Tamil Nadu: After talks, government nurses decide to call off protest 

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | SHWETA TRIPATHI
Published Nov 29, 2017, 2:00 am IST

Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan also called on around 20 representatives from the association to discuss their demands.



The strike by nurses demanding job permanency, enhanced pay and eight hours work shifts, entered its second day on Tuesday. Over 2,500 nurses were on indefinite strike at the Directorate of Medical Services campus in Chennai since Monday and their agitation affected health services in several government hospitals and primary health centres (PHCs) in rural areas across TN. (Photo: DC)

Chennai: More than 2,000 staff nurses, recruited through the Medical Recruitment Board Tamil Nadu from across the state, called off their two-day long protest after talks with Health Minister C. Vijayabhaskar who assured that their services will be regularized gradually.

Though the strike continued for the second day, services in the government hospitals and public health centres in the city remained unaffected as the doctors and the staff on duty worked double shifts on Monday and Tuesday to prevent disruptions in the discharge of services.

The nurses also presented the formal notice directed to the Director of Medical Services regarding the protest a month ago after officials alleged that there was no formal communication about the strike.

After two-hour long talks with the minister, the nurses called off their protest a little before 9 pm and announced that they will resume work on Wednesday. “We had placed our demands in front of the authorities more than a month ago regarding the regularization of services with a time-scale pay on an 8-hour shift basis”, S Aishwarya, joint secretary, MRB Nurses’ Empowerment Association, said.

After the protest on Monday, Director of Medical Education Dr A Edwin Joe, Director of Medical Services Dr M R Enbasekaran and Director of Public Health Dr K Kolandaswamy called on the association representative for talks. Around ten members from the association discussed the issue with the directors. Officials said the nurses were appointed based on the same regulations as it is done across the country and nurses would be eligible for a permanent post only after two years of service. “After two years of service, the services of nurses are regularised based on the availability of vacancies and seniority. The sudden demands of all nurses to be given increment in the salary and permanency in the post have been communicated to the government. However, the pay and service regularization is as per the regulations”, said Dr M R Enbasekaran.

Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan also called on around 20 representatives from the association to discuss their demands. The meeting continued till the filing of the report and nurses had not called off the agitation. However, a section of protesting nurses said they would continue with their agitation till their demands are met. They said they don't agree with the other section who have announced that they would call of the protests.

Min assures nurses to consider demands

The Health minister addressed the press on Tuesday regarding the nurses’ protest stating that the State Health Department would regularise them as per procedure. Nurses are being given the pay and regularisation is done according to the regulations set by the Government of India, he said.

The nurses are recruited by the Medical Recruitment Board after an entrance test and based on the consolidated marks, the appointment is decided. The contract based appointment is being done for all the nurses all over the India. All the nurses who were appointed through Medical Recruitment Board are given regularisation after two years of service based on seniority and vacancy available, he said.

Around 6,000 nurses who were recruited in 2015 have been regularised, whereas for the rest 200 of them, the services will be made regular within this week, Health Minister said.

Claiming that government is taking all measures to provide for the demands of all the personnel working under the State Health department, the minister assured the nurses that the demands will be considered and the nurses should see that such actions do not affect the services to the patients at the government hospitals.

Training for poll officers on November 30

TNN | Updated: Nov 29, 2017, 06:49 IST



CHENNAI: The first phase of training for election officials involved in the Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency bypoll process will take place on November 30 at the Government Polytechnic College in Washermenpet.

In a statement district election officer D Karthikeyan, said 1,638 state and central government employees would be part of the bypoll process. There are 256 polling booths in RK Nagar constituency. "As many as 307 chief polling booth officers and 307 level-I, II and III officers, and 103 level-IV officers, will be in charge of poll process at the booth level," the statement said.

Following the first training session, three more sessions will be organised on December 8, 16 and 20. "The training will impart information on election rules, ballot box, inking electors' index fingers etc," the statement said. All officials are expected to participate and a failure to attend will result in action being initiated under the Representation of People Act.

Teachers seek transfer out of Panapakkam school after students’ suicide

TNN | Nov 29, 2017, 00:20 IST

Vellore: Traumatised over the suicide pact of four students of Class XI, several teachers of the government girls' higher secondary school in Panapakkam in Vellore district have appealed to the education department to transfer them out of the school.

Though the school, with a total of 1,300 students, from Classes VI to XII, resumed functioning as usual, uneasy calm prevailed in the premises of the school and the neighbourhood. Officials from police and education department have been camping in the school for the consecutive second day on Tuesday to probe the suicide of the students - R Sankari, B Manisha, K Deepa and K Revathy of class XI (nursing group).

The teachers were shocked over the incident. In a suicide pact, the four girls, who were asked to bring their parents to school to meet the class teacher over their performance, jumped into a well. Their bodies were fished out later.

The chief education officer, however, denied it and said no teacher has sought transfer. He said the services of teachers, Rekha, Meghala, Sivakumari and Lilly, appointed by the Parents Teachers Association have been discontinued. "We have asked the four PTA appointed teachers to stop coming to school from Monday. They have been working in the school for the last one year to four months. They have been paid by the PTA," said an official in the education department

The department has taken the measure following the suicide. It may be recalled that Headmistress J Ramamani and class teacher of nursing group Meenatchi Sundeswari have been placed under suspension following the students' suicide.

A reliable source said four to five teachers have submitted petitions to Chief Education Officer S Mars seeking a transfer.

"We are scared to even ask the students to sit in their respective places. This is the scenario now. We are depressed and under mental agony since Friday. We have no confidence to face the students," said one of the 34 teachers working in the school.

She added that many of the teachers have submitted petitions, seeking transfer out of the school. "A few teachers have also decided to seek transfer to other schools," said another teacher, who has been working for over 10 years in the school.

550 medical students struck off rolls for not paying fees

TNN

| Updated: Nov 29, 2017, 07:14 IST

CHENNAI: More than 550 undergraduate medical students of Raja Muthiah Medical College, which is affiliated to Annamalai University, were removed from the rolls "until further decision" after defaulting on their college fees.

The parents of these students have threatened to go on protest if the government does not reduce the tuition fee and bring the college under the ambit of the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University. "Facilities in the college are poor, yet it is the most expensive public college. Students don't have adequate attendance because they went on a protest for more than a month. They had to stop it because of a court order. If the government does not hear our plea, we may have to once again go on strike," said B Kamaraj, parent of an MBBS student, at a press meet organised by the Doctors Association for Social Equality (DASE).

DASE general secretary Dr GR Ravindranath said that while the arts and science colleges of the university had revised tuition fees on par with government colleges, the medical and dental colleges continue to charge higher than some self-financing colleges.

Latest Comment... in the end, the career prospects of the students are getting damaged. Already, the University has a ''brand'' in the quality. That gets deteriorated further. ...''In The High Places'', where mone... Read MoreN S

Raja Muthiah Medical College was taken over by the state higher education department in 2013. However, the government decided that the college would be run as a self-financing college. The MBBS prospectus mentions the annual fee as Rs5.5 lakh. "Students who joined the course were aware of the fee. The courts too have ruled in favour of the university," said higher education secretary Sunil Paliwal.

University officials said it would not be possible to reduce fees due to heavy expenditure. "MBBS students joined colleges based on counselling. Some who had better scores may not have joined because they couldn't afford the fee. Any changes now will be unfair," an official said.

Don’t allow Jaya death anniv on December 5: PIL

TNN | Nov 29, 2017, 06:41 IST

J Jayalalithaa CHENNAI: Calling into question the 'date of death' of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, a PIL filed in the Madras high court has said Tamil Nadu government must be restrained from officially observing December 5 as death anniversary of Jayalalithaa, since a judicial inquiry into the issue is yet to come out with
any finding.

In his PIL, advocate R Kumaravel of Villivakkam said the government itself had set terms of reference for Justice A Arumughaswamy commission of inquiry on September 27, 2017 and mandated it "to inquire into the circumstances and situation leading to the hospitalization of late chief minister on September 22, 2016 and subsequent treatment provided till her demise on December 5, 2016".

Pointing out that the commission started its inquiry by issuing notices to various people and examining the first witness on November 22, the PIL said since Jayalalithaa's date of death had been disputed, it could be verified with it material evidence in a scientific manner.

Since the government itself issued terms of reference to the commission, it should desist from observing December 5 as her death anniversary and wait for the commission to declare the date of her death.

Further, the government may also note that Jayalalithaa was not given acquittal nor declared not guilty by the Supreme Court in the disproportionate assets case against her, the PIL said.

In this regard, Kumaravel said he had already raised the issue before the inquiry commission and submitted discrepancies in the thumb impression of Jayalalithaa, found affixed on the nomination papers of three AIADMK candidates who contested in Thanjavur, Aravakurichi and Thirupparankundram byelections last year.

Despite government promise, many nurses stick to their demands

TNN | Updated: Nov 29, 2017, 07:22 IST



Nurses on strike at the office of the directorate of medical and rural health services in Chennai on Tuesday b... Read More CHENNAI: Nearly 4,000 government nurses who struck work and more than 2,500 of them camping on the directorate of medical services campus in Chennai since Monday will return to work on Wednesday, representatives of Tamil Nadu MRB Nurses' Empowerment Association said at the secretariat on Tuesday.

However, a large section of the nurses decided to continue their strike and stay on the DMS campus as they wanted the promises to be issued in the form of a government order (GO). District representatives from the association held talks with health minister C Vijaya Baskar and senior health officials for nearly three hours on Tuesday. "We will temporarily withdraw strike. The minister has promised to address 90% of our demands. We are satisfied," said nurse Aishwariya, who works with the institute of obstetrics and gynaecology. "We will all return to work from tomorrow," she said.

While the nurses refused to elaborate on the discussions, Vijaya Baskar said: "They have withdrawn the strike. All charges and notices issued for their absence will be withdrawn. They will continue to hold discussions with officials next week," he said.

Senior officials said the department has recommended doubling the salary for nurses and also recommend giving them travel allowances in case they are being deputed to another clinic or hospital. "We told them that their jobs will be made permanent whenever there is a vacancy in the government," a senior official said. Nurses have been on strike since Monday demanding permanent job, higher pay and eight-hour work shifts. The state health department appointed around 10,000 nurses through the medical recruitment board on the basis of a competitive examination under the central government-sponsored National Rural Health Mission scheme. These nurses are being given a consolidated pay of Rs 7, 700 per month. "We work for about 12 hours a day and get just Rs 250 per day, like daily wage labourers. There is no travel allowance even if we are deputed to another PHC for a short while," said H Jaganathan

Cancel TNSCB allotment if houses rented out, says HC

TNN | Updated: Nov 29, 2017, 07:18 IST



CHENNAI: Allotment of slum clearance board houses should be cancelled if the original beneficiary is found renting out his apartment to third parties, the Madras high court has ruled.

Justice S Vaidyanathan, refusing to interfere with the eviction of slum residents at Karunanidhi Nagar, at present known as Theedir Nagar on Greams Road in Thousand Lights, said: "In case the petitioner is found renting or leasing out the tenement/alternative accommodation to a third person, he shall be immediately evicted and the Slum Clearance Board shall allot such tenement to other allottees. To ascertain whether the allottee is residing in the alternative place or not, the authorities shall conduct a surprise inspection and ask for the details about the person residing there. If the allotted person or his family is not residing there, such allottee shall not be shown any indulgence or mercy."

The judge also held that holding of 'testimonials' like Aadhar card, voter identity card and ration card would not entitle an encroacher to ownership of the land.

He directed officials to hand over the token/key to Thideer Nagar residents, who have been allotted an alternative accommodation at Perumbakkam, within two days and ordered the residents to shift to new within three days. Officials must take necessary steps to accommodate the residents' children in schools, preferably in and around Ambattur or Thirumazhisai, within three days, said Justice Vaidyanathan.