NEWS TODAY 01.10.2024

 

RG Kar graft probe may extend to other medical institutions in Bengal: SC

RG Kar graft probe may extend to other medical institutions in Bengal: SC

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesofindia.com 01.10.2024

New Delhi : SC Monday said the ongoing CBI probe into the rape-murder of a doctor and financial irregularities in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital could be expanded to include other medical institutions of West Bengal after it was alleged that there was a well-entrenched gang working in the state. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said it would not hesitate to expand the ambit of the probe into financial irregularities in other institutions. 

It also asked CBI to share its report with the state govt so that departmental action could be taken against people named for allegedly covering up the murder or indulging in financial irregularities. The bench was hearing a suo motu case related to the rape-murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College after which people hit the road in massive protests. 

Prez: Attacks on docs unacceptable Attacks on doctors by patients or their relatives are unacceptable, President Droupadi Murmu said Monday. “None of the doctors wants any harm to patients, but on many occasions, the solutions are not available in science,” she said at the 10th convocation of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and RML Hospital. TNN 

‘Corrupt people are holding top positions in hosp’ The court also expressed dissatisfaction over the slow progress by the state govt in installation of CCTVs and construction of toilets and separate resting rooms in govt medical colleges. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the West Bengal govt, assured the court that the state would try to complete the task by Oct 15. Going through the probe report placed before it in a sealed cover, the bench said substantial leads had come up in the investigation. Senior advocates Indira Jaising and Karuna Nundy, appearing for a resident doctors’ association, said many people facing allegations of financial irregularities were still holding positions of power in RG Kar Hospital. 

They said it was necessary that those people be kept under suspension till the probe was over. They said it would be difficult for doctors to work if such people continued to hold office there. Dwivedi assured the court that action would be taken if CBI shared the names of such people. The court also directed solicitor general Tushar Mehta to submit a report on the progress of National Task Force.

Foundation Day: PSG IMS&R confers honour on four alumni

Foundation Day: PSG IMS&R confers honour on four alumni

The awardees with the dignitaries at the Foundation Day celebrations of PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in the city on Monday.

The Hindu Bureau

COIMBATORE  1.10.2024 

The Foundation Day celebrations of PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (PSG IMS&R) here on Monday was marked by conferment of Distinguished Alumnus Scroll of Honour on four old students.

The awardees constituted Urmila Soman, Lead Consultant, Minimally Invasive Gynaecology, Apollo Adlux Hospital, Kochi; M Malarvizhi, Professor & Head of Department of Medical Gastroenterology, Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai; M Ganesh, Chief Gastroenterologist & Chairman, SG Gastro Care, Coimbatore; and S. Saravana Kumar, Senior & Lead Consultant, Department of Obesity & Diabetic Center, GEM Hospital, Coimbatore.

The institution has been celebrating its Foundation Day in commemoration of its start in 1985 as one among the three medical colleges permitted by the State government for the first time.

Felicitating the awardees, Surgical Gastroenterologist J. S. Rajkumar, Chairman and Chief SurgeonatLifelineGroup of Hospitals, Kilpauk, Chennai, recalled the illustrious legacy of PSG and Sons Charities, and its profound impact on society through providing essential healthcare services, education, environmental conservation, community empowerment, and preserving and promoting cultural heritage.

Presiding over the function, Managing Trustee of PSG & Sons Charities Trust, L Gopalakrishnan, recalled that the healthcare initiative began with the setting up of the rural health centre at Vedapatti 50 years ago.

The institute has consistently been ranked the top 50 among medical schools as per the National Institute ranking framework, he said, appreciating the alumni for offering mentorship and sharing their best practices with students and the faculty.

Principal of the institution T. M. Subba Rao, and Vice-Principal G. Sumithra also spoke.

When Jaggi Vasudev’s daughter is married and well-settled in life, why is he encouraging other women to live like hermits, ask Madras High Court judges

When Jaggi Vasudev’s daughter is married and well-settled in life, why is he encouraging other women to live like hermits, ask Madras High Court judges

Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI 01.10.2024 

When Jaggi Vasudev, alias Sadhguru, of Isha Foundation had got his daughter married and ensured that she was well-settled in life, why was he encouraging other young women to tonsure their heads, renounce worldly life, and live like hermits at his yoga centres, asked Justices S.M. Subramaniam and V. Sivagnanam of the Madras High Court on Monday.

The judges raised the question during the hearing of a habeas corpus petition filed by S. Kamaraj, 69, a retired professor of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore. The petitioner had claimed that two of his well-educated daughters, aged 42 and 39, respectively, had been “brainwashed” into living at the Isha Yoga Centre permanently. Both the alleged detainees, however, appeared before the Division Bench on Monday and made it clear that they were residing at the yoga centre on the Velliangiri foothills in Coimbatore of their own volition.

Nevertheless, after interacting with them, the judges decided to probe the issue further.

Surprised by their decision, advocate K. Rajendra Kumar, representing Isha Foundation, said the court could not expand the scope of the case. However, Justice Subramaniam said the court, exercising the writ jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution, was expected to do complete justice, and it was necessary to get to the bottom of the case.

The judge also said the court had certain doubts regarding the case. When the advocate sought to know what they were, Justice Sivagnanam said, “We want to know why a person who had given his daughter in marriage and made her settle well in life is encouraging the daughters of others to tonsure their heads and live the life of a hermitess.”

When the advocate replied that an adult was free to choose their own path in life, and that he could not understand the court’s doubt, Justice Subramaniam said, “You will not understand because you are appearing for a particular party. But this court is neither for nor against anybody. We only want to do justice to the litigants.”

When the petitioner’s daughters sought to make their submissions, the senior judge in the Bench said, “You claim to be on the path of spirituality. Don’t you think that neglecting your parents is a sin? We could see so much of hatred in you for your parents.”

On being told by the petitioner’s counsel, M. Purushothaman, that there were multiple criminal cases involving Isha Foundation, and that recently, a doctor serving there had been booked under the POCSO Act, the judges directed Additional Public Prosecutor E. Raj Thilak to file a status report by October 4, listing all the cases related to the foundation.

In his affidavit, the petitioner said his elder daughter had obtained her engineering degree in mechatronics in 2003 and pursued M.Tech from a popular university in the U.K. She got a job in the same university and was drawing around ₹1 lakh a month in 2004. She married a man based out of the U.S. in 2007, but they got divorced in 2008. She then began attending yoga classes at Isha Foundation. 

Following in her footsteps, the petitioner’s younger daughter, a software engineer, began residing at the yoga centre, the petitioner said. He said that life had been “hell” for him and his 63-year-old wife ever since their daughters “abandoned” them. He alleged that some kind of food and medicine was being administered to his daughters, which made them lose their cognitive faculties.

A talented student should not be left in the lurch: SC

A talented student should not be left in the lurch: SC

 CJI Directs IIT-Dhanbad To Admit Him 

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesofindia.com   1.10.2024

New Delhi : Invoking its extraordinary power under Article 142 of the Constitution to do complete justice, Supreme Court on Monday came to the rescue of a dalit boy who could not get admission in IIT-Dhanbad because he could not pay the admission fee of ₹17,500 on time to secure his seat. Observing that ‘it cannot allow such a talented boy to go away’ and miss the opportunity after cracking the tough entrance exam, a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra directed that the petitioner be admitted to the electrical engineering course in IIT-Dhanbad. 

It directed the institute to create an additional seat to accommodate him without disturbing other students who have been admitted. “We are affirmatively of the view that a talented student like the petitioner should not be left in the lurch. The power of the court under Article 142 of the Constitu tion to do complete justice is to address such situations,” the SC said in its order and directed that the petitioner be admitted in the same batch in which he would have been taken in and be given all consequential benefits such as hostel admission. 

Eighteen-year-old Atul Kumar had moved SC as the last resort after he missed the deadline to pay the requisite fee. He had earlier approached National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Jharkhand Legal Services Authority and Madras high court to save his hard-earned seat but failed to get relief. Atul moved SC whose intervention ensured that he will be able to pursue his engineering dream in IIT Dhanbad. The counsel appearing for the IIT Seat Allocation Authority opposed Kumar’s plea saying that  his login details indicated that he was getting all information regarding the date and time for making payments and he was well aware of the requirement and the deadline. He said that all the students were informed about the need to make the payment on the date of mock interview, much prior to the last date. The Authority said that the student was sent repeated reminders through SMS and WhatsApp and he should not take a stand that he was not aware about the due date. 

The bench, however, told the authority that if the boy was receiving and responding to the messages then it showed that he was very diligent and concerned about the admission. It said that the real problem was that he could not manage the fee of ₹17,500 on time for online payment before the 5 pm deadline. “Why are you opposing so much? You should see if something could be done and find a way out,” the bench told the authority

3 doctors booked for MS student’s murder at UP hospital car parking

3 doctors booked for MS student’s murder at UP hospital car parking 

01.10.2024 

Prayagraj : Three doctors of Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital in Prayagraj have booked for the murder of an MS student, Dr Kartikeya Srivastava (29), who was found dead in his car parked in the campus late Saturday. Based on a complaint lodged by Kartikeya’s sister Aditi Srivastava, who is posted as superintendent of Bijnor district jail, an FIR has been lodged against an associate professor of orthopaedic department, Dr Sachin Yadav, and two junior residents under Section 103 (murder) of BNS.

They have also been accused of physical and mental torture of Kartikeya. Kartikeya was initially suspected to have died by suicide as a syringe and two empty vials of anaesthesia were found in the car. However, the postmortem report revealed that asphyxiation caused his death. The viscera has been preserved for further chemical analysis. According to his sister’s complaint, when Kartikeya was a junior resident, his senior and second year student Shivam Gupta harassed him mentally and physically. When he reported the matter to associate professor Sachin Yadav, instead of taking corrective measures, he also harassed her brother mentally

Corporation staff made to work at houses of IAS officers: Ramadoss seeks action

Corporation staff made to work at houses of IAS officers: Ramadoss seeks action

The TN government must take strict action against these IAS officers concerned and others involved," he said.

PMK founder S Ramadoss

Express News Service

27 Sep 2024, 

VILLUPURAM/CHENNAI: PMK founder S Ramadoss on Thursday urged TN government to act against IAS officers for making Chennai Corporation employees work at their homes to carry out personal chores. "There have been reports that two IAS officers made corporation workers perform household tasks and care for elderly kin.

These workers are employed by the corporation, and their salaries are paid from public taxes. The TN government must take strict action against these IAS officers concerned and others involved," he said.

AIADMK’s IT wing secretary Raj Sathyan, too, in a post on ‘X’, questioned the Chennai Corporation administration over the impropriety.

The TNIE, in a special report on Wednesday, had exposed how 29 sanitary workers and staff nurses from 13 of Chennai’s Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) have been ordered to skip their regular duty and instead work in shifts at the homes of these two senior IAS officers.

While one officer is a Principal Secretary, who has served as Commissioner of the GCC in the past, the other has served in four departments under the present state government. TNIE has independently verified that at least one worker reported for work at the former's address located on the ground floor of a two-storey apartment in Anna Nagar F Block.

GCC officials have prepared unsigned rosters listing staff names, their phone numbers, and the date and time during which they need to report for work at the specific address until the end of October. A WhatsApp group was also created for coordinating the work.

Probe ordered after doc leaves needle inside girl’s head in UP

Probe ordered after doc leaves needle inside girl’s head in UP 

‘CHC MEDIC WAS UNDER INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL' 

Krishna Chaudhary TNN  01.10.2024

Meerut : A govt doctor at a community health centre (CHC) in UP allegedly left an inch-long surgical needle inside the head of an 18-year-old girl while stitching up a deep cut she suffered during a scuffle with neighbours at Garh in Hapur. After her family raised the matter, Hapur chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Sunil Tyagi constituted a two-member team on Monday to probe the incident. 

The girl’s mother, Meena Begum, said the doctor at the CHC was “under the influence of alcohol, and it was due to sheer negligence that her daughter, Sitara (known by her first name), suffered so much”. She added: “We don't want a similar situation to happen to anyone else. We want immediate action against the doctor.” Tyagi said they came to know about the matter via media and refuted the family’s allegations that the CHC doctor was ‘inebriated’. He added: “No doctor in this district consumes alcohol... We’ll initiate necessary steps once we get the probe findings.” Soon after the procedure, Sitara started experiencing excruciating pain whenever she moved her head and neck. 

As the pain continued, her kin took her to a local private hospital on Sunday. There, once the stitches were removed, to the shock of everyone around, they found a surgical needle inside the girl’s head.

US opens 2.5L visa interviews in India amid surging demand

US opens 2.5L visa interviews in India amid surging demand

Saurabh.Sinha@timesofindia.com 01.10.2024

New Delhi : The US embassy has opened an additional 2.5 lakh visa appointments for Indian citizens to “facilitate timely interviews and streamline the travel process.” The US has been taking a number of steps since late 2021 to cut waiting period for interviews, following a postCovid surge in visa applications across all categories. But the sheer volumes meant a waiting period of over a year for interview required for visitor visa in many US missions in India. 

However, there has been a significant improvement from a wait of almost three years witnessed in end-2021. This year, for instance, a record number of student visas has been issued, for the fourth time in a row. While the exact number is not yet known, it is more than the over 1.4 lakh student visas issued last year — which was the most for any country globally then. “During our student visa season this (2024) summer, we processed record numbers, and all firsttime student applicants were able to obtain an appointment at one of our five consular sections around India,” the US Embassy said Monday. 

The 2.5 lakh visa appointments were opened as the US missions in India crossed 10 lakh nonimmigrant visa applications for the second consecutive year. Over 12 lakh Indians travelled to the US in 2024, representing a 35% increase from the same period in 2023. And 60 lakh Indians hold valid non-immigrant visas, with thousands more being issued daily, the embassy said. Speaking about the collaborative efforts between PM Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden to expedite the visa process, US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said: “PM Modi and President Biden set an ambitious goal to improve and expedite the visa process and we have delivered on that promise. Our consular teams at the embassy and four consulates work tirelessly to ensure that we meet the surging demand.” 

The US visa demand is so high that the wait period for an interview-required visitor visa was 477  days in Kolkata, 466 in Delhi, 433 in Chennai, 352 in Hyderabad and 312 in Mumbai (as on last Thursday as per US State Dept website).

Polytechnic faculty to be trained in emerging trends, technologies

Polytechnic faculty to be trained in emerging trends, technologies

 Preetika.p@timesofindia.com  01.10.2024 

Chennai : Faculty members of polytechnic colleges are to be trained in the latest technological trends such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, animation and coding to enhance their teaching skills. The National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR) has introduced a two-year Master of Technology (MTech) programme, offering certification upon completion. 

“There is growing demand for courses on new technologies. We aim to ensure lifelong learning for educators by collaborating with industry experts,” said NITTTR director Usha Natesan. As of now 137 have enrolled for the programme, which will begin in Oct 2024. During audits and interviews with faculty members, the NITTTR observed that heavy workload of teaching, administrative tasks and extracurricular responsibilities left little time for professional development. 

“Not all teachers are comfortable with technology. There is a digital divide between those unfamiliar with basic audio-visual tools and younger, tech-savvy faculty. These courses are designed to bridge that gap,” said G Janardhanan, head of the Centre of Academic Studies and Research. While there are online modules, there are four mandatory in-person laboratory classes focusing on civil engineering, GIS, product management, and quality construction.

Upon completing a course, teachers must register for an examination to receive certification, Janardhanan added. To encourage participation and boost exam registrations, NITTTR had reduced the exam fee from ₹1,000 to ₹750. “Another challenge was the language barrier, but now all courses are available in regional languages, which we expect will increase enrolment,” he said. Sekar K, head of the AI department at Rajalakshmi College of Engineering, said the last online course he took was more than a decade ago. 

“Our students often know more about technology than we do. We need to keep adding value to their learning, and that means continuing our own education,” he said.Several institutions are incentivising faculty for completing these courses, awarding credit scores that are considered during appraisals. “This motivates us to keep learning,” he added.

Flights cancelled due to poor patronage

 Flights cancelled due to poor patronage 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 01.10.2024

Chennai : Two flights of Air Vistara -one from Delhi to Chennai and another one from Chennai to Delhi -were cancelled citing poor patronage. The Delhi-Chennai flight was scheduled to depart from Delhi at 7.50 am and land here at 10.30pm. Similarly, the Chennai-Delhi flight was scheduled to take off from Chennai at 11.25am and land in Delhi at 2.20pm. However, Air Vistara said both flights were cancelled. Those who had booked tickets on the flights were informed in advance, and their journeys were shifted to different flights on the same routes. Airport authorities said the flights were cancelled as a sufficient number of seats were not booked.

SC urges urgent disposal of cases against newly appointed minister Senthil Balaji

SC urges urgent disposal of cases against newly appointed minister Senthil Balaji

01.10.2024

Senthil Balaji, 48, was sworn in minister on Sunday and was assigned the same portfolios of ‘electricity, non-conventional energy development, prohibition and excise,’ that he had held previously in chief minister M K Stalin’s cabinet. 

The SC bench said the report submitted by the special judge indicates that he has 29 cases with him. In many cases, the trial has begun while in several others the trial is yet to begin. “The case which is the subject matter of this application has more than 2,000 accused and around 600 prosecution witnesses. 

Looking at the allegations which have been made at the charge sheet, the case requires urgent disposal.” The bench directed the registry to forward the copy of the order to the Madras high court registrar general to be placed before the chief justice for necessary action. SC said the Madras high court chief justice should entrust the case to the session judge, who is not burdened with other cases and directed the registrar general to submit a report on the next date of hearing. 

Senior advocates Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Guru Krishnakumar, appearing for complainants, said Balaji was granted bail last week and now he has been made a minister. “Now it is more imperative to transfer the case outside the state. He is now a minister. We should have asked the court to impose a bail condition that he should not be made a minister,” Sanakaranarayanan said. The bench said it is a political aspect in which the court cannot do much. Krishnakumar said Balaji should be removed from the ministership. “You file an application and we will look into it,” the bench said and listed the matter for Oct 22. 

SC asks HC CJ to name another judge for Senthil Balaji case trial New Delhi : Supreme Court on Monday asked the Madras high court chief justice to appoint another judge for trial of a case related to TN minister V Senthil Balaji, who was granted bail last week in a money laundering case related to an alleged cash-for-job scam. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, which went through the report of a judge of a special court dealing with cases related to MPs and MLAs of TN, said he has 29 cases with him. “Considering the number of cases entrusted to the special judge, it would be appropriate that the chief justice of Madras high court appoint one session judge to deal with this case,” SC ordered. 

Flight disruptions expected at airport

Flight disruptions expected at airport 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 01.10.2024 

Chennai : The international airport will face changes in flight schedule due to airspace closure for the upcoming Air Force Day Parade, according to the airport director. Aerial performances, including flypasts and aerobatics displays, will require temporary restrictions from Oct 1 to Oct 8. To minimize disruptions, the airport has shared a detailed closure schedule, ranging from 15 minutes to two hours at various intervals. The first closure is set for Oct 1 from 1.45pm to 3 .15pm, with additional intervals on Oct 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8. 

Passengers are advised to check flight schedules and stay in contact with their airlines for updates. In light of the event, the airport and Marina have been declared “red zones” for security reasons, with a ban on drones and aerial objects from Oct 1 to 6, except for govt use. The airport is coordinating with the Air Force to ensure smooth travel during this period

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin moves to third rank in inter-se seniority of Ministers

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin moves to third rank in inter-se seniority of Ministers

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI 01.10.2024 

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin stands third in the inter-se seniority of Ministers of the Tamil Nadu government.

Prior to his appointment as Deputy Chief Minister last week, Mr. Udhayanidhi, as Sports Minister, stood 10th on the seniority list.

His inter-se seniority follows that of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan.

His ranking is akin to that of Mr. Stalin when he was Deputy Chief Minister in his father M. Karunanidhi’s Cabinet, coming third after then Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan.

Ministers K.N. Nehru, I. Periyasamy, K. Ponmudy, E.V. Velu, M.R.K. Panneerselvam, K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, and Thangam Thennarasu are the others on the list of top 10 Ministers (in that order) in inter-se seniority.

Senthilbalaji’s rank

Newly inducted Minister R. Rajendran stands 19th in terms of seniority, ahead of his Cabinet colleague R. Sakkarapani. Re-inducted Minister V. Senthilbalaji remains 21st on the list, which he was before he resigned the Ministership in February.

Another first-time Minister, Govi. Chezhiaan, is 27th on the list, ahead of Palanivel Thiaga Rajan. Following Mr. Rajan is re-inducted Minister S.M. Nasar at the 29th spot. Mr. Nasar stood 28th in the M.K. Stalin government that assumed office in May 2021.

On September 28, the Governor appointed Mr. Udhayanidhi Deputy Chief Minister under Article 164 of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, taking part in a function organised by the Tamil Nadu Corporation for Women Development Limited on Monday, the Deputy Chief Minister distributed various awards to urban self-help groups.

‘AI can work only where there is natural intelligence’

‘AI can work only where there is natural intelligence’

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI 01.10.2024 

Artificial Intelligence can work only where natural intelligence is present, said Hindustan University Pro Vice-Chancellor R.W. Alexander Jesudasan at a conference held in the city on Saturday.

Speaking at the Principal’s Conference, organised by St. John’s Public School, he said, “Data shows that not all people who go to primary education go to secondary education, and there is a huge cut from the people who attend secondary education to pursuing tertiary education, i.e., higher education.”

The conference, themed on ‘School Leadership - Leap Towards Global Benchmark’, aimed to shed light on the trends in the emerging educational society, with the heads of various schools focusing on important factors that impact children and how to deal with them.

“We need to move into a very important competency based education from the model of textbook-oriented teaching. There are a lot of valuable young minds sitting inside our classrooms, and it is the might of the teacher, under the leadership of a dynamic principal, who can change the learning method,” said R. Kishore Kumar, correspondent, St. John’s Public School.

Appealing to the principals to ensure that correct particulars are filled during exam registration, the Regional Officer of the Central Board of Secondary Education Dinesh Ram said: “We have issued three reminders regarding this. Due to the mistake of parents or the school, the child has to suffer, which could be avoided.”

14 govt. medical colleges in T.N. are functioning without regular deans

14 govt. medical colleges in T.N. are functioning without regular deans

Manpower shortage: In August, the Health Minister said the process of preparing a panel of 26 deans was under way.FILE PHOTO

Government doctors say having senior professors hold the post with full additional charge won’t help, as they would be reluctant to take initiatives in a temporary posting; vacancies at top level will also have a cascading effect on other posts

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI 01.10.2024 

A total of 14 government medical colleges across the State are yet to get regular deans. Though the institutions are running with senior professors holding the post with full additional charge (FAC), the delay in posting deans affects medical colleges in more than one way, say government doctors.

The government medical colleges in Chengalpattu, Vellore, Kallakurichi, Salem, Erode, Tiruchi, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Theni, Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai, Karur, Kanniyakumari, and the Kilpauk Medical College in Chennai are functioning without regular deans. Among these are institutions where the deans retired during March and April.

When The Hindu highlighted the issue on August 16 [‘Dean post remains vacant in a number of government medical colleges in the State’], health officials said the list (panel) of candidates had been sent to the government and a decision is awaited.

Health Minister Ma. Subramanian, on August 29, told reporters that they were in the process of preparing a panel of 26 deans and it would be completed in a few days. He also announced that counselling would be held for deans.

K. Senthil, president of Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association, said that they represented the issue two to three times in the last few months, through letters and in-person meetings, but nothing has transpired so far. “The Health Department should have prepared the panel [list of eligible candidates] before the vacancies arose. If the panel was prepared at least by April or May, the posts could have been filled from the list as and when vacancies arose in the institutions. Now, litigations have surfaced. The present situation is unwarranted as the department had sufficient time. The government seems to have missed an important step,” he said. He added that though the 14 government medical colleges were running with in-charge deans, the administrators could not match regular deans.

“Holding FAC is only a stop-gap arrangement. They will be able to manage day-to-day issues but will not be proactive and send proposals for initiatives as they know they will be replaced eventually. Regular deans should be posted at the earliest,” Dr. Senthil said. A. Ramalingam, general secretary, Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association said that if higher-level posts such as deans are not filled through regular promotions and kept vacant, it would have a cascading effect on other posts.