Sabarimala devotees seek better drinking water, toilet facilities

TNN | Nov 12, 2017, 00:20 IST

Madurai: While just four days left for the commencement of the Mandala-Makaravilakku season at Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple, demands for setting up more drinking water and toilet facilities for devotees passing through Madurai have been raised by devotees this time too. They have also demanded that information about temples in the district as well as their opening and closing timings besides route maps be displayed.

This year the season starts on November 16 and ends on January 20. On day one of the Tamil month of 'Karthigai', lakhs of devotees start fasting after adorning the holy "rudraksha mala" around their necks. It is customary of the pilgrims to travel in groups and visit ancient temples including Sri Meenakshi Amman temple and every year hundreds of vans and buses enter the district with thousands of devotees daily.

"But the facilities arranged for them in the past were not adequate. There should be sign boards guiding the pilgrims to temples and display of opening and closing timings. The present toilet facility available near Sri Meenakshi amman temple is not sufficient," said V P Manikandan, an ardent Ayyappa devotee in Madurai.

Devotees also want the temple authority to facilitate free food distribution at its parking lot situated at Ellis Nagar, 2 km away from the temple. Last year, the temple authority stopped the Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangam (ABASS) from giving free food at the Ellis parking lot. ABASS spokesman O P Mani said, "We had been providing free food to devotees alighting at the Ellis Nagar parking lot for three years and we've appealed to the temple management to allow us this time too."

Sri Meenakshi Amman temple joint commissioner N Natarajan said many welfare works had been carried out at the temple's Ellis Nagar parking lot at a cost of Rs 1.59 crore. To fulfil a longstanding demand of devotees, wash basins would be installed at the five entrances of the temple soon. At present, the temple was maintaining free chappal stand at these entrances by engaging contractors. He said that during Sabarimala season, more than 10,000 devotees visited Sri Meenakhi amman temple a day.

"For their welfare, the temple's land was converted to a parking lot in 2013. Over the years, the parking area has undergone a facelift. Now, the entire ground has been covered with pavor blocks at Rs 1.18 crore. A toilet complex has been constructed at Rs 22.14 lakh. We are going to erect two high mast light towers there by the end of this month." The temple collection fetched Rs 9 lakh in 2015, but it rose to Rs 44.81 lakh last year.

Bio-metric access at Madurai airport

TNN | Updated: Nov 13, 2017, 00:38 IST

Madurai: The Madurai International Airport will be better secured soon, with the implementation of bio-metric access control system. Once, the system is in place, employees can enter into each zone in the airport only after stamping thumb impression in the system installed at the entry points.

At present paper based Airport Entry Permits (AEPs) is in use. AEPs would be manually checked for authorization and allowed by the security personnel. There are many departments working together at the airport and not all are allowed to access all the zones. In the AEP system, there will be markings on the individual's ID card specifying the zones where he/she is allowed. Whereas in the new system the information about authorized person in each zone would be preloaded.

"Apart from the staff from more than a dozen departments, there would also be outside workers engaged on time to time basis. In such cases, the system can be customized to provide access to them as well," said an authority from the airport.

Similarly, there would be ID for the vehicles too. A sticker would be pasted on the vehicles, which can be read by the radio frequency identification system, to authorize the entry.

According to the airport authorities, once the new system comes in place, the information about those entering into each zone would be electronically recorded. When there is a need to review who were present in a particular area of the terminal at a given point of time, it can be easily obtained in no time.

Officials said that while the required systems have already arrived and all the points where the systems to be installed, have been marked, the system installation is expected to be completed soon.

An official said that bio-metric access control system is being implemented in all the major airports across the nation at the cost of Rs 33.23 by the bureau of civic aviation security, the regulatory authority of civil aviation security in India and Airport Authority of India.

Since, as many as 72 airports throughout the country is being covered, it takes time to complete, as works being completed at one after the other, said another official.

Actors entering politics disastrous: Prakash Raj

tnn | Updated: Nov 13, 2017, 00:24 IST

Chennai: It would be disastrous if actors enter politics just because they are popular, said actor and Tamil Film Producers' Council vice president Prakash Rajon Sunday.

Asked if he would support actors like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan if they entered politics, Prakash Raj said that he will vote as a responsible citizen and not as a fan. The National Award winner also clarified that he will not enter politics.

"Actors who come to politics must have a clear perception of the issues facing the country and win the trust of the people," said Prakash Raj while addressing reporters in Bengaluru.

The 52-year-old actor has been questioning the BJP-led central government on demonetisation and "silencing" of artists since last week through Twitter. In an interview earlier, the actor had said that national politics should be kept out of Tamil Nadu. "Before I vote, I look at the promises made by a party in the manifesto and what solutions it proposes to solve pressing issues."

Prakash Raj said that he is awaiting Kamal Haasan's manifesto before he can decide on whether to vote for him or not.

The 'Singham' star said, "If one wants to rule Tamil Nadu, he must be known to its people. He should have lived here 20-30 years and understood the local problems. National parties are only interested in encroaching on the state territory. They are not concerned about the issues concerning the state."

The 'Iruvar' actor also added that Rajinikanth who has lived in Tamil Nadu for more than 40 years is more a 'Tamil' than a 'Kannadiga'.

Vehicle dealer to pay Rs 1L fine for extra registration fee

TNN | Updated: Nov 13, 2017, 01:19 IST

Chennai: Charging even a penny in addition to government fixed fees for registration of new cars by car dealers/retailers as 'handling charges' would amount to unfair trade practice, a city consumer court has ruled.

Allowing a complaint moved by an aggrieved consumer, against a city-based Maruti car dealer, the North Chennai District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum comprising K Jayabalan, president, and M Uyirroli Kannan, member has granted Rs 1 lakh as compensation for the mental agony suffered by the complainant.

C Durgadevi, a resident of Hasthinapuram, Chennai bought a 'Maruti Swift Dzire Tour' through the dealer Popular Vehicles and Services Limited in Pallikaranai.

On February 11, 2015 she paid the initial booking amount of Rs 10,000. She was given an estimate of cost of the vehicle as Rs 7,20,244 (ex-showroom price of Rs 6,13,943, insurance cost Rs 25,873 and road tax and registration charges of Rs 80,428).

Durgadevi paid Rs 2,77,500 in cash on February 18, 2015. The balance was paid through an automobile loan. This apart, she was compelled to pay Rs 1,500 as affidavit charges for registration.

After registration of the car, the vehicle was delivered to her on February 25, 2015. A month later, when she received the original registration certificate, she was shocked to note that only Rs 61,796 was charged as registration charges by the authorities, while the dealer collected Rs 80,428 for the same.

On inquiry, she was informed by the dealer that the additional amount was for handling and service charge.

"The vehicle dealer is only acting as an agent of the buyer and when the customer avails the service of the dealer they are bound to pay the charges incurred for the same, which is informed well in advance to the customer at the time of booking the vehicle," the dealer said. Refusing to accept the contentions, the forum ordered the dealer to pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation to Durgadevi.

Autorickshaw driver, 35, who died had an unblemished traffic record

TNN | Nov 13, 2017, 01:33 IST

Chennai: The first time 35-year-old B Rajesh decided to spend the night at his autorickshaw stand on Dr Radhakrishnan Salai turned out to be the last.

As it is to many auto drivers, the vehicle was a makeshift home to Rajesh, who died when a speeding car rammed his autorickshaw at 2.30am on Sunday. Rajesh, the sole breadwinner of his family, decided to retire for the night at the stand after dropping off a passenger on Dr Radhakrishnan Salai. It was also to get away from the mosquitoes in his Purasaiwalkam home.

Sunday's fatal accident was not the first for autorickshaw drivers in the area. Many drivers who witnessed the death of Arumugham, who was killed in a similar accident in September 2016, have moved from the locality since then.

Rajesh, a native of Parameshmangalam village near Arakkonam, is survived by his wife Gayathri and sons, Tamilselvan, 7, and Dhanush, 5.

On Sunday, Rajesh, spoke to his wife at 12.30am, saying he was ferrying a passenger to R K Salai. After finding many of his acquaintances sleeping at the stand, he too decided to spend the night in the vehicle.

"We received a call around 3am about the accident and rushed to the city," said Sampath, Rajesh's father-in-law. "He earned `300 daily and would come home on alternate days to see his children," he said.

Rajesh was also taking care of his elderly parents, who have both undergone surgeries recently.

Police had never booked Rajesh, an experienced driver, for a traffic violation. "Rajesh had been driving autos vehicle for 16 years and had never caused an accident," said his friend Sundaralingam, also from Arakkonam.

"For those arrested it would be few days of jail. But a family has lost a loved one and a breadwinner," said Venkatesan, an autorickshaw driver, who had parked a few metres from the accident spot.

UGC asks 123 deemed-to-be varsities to drop ‘university’ from names

TNN | Nov 13, 2017, 00:51 IST


HIGHLIGHTS

UGC secretary has directed the heads of these institutes that they should “restrain from using the word ‘university'.

Instead, the institution may mention the word ‘deemed to be university’ within parenthesis.
Failure to do so will invite necessary action against the deemed to be university in accordance with the UGC Regulations, 2016.



DEHRADUN: As many as 123 institutions of higher education which are deemed to be universities have been directed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to refrain from using the word 'university' in their names.

In a circular issued on November 10, a copy of which is with TOI, UGC secretary PK Thakur citing a Supreme Court order dated November 3, has directed the heads of these institutes that they should "restrain from using the word 'university' within one month from today." "Instead, the institution may mention the word 'deemed to be university' within parenthesis.

Failure to do so will invite necessary action against the deemed to be university in accordance with the UGC (lnstitutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2016," the circular says.

Among the list of institutions which have been sent the directive are the Delhi-based Indian Agricultural Research Institute (Pusa), Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences and Jamia Hamdard.

Other institutions on the list include the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, BIT Mesra (Ranchi), Christ University, Bengaluru, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, Symbiosis International University, Pune, BITS Pilani, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar (UP), Graphic Era University, Dehradun and Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar among others.

Through the circular, the institutions have also been told that "in those cases where the government's notification is with the word 'university', the deemed to be university may submit a proposal with an alternative name (without using the word 'university') to the UGC/ministry of HRD so that necessary amendment can be made by MHRD." The institutions have been asked to ensure compliance "within 15 days from receipt of the letter."

Reacting to the circular, the representatives of most of the institutions approached by TOI claimed that they were already using "deemed to be university" in their names.

R K Singh, director of Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) situated in Izatnagar, Bareilly, said, "UGC's order will have no impact on IVRI as we do not use the word 'university' in our name since the beginning because our research institute is more important than the varsity.

For academic-related work, we mention IVRI and use the phrase 'deemed to be university' in brackets."

(With inputs from Haridwar & Bareilly)

நிகர்நிலைப் பல்கலைக்கழகங்கள் இனி "பல்கலைக்கழகம்' என்ற பெயரைப் பயன்படுத்தக் கூடாது: யுஜிசி உத்தரவு

By  சென்னை,  |   Published on : 13th November 2017 03:21 AM  | 

"பல்கலைக் கழகம்' என்ற பெயரை நிகர்நிலைப் பல்கலைக் கழகங்கள் இனி பயன்படுத்தக் கூடாது. உடனடியாக நீக்கிவிட வேண்டும் என பல்கலைக் கழக மானியக் குழு (யுஜிசி) உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.
 உச்ச நீதிமன்ற உத்தரவைத் தொடர்ந்து, இந்த நடவடிக்கையை யுஜிசி எடுத்துள்ளது. இதற்கான சுற்றறிக்கையை நாடு முழுவதும் உள்ள 123 நிகர்நிலைப் பல்கலைக்கழகங்களுக்கும் யுஜிசி அனுப்பியுள்ளது. இதில் தமிழகத்தைச் சேர்ந்த 28 நிகர்நிலைப் பல்கலைக்கழகங்களும் இடம்பெற்றுள்ளன. அந்தச் சுற்றறிக்கையில் கூறியிருப்பதாவது:
 உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்தில் அண்மையில் நடைபெற்ற வழக்கு ஒன்றில், நாடு முழுவதும் உள்ள நிகர்நிலைப் பல்கலைக்கழகங்கள், அவற்றின் பெயர்களில் "பல்கலைக் கழகம்' என்ற வார்த்தையைப் பயன்படுத்தி வருகின்றன. இது யுஜிசி சட்டப் பிரிவு 23-க்கு எதிரானதாகும். எனவே, இதுதொடர்பாக யுஜிசி உரிய நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க உத்தரவிட வேண்டும் என கோரப்பட்டது.
 இந்த வழக்கை விசாரித்த உச்ச நீதிமன்றம், இந்த விவகாரம் தொடர்பாக யுஜிசி சட்டப் பிரிவு 23-இன் கீழ் ஒரு மாதத்துக்குள்ளாக உரிய நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க யுஜிசி-யை அறிவுறுத்தியுள்ளது.
 அதன்படி, நாடு முழுவதும் உள்ள 123 நிகர்நிலைப் பல்கலைக்கழகங்களும் அவற்றின் பெயரில் "பல்கலைக் கழகம்' என்பதைப் பயன்படுத்தத் தடை விதிக்கப்படுகிறது. தங்களது கல்வி நிறுவனங்களின் பெயரோடு பல்கலைக்கழகம் என்ற வார்த்தையை நீக்கத் தவறும் நிகர்நிலைப் பல்கலைக்கழகங்கள் மீது யுஜிசி வழிகாட்டுதல் 2016-இன் அடிப்படையில் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். மேலும், பல்கலைக்கழகம் என்ற பெயருக்குப் பதிலாக, எந்தவிதமான மாற்று வார்த்தையைப் பயன்படுத்தலாம் என்பது குறித்த பரிந்துரையை யுஜிசி-க்கு நிகர்நிலைப் பல்கலைக்கழகங்கள் சமர்ப்பிக்கலாம்.
 அடுத்த 15 நாள்களுக்குள் இந்தப் பரிந்துரையைச் சமர்ப்பிக்க வேண்டும். இதன் மூலம் தேவையானத் திருத்தத்தை மத்திய மனிதவள மேம்பாட்டு அமைச்சகம் கொண்டுவரும் என சுற்றறிக்கையில் யுஜிசி தெரிவித்துள்ளது.