to 1,029 this year. Students who have scored above 400 to 499 marks increased by more than 50% as 6,738 students had scored in this range, compared to 4,305 students last year.

Poor kids can switch to govt schools, avail benefit

The GO issued by health secretary J Radhakrishnan read, “Since the NEET-UG results have now been declared and the admission process has started, there is an urgency to decide on this issue and since the power to issue executive directions under Article 162 of the Constitution is coextensive with legislative powers, pending decision of the governor, the government has taken the decision.” The horizontal reservation of 7.5% shall be provided in each category of vertical reservation followed in Tamil Nadu within 69% reservation from 2020, the order said.

Students from government schools, including schools run by panchayats, municipalities and corporations, welfare schools for adi dravidar, tribals, kallar reclamation, BC/MBC/ differently-abled welfare, forest, social defence (borstal) and residential, will be eligible for the quota.

The GO said children belonging to weaker sections who have studied in private schools up to Class VIII under Right to Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2008 too will benefit, if they study in government schools from Class IX.

Students in government schools would also be entitled to compete for seats, other than those set apart on a preferential basis, along with students of private schools, the order said. It directed the director of medical education, additional director of medical education and the directorate of Indian medicine and homeopathy to take action.

Riding at night, engineer clocks 10k km to deliver food on time

Riding at night, engineer clocks 10k km to deliver food on time

Charan.Sadu@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:29.10.2020 

How can a hardcore cyclist strike the perfect balance between his profession and passion? By mixing them! That’s what engineer Rajesh Nayak did when he was feeling low about not being able to cycle as much as he wanted during his stint at a consultancy company.

After working for over three years, Nayak’s 10am-5pm “sedentary work” made him think of a part-time job that would allow him to pedal to the maximum. So he joined Zomato in May last year to deliver food after his office hours. He cycled till midnight daily -- and till early hours on weekends --satiating his hunger for cycling, and that of customers by delivering them food.

Rajesh has been a cyclist for a decade. “I got to taste long-distance cycling when I was studying engineering in Mysuru during 2012-16. I enjoyed taking part in Dasara races too,” he said. But it’s the Hollywood flick ‘Premium Rush’, which he’d watched three years ago, made him to shift gears. “The bike-messenger theme (where the protagonist cycles in New York to deliver parcels) had always been on my mind. So I thought of living the character in Bengaluru by working for Zomato in night hours,” he said, adding he took the part-time work seriously after the pandemic ate up his job at the consultancy firm.

As the cycle ID restricts the boundary of food delivery partners to 5km, he chose the two-wheeler ID as it permitted him to go longer distances. “ I cycled thousands of kilometres which not only made me earn, but also helped me prepare for high-endurance rides,” he said.

Till his birthday on October 12, the 26-year-old clocked 10,000 km by criss-crossing JP Nagar, Jayanagar and BTM Layout which together marked his boundary. The distance, recorded on an activity app, includes 25 century rides (each of more than 100km) and 68 half-century rides. In 155 days that he worked for Zomato (he didn’t work during lockdown and when it rained), he made over 1,500 deliveries.

On one particular day, he rode 183km in 20 hours, by which time he had made 29 deliveries. “I did this as part of preparations for tough rides,” he said, listing some of them: Goa-1,200 and Jog-1,000. Rajesh has not made any customers wait for their food. Revealing the secret of delivering in under 30 minutes, he said: “It’s easy for a cyclist to manoeuvre traffic. I walk the cycle to avoid being stuck in red signals.”

Summing up his 10,000km food-delivery journey, the native of Chikkamagaluru said he feels gratified over not leaving a carbon footprint. “I’m also trying to drive home the anti-pollution message,” he said.

“We’ve been working towards bringing more cyclists in our delivery fleet and Rajesh is an inspiration for all. He strengthens our objective of a sustainable future and he is great with customers also,” a Zomato spokesperson said.

Rajesh Nayak (in pic), who is working as a food delivery executive to keep his passion for cycling alive, made over 1,500 deliveries in 155 days. By riding a cycle, he is trying to drive home the anti-pollution message as well

TOI IMPACT

Nursing student gets offer of help from RGUHS registrar

Mangaluru: 29.10.2020 

Help came pouring in for 21-year-old Buddana Gowda, a nursing student from Badami taluk in Bagalkot, within hours of a report being published in The Times of India under the headline ‘Nursing student tuns mason to save for fees’ on Wednesday. Many readers have volunteered to lend financial assistance to the young man to help realise his dream.

To fulfil his dream of practising medicine, Gowda is working as a mason in Udupi to save money to pay the fees for his course. Shivanand Kapashi, registrar of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) said: “RGUHS is offering a scholarship for students from this academic year. Though the last date is past, the varsity will consider Gowda’s case as a special one.”

Many TOI readers have reached out to Gowda via email, expressing their wish to help him. TNN

Bidar college offers scholarships worth ₹5cr for NEET repeaters

Bidar college offers scholarships worth ₹5cr for NEET repeaters

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:29.10.2020 

Shaheen Educational Institute, Bidar, will provide scholarships worth Rs 5 crore for long-term NEET repeaters from this academic year, with a focus on those in financial distress because of floods and coronavirus.

Abdul Qadeer, chairman, Shaheen Education Foundation, said: “This year, 400 -- or 10% -- government medical seats in the state will be bagged by meritorious students of Shaheen. Last year, it was 327 (8%).” In all, about 1,600 students got trained for NEET in Shaheen PU College last year.

As per the institution, scholarships will be offered at all its branches in the country and preference will be given to Kannada-medium students from Karnataka. More than 2,000 students are expected to benefit from the scholarship this year. Students who have lost their parents due to coronavirus will be provided NEET training for free. Students can register for free on the website for the scholarship. November 1is the last day to register for the long-term NEET repeater scheme.

Over 15,000 students are enrolled across 42 branches of the institution throughout the country in 12 states, including Karnataka. This year, the toppers in NEET included Karthik Reddy (710/720 Marks in NEET, Karnataka State Rank 1st and All India NEET Rank 9th) and Arbaaz Ahmed (700/ 720 Marks in NEET, Karnataka State Rank 3rd).

How UP youth moved to Bidar, cleared NEET

How UP youth moved to Bidar, cleared NEET

Farheen.Hussain@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:29.10.2020 

A 23-year-old BSc graduate from Uttar Pradesh, son of a farmer, cleared NEET this year in his sixth attempt after he moved to Karnataka to prepare for the entrance examination at a PU college in Bidar.

Mohammed Anas did not let financial difficulties, repeated failure or lack of resources suppress his childhood dream of becoming a doctor.

After a friend told him in 2017 about Bidar’s Shaheen PU College conducting special NEET coaching for aspirants, Anas, a science graduate with three attempts at NEET by then, decided to shift from UP’s Muzaffarnagar to Karnataka without losing time. The college is part of Shaheen Group of Educational Institutions.

Anas comes from an economically disadvantaged family and he has four siblings. During school and college days, Anas realised he did not have resources or time to join a medical college.

Want to serve people who can’t afford treatment, says UP boy

After my 12th, I started appearing for entrance exams and never scored over 200 marks (out of 720),” Anas told TOI, adding he joined the college for a BSc degree in a big compromise of his dream.

Once in Bidar, Anas went back a few steps, attending I PU classes. “In 2017, I scored 333 of 720; in 2019, I scored 531, but couldn’t bag a seat in UP. This year, I have scored 663 and have a fair chance of landing a free government seat in a UP college,” Anas said.

How did the youngster stay motivated in the face of numerous roadblocks and the pandemic? “I knew the only way for a better future for me and my family was achieving this. I had to do this to give back to my family, and my society. I want to serve the people who can’t afford treatment,” he said.

At times, he felt demotivated and unsure about finding a decent rank. But he stayed focused on studies and timetable with zero distraction and support from his institution. “Our chairman visited us to keep us motivated. We had a support system among friends and teachers,” he said.

Abdul Qadeer, chairman, Shaheen Education Foundation, said when Anas came to his institute, they realised he was bright but his basics were weak. “We worked to strengthen his basics,” he said.

Who created Setu app? CIC raps govt’s ‘lack of info’

Who created Setu app? CIC raps govt’s ‘lack of info’

New Delhi: 29.10.2020 

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has issued a strongly worded showcause notice to the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) and the National Informatics Centre asking why a penalty under the RTI Act should not be slapped on them for obstructing information regarding the Aarogya Setu app, prompting the ministry to later say that all information was on the app’s website.

The CIC slammed the ministry and NIC for “prima facie obstruction of information and providing an evasive reply” over a query regarding the app. Noting that none of the chief public information officers was able to explain as to who had created the app and where the files were in response to an RTI query filed by complainant Saurav Das, information commissioner Vanaja N Sarna described the responses of MeitY and NIC as “extremely preposterous”. TNN

Activist: Abdication of responsibility

Activist Saurav Das, who filed the appeal with the CIC on Aarogya Setu app, said, “It’s been downloaded by over 150m Indians, but the government says it has no idea who developed it. This is a complete abdication of responsibility.” P 8

Portal has all info on Aarogya Setu, including privacy policy, says govt

The ministry issued a statement to say that as per the orders of the CIC, chief public information officers of MeitY, National E-Governance Division and NIC have been directed to appear on November 24 and MeitY was taking necessary steps to comply with the order. It clarified that “there should be no doubt with regard to the Aarogya Setu app and its role in helping contain Covid-19 pandemic in India”. It stated the app has been developed by NIC in collaboration with volunteers from the industry and academia and all details and documents, including privacy policy, data access and knowledge-sharing protocols issued on May 11, have been uploaded on the portal, aarogyasetu.gov.in.

The RTI applicant sought to know from the government details about creation of app, the law under which it was functioning and whether the government was planning to bring a separate legislation on handling of data collected by the app. Saurav Das then approached the CIC.

Full report on www.toi.in

Times View: Call it the strange case of the missing app creator and ask Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery. The unacceptable reply to the RTI would be funny if it wasn’t so serious. This is not something where we can have the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.

City dentist rescued by AP cops from abductors

City dentist rescued by AP cops from abductors

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad/Anantapur:  29.10.2020  

The dentist who was abducted from his clinic in Bandlaguda on Tuesday was rescued in Anantapur on Wednesday by AP cops after they were alerted by Cyberabad police of the likely route taken by the kidnappers.

The main accused Mustafa is a close relative of dentist Behjat Hussain’s (56) wife. He had hatched the plot to get Rs 10 crore in ransom to recoup his losses in business. While seven have been arrested, including six from city and one from the vehicle in Anantapur, Mustafa and 5 others are absconding.

Hussain, a resident of Kismatpura, was abducted from his under-construction clinic at Bandlaguda by four burqa-clad men on Tuesday afternoon. On being alerted by locals, Cyberabad police launched a manhunt to nab the kidnappers by forming 12 special teams.

A few hours after the kidnap, the accused sent a voice message to Hussain’s family through WhatsApp demanding Ra 10 crore as ransom in the form of bitcoins.

Police analysed call details from WhatsApp

They also threatened to kill the victim and his family if the ransom was not paid in 48 hours. Police analysed the call details from the WhatsApp message and tracked their movement.

A few suspects were detained including Md Raheem (18) of Chandrayangutta, who kept a watch on the movement of the dentist, Sumit Chandrakanth Bhosale (28), Akshay Balu Vairekar and Vicky Datta Shinde of Pune, Md Imran and Md Irfan from Yellammabanda for giving logistical support. Based on the confession of the accused and technical evidence, Cyberabad police alerted Anantapur cops about the movement of the accused in a Bolero vehicle towards Karnataka.

Rapthadu sub inspector PT Anjaneyulu and his team first spotted the gang near Marur toll plaza in Anantapur district at 2 am on Wednesday. After an an hour long chase, police surrounded the gang, forcing the accused to abandon the vehicle along with the dentist. Police managed to arrest one of the kidnappers, Sanjay, 19, a student from Udipi in Karnataka.

“Anantapur police intercepted the kidnappers while they were escaping towards Kanaganapalli and rescued the victim,” Cyberabad commissioner V C Sajjanar said.

“Mustafa used to stay in Australia and he incurred huge loss in business. Subsequently, he returned to India and started real estate business in Hyderabad and Pune. Mustafa, who knew about the financial condition of Hussain, hatched a plan to kidnap him along with his friend Mubashir alias Khaled,” Sajjanar said. The duo roped in other accused from Hyderabad, Pune and Karnataka to execute the plan.

Six other accused are absconding.

Couple leaves kid in taxi on way home from airport

Couple leaves kid in taxi on way home from airport

Tamaghna.Banerjee@timesgroup.com

Kolkata:29.10.2020 

A six-year-old boy, sleeping in the backseat of a yellow taxi, was left behind in the vehicle by his parents, who had apparently forgotten to get him down while rushing to get their luggage off the taxi’s boot on Tuesday evening, hours after they flew back to Kolkata from Lucknow.

But, thanks to the fast intervention by cops and a quick thinking by the cabbie, the child was reunited with his parents within an hour after he had gone missing.

The incident happened around 7.30pm on Tuesday after the family of four — a couple in their late 30s and their two kids aged 10 and 6 — took a pre-paid taxi from Kolkata airport. The family had returned from Lucknow and were heading to their Alambazar home near Dakshineswar.

The man had sat on the frontseat while the mother with her two kids were in the backseat. While their 10-yearold daughter was awake, the six-year-old son, who was sitting right behind the driver’s seat, had dozed off.

“After getting down at their home, they started taking out the luggage from the car. But none had noticed that the boy was left behind. The father said only after they went up home they realised that the boy had never got out of the car. They had the taxi’s counterfoil slip where our traffic control room’s number was printed, along with the car’s registration number. They called us and sought help,” said Dhritiman Sarkar, DC (traffic), Bidhannagar City Police.

Upon receiving the SOS call, cops contacted the prepaid counter at airport where a staffer checked database and called up the taxi owner. He then contacted the driver — Devtadeen Koery — and asked him to check if there was a kid in the backseat. Koery was surprised to find the boy still sleeping with his head against the car’s rear right door. “In my14-year-long career, I have seen people leaving behind mobiles and bags. But I have never seen someone leaving a child behind. Since he was tucked at the rightmost corner, I couldn’t even spot him in rear-view mirror. I had almost reached airport by that time and took the child to the nearest traffic guard,” said Koery.

Once he was taken to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport traffic guard, cops called his parents, who rushed to take their kid back.

Devtadeen Koery, the taxi driver

No phasing out nursing diploma course: Centre

No phasing out nursing diploma course: Centre

Hemali.Chhapia@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:  29.10.2020 

In a huge respite for nursing aspirants across the county, the ministry of health and family welfare has “not found feasible” the plan to stop the popular General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) course. This means, the Indian Nursing Council, which has stopped giving permission to start new GNM colleges across India since 2019 to phase out the diploma programme from 2020-21 academic year, will have to roll back its plan.

The GNM course, which has produced close to 1.2 lakh nurses so far, is a popular entry point for thousands of humanities and commerce high school graduates who want to shift to health sciences. Around 3,000 GNM nursing schools across the country offer the three-year diploma programme.

According to a March 14 notification issued by the council, the last admission for the GNM course was to be the 2020-21 academic year. But, several nursing associations had expressed concerns that the closure would have led to a shortage of nursing staff, especially in rural areas. There was to be an economic impact too as the Indian Nursing Council (INC) had plans to upgrade all GNM colleges to BSc nursing institutes, which would have meant that aspirants would have had to shell out more for a nursing degree.

“The matter has been examined in the ministry and it has not been found feasible to stop entry to GNM courses at this stage, and the proposal has not been acceded to,” said the ministry’s circular, a copy of which is with TOI.

INC member Ramling Mali said, “GNM graduates are more willing to work in rural areas, as also in non-branded hospitals. The notification from the ministry to not permit the discontinuation of the GNM course rings respite to thousands of nursing aspirants.”

Many feel that healthcare costs would have risen too. A BSc degree costs Rs 3-5 lakh, while a GNM course costs about Rs 1 lakh. While the academic eligibility for BSc demands science in class XII, GNM is open to even those from non-science backgrounds.

“Upgrading GNM centres to BSc colleges and training the faculty would have all had a bearing on the total fees which would have made this course out of reach for many. For the rather poorer section of the society, the professional degree of nursing is all that they can afford,” said Dr Balasaheb Pawar, president of Maharashtra’s Private Nursing Schools and College Managements’ Association. He said he received support from Dr Bharti Pawar, who is nominated to the INC as a member of the Lok Sabha.

JEE (Mains) topper, dad held for using proxy to clear exam

JEE (Mains) topper, dad held for using proxy to clear exam

Rokibuz Zaman@timesgroup.com

29.10.2020  

Guwahati: A JEE (Mains) topper, and his doctor father, were arrested on Wednesday in Assam for allegedly using a proxy candidate to appear in the test on his behalf. Three others were also arrested in connection with the crime.

The examination was held in September this year.

Additional DCP, Guwahati, Suprotiv Lal Baruah, said, “Neel Nakshatra Das, a student, was arrested on charges of allegedly appointing a proxy candidate to appear in the exam. He is the son of Dr Jyotirmoy Das. Two other arrested persons are employees of a private company. We are also investigating the role of a city-based coaching centre.”

The other accused have been identified as Hamendra Nath Sarma, Pranjal Kalita and Hirukamal Pathak. Baruah said an FIR was filed last week by one Mitradev Sharma at Azara police station here, alleging that Neel Nakshatra, who had a percentile of 99.8, allegedly did not appear for the test held on September 5.

Full report on www.toi.in

Are you a monster? SC asks death row convict for his cruelty

Are you a monster? SC asks death row convict for his cruelty

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: 29.10.2020 

The diabolical nature of a crime committed by a death row convict who slit the stomach of a woman and stuffed her clothes inside before stitching it up with metal wire shocked the Supreme Court, prompting the bench hearing his appeal to ask- “Are you a monster?”

At the outset of the hearing, Chief Justice S A Bobde, who was heading the bench, said he had not come across such a case in his entire life. “This is abnormal. Why did you cut open the abdomen and stuff clothes in it. We have not come across such murder case when an accused did what he has done,” the bench asked senior advocate Siddharth Luthra who was defending the convict.

The court finally agreed with Luthra’s contention that the case needed to be examined as no motive was proved in the case for the accused to kill the woman and there was no charge of rape. The bench then issued notice and stayed the execution of the death sentence.

A lower court in Kota sentenced Mohan Singh alias Mahaveer Singh, 50, to death under Sections 302, 201 and 392 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for murdering the woman whose naked body was found in a sack in Vigyan Nagar locality of the city on May 24, 2019. However, rape charges could not be proved against the accused. The victim was a labourer.

His conviction and death sentence was confirmed by the high court.

According to the prosecution, after failing to rape the woman, Mohan used a knife to slit her stomach and stuffed her clothes inside. Kota police had arrested Mohan in Kunhadi area of the city on June 10, 2019. They had also seized the knife used in the crime.

‘Elderly living with working people face high Covid risk’

‘Elderly living with working people face high Covid risk’

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com  29.10.2020 

New Delhi: Elderly people living with or in close contact with people of working age may be at higher Covid-19 mortality risk, a new study published in the Lancet shows.

The study conducted by researchers in Stockholm underlines the importance of living arrangements and household composition, such as care homes, crowded housing, and mixed-age households, as well as social contacts outside the household for understanding the spread of the infectious disease.

However, doctors in India say the age group studied as part of the research is already vulnerable, whereas living with younger people also mean receiving care from the latter.

“In India, we have observed that usually if one person gets infected in a family, it leads to almost all the members getting infected. So, we strongly advise people testing positive and having elderly people living in the same household to strictly maintain physical distance and look after the older people,” says Dr Manoj Kumar Goel, director, Fortis Memorial Research Institute.

The study was conducted in 2,79,961 individuals aged 70 years or older.

The mortality rate is over 20% in people above 70 years of age, says Dr Goel.

Experts say the risk is certainly higher among people living in congested places and slums where social distancing is not practically possible for a large section of the residents, although lack of awareness and a casual attitude also add to the problem.

“The best one can do is wear masks and consult doctors even in case of minor doubt. People should not be complacent and follow every required precaution. Sharing of same plates, towels, soaps should be avoided. Lead a healthy lifestyle and work on immunity as much as possible,” Dr Navneet Sood, pulmonary consultant, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital said.

LANCET STUDY FINDS

DU VC suspended, to face inquiry over administrative lapses

DU VC suspended, to face inquiry over administrative lapses

New Delhi: Delhi University vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi was suspended on the orders of President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday after an inquiry was instituted against him over allegations of administrative lapses and dereliction of duty, according to officials of the ministry of education (MoE).

Tyagi is possibly the first Delhi University VC to face suspension. University officials said such an action had not been taken against any VC in at least three decades.

The action comes amid a power tussle in the central university.

The President, who is the Visitor to the university, has placed Tyagi under suspension to ensure that the inquiry is fair and that he is not able to tamper with material records or coerce the witnesses, a senior ministry official said.

Among the lapses flagged against Tyagi are non-filling of vacant positions, delay in redressal of sexual harassment cases and vigilance complaints in university, mishandling of the issue of ad-hoc teachers which led to a massive agitation, and non-submission of detailed plan for implementation of the Institution of Eminence (IoE) and the latest being certain appointments made while he is on medical leave. PTI

NEVER BEFORE: Delhi University vice chancellor Yogesh Tyagi is possibly the first Delhi University VC to face suspension

Ex-nursing council member chargesheeted

₹12CR BRIBERY CASE

Ex-nursing council member chargesheeted

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  29.10.2020 

A month-and-half after he was arrested in Jaipur for allegedly receiving bribes of more than ₹12 crore and acquiring properties and trusts with the proceeds of crime, the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) against former member of the Indian Nursing Council Mahesh Chand Sharma, his wife, two sons and other associates.

Sharma had earlier served as tutor in the nursing college of SMS Medical College in Jaipur and was caught by the anti-corruption bureau of Rajasthan while accepting bribes from a private nursing institute to include it in the list of approved colleges of the Indian Nursing Council.

The ED’s money laundering probe and transaction trail revealed Sharma had acquired properties in the name of family members and several trusts he had formed for the purpose of layering ‘proceeds of crime’.

Full report on www.toi.in

Maternity leave no ground for termination of services: SC

Maternity leave no ground for termination of services: SC

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 29.10.2020 

The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed a Delhi University college for removing an ad hoc woman assistant professor during her maternity leave and said “having a child is no reflection on a woman’s professional ability”.

Manisha Priyadarshini has been working as an ad hoc assistant professor in different colleges affiliated to Delhi University. Her contractual appointment was getting renewed every four months with a notional break of one day for the last more than six years. The last renewal of her contract was in November 2018 when she was working with Aurobindo College. In January 2019, she sought maternity leave for four months as she was having complications in her pregnancy. She gave premature birth to a daughter, but the college removed her from service in March.

A Delhi high court bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Asha Menon ordered her reinstatement and imposed a cost of ₹50,000 on the college, which appealed against it in the SC.

An SC bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee said, “Maternity leave cannot be a ground for termination of services. Having a child is not a reflection on a woman’s professional ability whether she is in the Army, Navy, judiciary, teaching or bureaucracy. We will not allow termination on this ground.”

The SC bench told the college that it would be a travesty of justice if after removing the woman from her post, the college resorted to another ad hoc appointment.

Full report on www.toi.in

Law graduates in Tamil Nadu to get Rs 3,000 stipend

Law graduates in Tamil Nadu to get Rs 3,000 stipend

For law students hailing from economically poor backgrounds in rural areas, it takes at least three or four years to become full-fledged advocates.

Published: 29th October 2020 03:48 AM |

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday launched a new scheme to provide Rs 3,000 per month as assistance to young law graduates who hail from economically poor backgrounds during the initial years of their career.

At a simple function held at the Secretariat, nine young law graduates received the assistance from the Chief Minister. The assistance will be given for two years. An official release said the law graduates, just after passing out of their colleges, have to clear the All India Bar Examination to get themselves permanent registration in the Bar Council. 

After that, they have to practice as junior advocates for two to three years. For law students hailing from economically poor backgrounds in rural areas, it takes at least three or four years to become full-fledged advocates. 

“During this period, many are under poverty, and a few move to some other professions. Now, this special scheme will help those advocates,” the release added. When the scheme was announced in July, the State Bar Council had announced that only law graduates from government law colleges with less than Rs 2.5 lakh annual income and aged under 30 would be eligible for this stipend.

HC asks CB-CID to probe Tamil Nadu PG medical admission ‘scam’

HC asks CB-CID to probe Tamil Nadu PG medical admission ‘scam’

Self-financing colleges filled 74 seats with ‘un-meritorious candidates’, observes court.

Published: 29th October 2020 04:17 AM |

By Harish Murali

Express News Service

CHENNAI: In a surprise move, the Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered a CB-CID probe into an alleged nexus between the Directorate of Medical Education and private medical colleges in the State.

While passing the order on a batch of petitions filed by several candidates who were denied PG admissions even after mop-up counselling, Justice Anand Venkatesh said that taking advantage of the pandemic, self-financing medical colleges had filled up 74 seats with “un-meritorious candidates.” The judge came down heavily on the medical admission process in his order, saying that even candidates with low scores were being given seats.

“There is something more than what meets the eye when it comes to filling up seats in private medical colleges by ways other than counselling. Obviously, these are all candidates capable of pulling strings, and had a clear understanding with colleges concerned,” he said.

The judge added that “every year, some mechanism is devised by self-financing colleges to fill-up vacancies in this manner.” Coming down also on the government, the court said, “The State can never take the chance of filling up a medical seat with ‘un-meritorious’ candidates since it directly involves the life of a person.” That is why the Supreme Court, the judge said, reiterates time and again that when it comes to PG courses, merit can be the only selection criteria.

He added: “Taking advantage of Covid, 74 seats were given in a platter to private colleges and these colleges merrily filled up the vacancies with candidates who could not even have dreamt of getting an allotment through regular counselling.” The CB-CID team is to be headed by an officer, not below the rank of an Assistant Commissioner, the Court added. 

The team will be probing any conspiracy between the officials of Directorate of Medical Education and self-financing colleges in filling up stray vacancies this year; the amount received from each candidate who was admitted by the self-financing colleges on August 31 and other issues that unfolds during the investigation. The court ordered the team to submit its report on February 1.

மருத்துவப் படிப்பில் முறைகேடு: ஐகோர்ட் அதிரடி உத்தரவு

மருத்துவப் படிப்பில் முறைகேடு: ஐகோர்ட் அதிரடி உத்தரவு

Added : அக் 28, 2020 23:35

சென்னை:முதுநிலை மருத்துவப் படிப்பில் ஏற்பட்ட காலியிடங்களை நிரப்ப, தனியார் மருத்துவ கல்லுாரிகளுக்கும், மருத்துவ கல்வி இயக்குனரக அதிகாரிகளுக்கும் இடையே சதி திட்டம் இருந்ததா என்பது குறித்து, சி.பி.சி.ஐ.டி., விசாரணை நடத்த, சென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்றம் உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.

கோவையைச் சேர்ந்த, டாக்டர் எஸ்.அரவிந்த் தாக்கல் செய்த மனுவில், 'முதுநிலை மருத்துவப் படிப்பில், நிர்வாக ஒதுக்கீட்டு இடங்களுக்கு, இறுதி கட்ட கவுன்சிலிங் நடத்தாமல், மாணவர்கள் சேர்க்கையை முடிக்கக் கூடாது. 'இறுதி கட்ட கவுன்சிலிங் நடத்தி, மாணவர்கள் சேர்க்கையை முடிக்க, உத்தரவிட வேண்டும்' என கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.டாக்டர் கீதாஞ்சலி என்பவரும், மனு தாக்கல் செய்திருந்தார்.

சேர்க்கை

இம்மனுக்களை விசாரித்த நீதிபதி ஆனந்த் வெங்கடேஷ், கவுன்சிலிங் அவகாசத்தை நீட்டிக்க கோரி, உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்தில் உடனடியாக மனு தாக்கல் செய்ய, அட்வகேட் ஜெனரல் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க உத்தரவிட்டிருந்தார். இதையடுத்து, அவகாசம் நீட்டிக்க கோரிய தமிழக அரசின் மனுவை, உச்ச நீதிமன்றம் நிராகரித்தது.

'நீட்' தேர்வில் தன்னை விட குறைவான மதிப்பெண் பெற்றவர்களுக்கு, தனியார் கல்லுாரியில் இடம் வழங்கப்பட்டு உள்ளதாகவும், அதை ரத்து செய்ய வேண்டும் என, மாணவி சார்பில், வழக்கறிஞர் தங்கசிவன் முறையிட்டார்.இந்த வழக்கில், நீதிபதி ஆனந்த் வெங்கடேஷ் பிறப்பித்த உத்தரவு:மருத்துவப் படிப்பில் தகுதி குறைந்தவர்களை சேர்ப்பதற்கு, அரசு எப்போதும் சந்தர்ப்பம் அளிக்கக் கூடாது. ஏனென்றால், மருத்துவப் படிப்பு மனித உயிர் சம்பந்தப்பட்டது.

எனவே தான், மருத்துவ படிப்புகளில், தகுதியை மட்டுமே அளவுகோலாக, உச்ச நீதிமன்றம் அவ்வப்போது வலியுறுத்தி வருகிறது.இந்த வழக்கைப் பொறுத்தவரை, நீதிமன்றம் கேள்வி எழுப்பிய பின் தான், கடைசி கட்ட கவுன்சிலிங் நடத்த, அவகாசத்தை நீட்டிக்க கோரி, உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்தை அரசு அணுகியது. நிர்வாக ஒதுக்கீட்டுக்கான இடங்களை நிரப்ப, கவுன்சிலிங் நடத்துவதற்கு, அரசுக்கு தடையும் இல்லை.

ஆனால், அதை அரசு மேற்கொள்ளவில்லை. அதனால், 74 இடங்கள், தனியார் கல்லுாரிகளுக்கு விட்டு கொடுக்கப்பட்டுஉள்ளன.இந்த இடங்களை, கல்லுாரிகள் நிரப்பி கொண்டன. 'ரெகுலர்' கவுன்சிலிங்கில் இடம் கிடைக்க தகுதி பெறாதவர்கள், தனியார் கல்லுாரிகளில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டு உள்ளனர்.

சாதகம்

தனியார் கல்லுாரிகளுக்கு, ஆக., 30ம் தேதி இறுதி பட்டியலை, தேர்வுக் குழு அளித்துள்ளது. அதில், மாணவர்களின் தொடர்பு விபரங்கள் இல்லை.அப்படி இருக்கும்போது, எப்படி இந்த மாணவர்களை பிடித்து, 31ம் தேதி அவர்களுக்கு இடங்களை ஒதுக்கியது என்ற, கேள்வி எழுகிறது. ஒவ்வொரு ஆண்டும், ஏதாவது ஒரு வழிமுறையை கண்டுபிடித்து, தனியார் கல்லுாரிகள் இடங்களை நிரப்புகின்றன.

இத்தகைய சூழ்நிலை தொடர அனுமதித்தால், தகுதியுள்ள மாணவர்களுக்கு அநீதி இழைப்பதாகும். பண வசதி உள்ள மாணவன், இடங்களை வாங்கி, மற்ற மாணவர்களுடன் மருத்துப் படிப்பை படிக்க முடியும்.இப்படிப்பட்ட முறையில் இடம்பெறும் மாணவன், இந்த சமூகத்துக்கு பெரிதும் ஆபத்தானவன்.

எப்படியாவது படிப்பை முடித்து, அப்பாவி மக்களின் உயிரோடு விளையாடுவான். இந்த கல்வியாண்டில், வைரஸ் தொற்றை சாதகமாக்கி, தகுதி குறைவானவர்களை வைத்து, 74 இடங்கள் நிரப்பப்பட்டுஉள்ளன.

சதி

இதில், மருத்துவ கல்வி இயக்குனரக அதிகாரிகளுக்கும், தனியார் கல்லுாரிகளுக்கும் இடையே சதி இருப்பது தெரிகிறது. இதுகுறித்து, விசாரிக்கப்பட வேண்டும்.விசாரணையில் தான், சதியின் பின்னணியில் இருப்பவர்கள் யார்; மாணவர்களிடம் இருந்து எவ்வளவு பணம் பெறப்பட்டது என்பது தெரிய வரும். தனியார் கல்லுாரிகள், அறக்கட்டளை நடத்தவில்லை.

இந்த மாணவர்கள் சேர்க்கை வாயிலாக, அவர்கள் லாபம் அடைந்திருப்பர்.சட்டவிரோத நடவடிக்கைகளை பொறுத்துக் கொள்ளாது என்ற, வலுவான செய்தியை தெரிவிக்க, நீதிமன்றங்கள் கடுமையான நடவடிக்கையை எடுக்க வேண்டும்.எனவே, இந்த வழக்கை, சி.பி.சி.ஐ.டி., வசம் ஒப்படைக்க, டி.ஜி.பி.,க்கு உத்தரவிடப்படுகிறது. உதவி ஆணையர் தலைமையில் குழுவை நியமித்து, விசாரிக்க உத்தரவிட வேண்டும்.

ஆக., 31ல், காலியிடங்களை நிரப்புவதில், மருத்துவ கல்வி இயக்குனரக அதிகாரிகளுக்கும், தனியார் கல்லுாரிகளுக்கும் இடையே சதி நடந்ததா; ஒவ்வொரு மாணவரிடம் இருந்து பெறப்பட்ட தொகை பற்றி, விசாரிக்க வேண்டும்.ஜன., 30ம் தேதி, அறிக்கை தாக்கல் செய்ய வேண்டும்.இவ்வாறு, நீதிபதி உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளார்.

AIADMK unhappy with BJP for using MGR in its Vetrivel Yatra teaser Saffron Party Equates MGR With Modi

AIADMK unhappy with BJP for using MGR in its Vetrivel Yatra teaser

Saffron Party Equates MGR With Modi

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:29.10.2020

The ruling AIADMK and its ally, the BJP, crossed swords over the use of former chief minister M G Ramachandran’s photograph in the teaser of Vetrivel Yatra, a month-long public outreach programme. The BJP says it is aimed at celebrating the “tall Dravidian leader”.

A three-and-a-half minute teaser being circulated widely on social media comes ahead of state president L Murugan’s launch of yatra in Tiruttani on November 6. A photograph of MGR sporting his charming smile against the backdrop of the lotus symbol appears in a flash with a background narrator drawing a parallel between ‘Ponmanachemmal’, as MGR is popularly known, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Modiji also follows the path of MGR and does good work just like MGR did and remains popular among women,” BJP state president L Murugan said, justifying the comparison. The party is all set to promote the teaser extensively in the coming days, with Union ministers and national leaders joining the programme in six Muruga temples.

The ruling AIADMK is furious given that attempts were made recently by ‘mischievous’ elements to drape MGR statues with saffron shawls. Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had condemned the act as “shameful and barbaric,” while his deputy, O Panneerselvam put out a strongly worded statement. AIADMK deputy coordinator K P Munusamy said no other party can usurp the MGR legacy.

The BJP leaders say the party was only celebrating the AIADMK founder, who was well ahead of his times with his national mindset. “He was pro-Hindu, and a nationalist, who prefixed the All India tag to the party. A Dravidian leader, who diluted the anti-Hindu perspective and upheld the nationalist principles,” said BJP state general secretary Prof Raama Sreenivasan. “We celebrate MGR and will continue to respect him. MGR is near and dear to us,” said Sreenivasan. The party had earlier “celebrated” national icons like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Nethaji Subash Chandra Bose and Lal Bahadur Shastri and late Congress leader K Kamaraj too.

But the AIADMK is far from happy about the BJP’s move. “MGR is ours. He is our founder leader,” AIADMK minister D Jayakumar said, asking the BJP to turn to its own leaders. Former minister and AIADMK spokesman Vaigai Chelvan said the AIADMK had been continuing on the path laid down by the charismatic leader. The photographs of leaders of the other parties can be used in campaigns only after alliances are cemented, he said.

The ruling AIADMK is furious given that attempts were made recently by ‘mischievous’ elements to drape MGR statues with saffron shawls

Appointment of ABVP prez in AIIMS board draws flak

Appointment of ABVP prez in AIIMS board draws flak

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:29.10.2020

A notification issued by the Union ministry of health and family welfare appointing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) president and government Kilpauk Medical College head of surgical oncology Dr Shanmugam Subbiah as one of the board members of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Madurai, kicked up a storm in Tamil Nadu.

MPs Kanimozhi (DMK), D Ravikumar (VCK), Su Venkatesan (CPI) and B Manickam Tagore expressed their discontent over appointing Dr Subbiah, who was in news recently for “harassing” his woman neighbour in Chennai by throwing garbage and urinating at her doorstep. The Adambakkam police registered a case, but the complaint was withdrawn the next day. Kanimozhi tweeted: “Is this (appointment of Dr Subbiah) an endorsement of indecent behaviour and also an incentive for other BJP cadres to follow suit?”

The notification issued on October 15 by joint secretary Sunil Sharma said former ICMR director VM Katoch, who is currently president of JIPMER, has been appointed as the president of AIIMS, Madurai. TN Dr MGR Medical university VC chancellor Dr Sudha Seshayyan has been appointed as its member as per Clause (A) Section 4 of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Act. Three others -- Director General of Health Service (ex-offico), Director of the Institute (ex-offico) and additional finance secretary and financial advisor to health department -- will be members under Clauses B, C and D respective

No prior nod needed, just e-registration for travel, govt tells court

No prior nod needed, just e-registration for travel, govt tells court

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:29.10.2020 

The e-pass system in Tamil Nadu has been replaced by e-registration regimen, which is an automated process requiring no prior approval for travel, the Tamil Nadu government has informed the Madras high court.

International travellers entering the state and travellers to hill stations must do e-registration prior to their travel, Tamil Nadu advocate-general Vijay Narayan told the first bench of chief justice A P Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy on Wednesday.

“The state government has passed a government order on October 27 modifying the restrictions for movement of public in view of the pandemic,” he said, adding that through e-registration, a traveller should provide his basic details like address and contact number for the purpose of contact-tracing in case of spike in Covid-19.

The issue pertains to a PIL filed by K R Ezhil Nadhi challenging the restriction imposed by the government prohibiting travel to hill stations in the state.

Representing the petitioner, advocate Abishek Jebaraj contended that in view of the powers exercised by the Union ministry of home affairs, guidelines were issued on September 30, which restrains the states from imposing lockdowns outside containment zones.

It was made clear that there must be no restriction on inter and intra state movement, he argued.

It was the petitioner’s contention that e-registration requirement should be made post-travel and authorities should not insist on a pre-travel registration.

Refusing to concur with the submission, the bench said the state has substantially resolved the problem by passing the government order and disposed of the plea.

The state government made the submission to the court hearing a plea that challenged restrictions on travel to hill stations. The court disposed of the petition saying the state has taken adequate measures

›E-pass hurting tourism, P8

35% people not wearing masks, CM tells officers

35% people not wearing masks, CM tells officers

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:29.10.2020 

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday said 35% of the population in the state was not wearing masks and that the district administrators should ensure strict compliance of rules. The government has distributed 46 lakh reusable cloth masks to the poor in Chennai, and 4.95 crore in the rest of the state.

During a video conference with district collectors ahead of extending the lockdown, the chief minister said, “People are careless and don’t wear masks, unaware of the severity of the disease. The administration should get them to comply with.” Palaniswami pointed to the Deepavali festive season and the rush on streets and told the local bodies to pay special attention to spray disinfectants in the Covid-infected areas.

The districts that record more than 100 cases a day should bring them below 100 ahead of Deepavali, while those that record less than 100 should get them below 50, and districts that see 50 cases a day should see nil cases, the collectors were told.

Palaniswami said the opposition should stop defaming his government’s Covid-management given that the virus spread was getting reduced in the state. The neighbouring states, which the opposition was pointing to earlier to ease the curbs, were lately seeing a high number of cases, he said.

The state government has spent ₹7,372 crore towards Covid-management, including ₹1,983 crore towards health expenditure. The number of daily cases has come down to less than 3,000 in the past four days and active cases also reduced to 30,000. Recovery rate has been 94.57% and the death rate 1.53%.

Pondy positivity rate 2.7%

Puducherry: After two days of zero Covid-19 deaths, Puducherry reported two fatalities on Wednesday. The death toll of the Union territory is 590. The UT’s fatality rate is 1.7%. The territory reported 102 fresh cases even as 154 patients were discharged, bringing down active cases to 3,686. Positivity rate was 2.7%, the lowest in the last three months.

Govt asks religious board to stop using state emblem

Govt asks religious board to stop using state emblem

Improper Use Is A Punishable Offence

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai: 29.10.2020 

The Tamil Nadu government has ordered the state Waqf board, which governs Muslim religious properties and is headed by a bureaucrat, and few other undertakings to stop using the official emblem of the government.

The government sought adherence to an earlier order which listed out the institutions allowed to use the tricolour-embellished Tamil Nadu emblem. The Waqf board did not find a mention on the list.

“It has been noticed that Tamil Nadu Waqf Board is using the State Emblem in tricolour. I request the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board and all offices under its control not to use the Tamil Nadu government state emblem by and to remove the state emblem from your letterheads forthwith,” B Chandra Mohan, principal secretary to the state government, minorities welfare department, said in a letter addressed to the board’s chief executive officer (CEO).

The letter, dated October 12, directed Faritha Banu, the Waqf Board CEO, to inform all district Kazis to stop using the emblem.

Government sources said Waqf Board is not the only state undertaking to receive such a letter as several others in other departments too have been told to strictly comply with the law.

Each department head (on October 5) was asked to take action against this and update the details soon. The complete list of designated commissions/offices allowed to use them is governed by two orders (G.O No.739 and  871) issued in 1994.

The move comes after complaints that office-bearers of state undertakings were misusing the emblem and that the government was keen on controlling this ahead of the election season, sources added.

Improper use of the state emblem is a punishable offence and the violators can be booked under Section 260 read with 5 of the Indian Penal Code (improper use of government emblem or stamp). Karur-based businessman Anbunathan was the last person to be booked for this offence while using them in an unlicensed ambulance with a fake registration number.

Transportation activist K Kathirmathiyon said these officials are not provided with G-series vehicle numbers (reserved for government staff). So they fix the emblem expecting merit and exemptions at toll plazas and check posts.

In a letter to the state Waqf board, which governs Muslim religious properties and is headed by a bureaucrat, principal secretary to the state minorities welfare department asked them to not use the state emblem and remove the same from their letter heads

20 engg colleges in TN couldn’t fill a single seat

20 engg colleges in TN couldn’t fill a single seat

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:29.10.2020

Thirteen colleges, including 12 government and aided colleges and one self-financing college, filled 100% seats while 20 colleges could not fill a single seat after four rounds of online counselling conducted by Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions committee. Last year, 16 colleges could not get a single student.

This year, 56.4% seats in 461 engineering colleges remained vacant after general counselling.

The absentees in the counselling jumped by 12% compared to previous year. Of the 1,10,836 students who were called for general counselling, 69,752 (62.9%) were allotted seats in four rounds, 6,612 less than last year.

In special categories, including sports, ex-servicemen, differently-abled and vocational stream, 1,443 students got allotment. Overall, 71,195 seats (43.6%) were filled against1,63,154 seats available with 91,959 seats remaining vacant. Last year, 48.2% seats were filled in the counselling.

Due to Covid-19, the number of admissions has come down by 5% in the counselling. However, top colleges say they had a good admission season.

“These colleges have filled more seats despite the Covid-19 crisis. Students and parents gave importance to colleges that have good placement records and faculty members,” said R M Kishore, vice-chairman, RMK Engineering College.

Colleges with poor placement records last year could not attract many students. This year, only 139 colleges were able to fill more than 50% of the seats in the counselling.

“At the end of academic counselling, almost 250 colleges have less than 100 seats in the first year. It is financially not viable for the management to give quality education. Students and faculty members would be affected,” said career consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi. A majority of the students joined computer science, information technology, artificial intelligence and data science, electronics and communication, he said.

Principals said around 103 colleges will face a crisis in 2020-21 as they were able to fill less than 10% of their intake. A private college principal said colleges which have less than 10% admissions cannot afford faculty members and conduct classes for these students. “Anna University should intervene and transfer these students to other colleges which have more admissions,” he said.

City airport’s website fails to fly high -

City airport’s website fails to fly high -

The Times Of India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:28.10.2020

The city airport is yet to have a good website though there is a demand from people to know about Covid-19 restrictions and protocols, espcially at a time when states have started to change the screening and quarantine procedure for international and domestic passengers.

The existing website does not have information on flight schedules, details of health screening of passengers, quarantine rules. Instead it has only basic information about the airport.

The home page of Chennai airport's website that is run by Airports Authority of India shows in three boxes - Latest News, Tourist Places and Contact for advertisement. Closure of retirning rooms at the airport from February 3 and caution against employment fraud are shown under latest news.

In contrast, the website of Mumbai airport has a slide show detailing advisory for passengers, instructions for those repatriated to India, information for international arriving passengers, details of Covid-19 tests and others. There are also tabs to book an RT-PCR test at the airport's lab. Flight schedules are also posted. Similar is the case with websites of Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi and Kochi.

Sources said after a lot of complaints about the website, AAI improved its social media presence. AAI posts daily updates on flight schedules, quarantine guidelines, test protocols on its Twitter handle. However, the page gets a lot of comments and queries from passengers because most of the tweets get drowned when fresh tweets or retweets are posted. There will be at least four to five comments under each of the posts asking for details on flights, Covid-19 quarantine rules, availability of testing facility at the airport, need for test certificates and others. "The website has been outdated and poorly designed for the last few years. The local officials are not able to do much because it is handled from Delhi," said an airline official. .

M K Ajith Kumar, spokesperson, South Indian MICE Association, said "An updated website absolutely essential for domestic travellers and international travellers. A business traveller from abroad may want to know the whether the airport has a meet and greet facility, connectivity to the city. The airport is well linked to a metro station. These details can be updated daily otherwise they fall prey to touts. Domestic passengers will be able to check Covid-19 protocols which keep changing from one state to another."