Paracetamol ads on TV for awareness on fever mgmt soon

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:06.08.2018

You may soon find advertizements of paracetamol – a commonly used medicine for relief from pain and fever. In a move to create public awareness on management of fever associated with common selflimiting conditions such as cold and flu, dengue and chikungunya, the drug regulator has decided to exempt paracetamol from the current law prohibiting advertizement of medicines.

At a recent meeting, the Drug Technical Advisory Board allowed drug makers to advertize paracetamol for “fever”. However, companies cannot advertize their particular brand as the regulator’s go ahead comes with a caveat that the exemption from the law shall be provided for “generic name paracetamol” and “not for brand name”, an official told TOI.

Paracetamol is one of the top selling generic medicines in India and is available under more than 200 brands. Some of the popular brands include Calpol, Crocin, Sumo L and Tamin. Industry estimates show 4.77 lakh tablets of paracetamol worth ₹1,008 crore were sold in India in 2017-18.

An official said the decision was taken because use of paracetamol is very common and creating awareness would also mean that patients would avoid taking unnecessary drugs, especially antibiotics.

Jet pilots suspended for Riyadh runway mishap

Manju.V@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:06.08.2018

The mystery behind the Mumbai-bound Jet Airways Boeing 737-800 veering off into soft ground at Riyadh airport last Friday has been solved. The pilots mistook a taxiway — pathways leading off the runway to parking bays — for a runway and attempted a take-off.

Licences of both pilots have been suspended, said Lalit Gupta, joint director-general, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, on Monday. Pilots are generally de-rostered after any “incident”, pending investigation. The tougher decision points to the gravity of the incident. In 2000, a Singapore Airlines plane crashed after a similar mistake killing 81.

“The aircraft attempted take-off from taxiway (K), parallel to take-offdesignated Runway (R33),’’ said a statement issued by Saudi Arabia’s Aviation Investigation Bureau on Sunday. It added that the visibility was high and there were no obstacles on the taxiway. “The aircraft accelerated with full take-off power and exceeded the taxiway onto unpaved area…” A Jet Airways spokesperson said: “The matter is currently under investigation and we cannot comment.” Last week, the airline said in a statement flight 9W 523 “departed the runway, following an aborted takeoff... All 142 guests and seven crew members safely evacuated”.

Experts are taken aback by the error. “What’s strange is that it occurred at night, when the white runway-edge lights and the blue taxiway lights are clearly visible. It’s not easy to mistake a runway for a taxiway at night,’’ said a senior instructor with a foreign airline.

Firstly, there are the runway markers: the piano key markings that indicate the threshold, the runway number and the white runway-edge lights. Most importantly, the runway centre-line is indicated by 30m dashes with 20m gaps (illuminated when needed), while taxiway centre-lines are a single, solid line, with blue taxiway-edge lights. Then there is the navigation display map in the cockpit and navigation aids like the localizer signals that indicate whether the aircraft has lined up along the correct runway.

The incident has raised questions, the ambit of which extends beyond the cockpit to include the role played by Riyadh airport officials and also Jet’s training standards and operational practices.

On May 28, Riyadh air traffic control had issued a permanent notice to pilots, controllers that a new taxiway K (Kilo) is functional. But the current aerodrome chart released by Saudi Arabia does not show taxiway K. Consequently, the Jeppesen airport chart, consulted by pilots, also does not show it.

Very few against Salem greenfield project: Centre

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:06.08.2018

Though there are more than 12,000 landowners whose properties are to be acquired for the Chennai-Salem greenfield corridor, only about 35 have approached the court so far, the Centre told the Madras high court, adding: “It is being projected as though everyone is opposing the project.”

This apart, a Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court has made it clear that the legislation under which the lands are acquired cannot be assailed and the challenge can be only whether the project is for public purpose or the compensation provided is adequate, additional solicitor-general G Rajagopalan argued on Monday.

“Right to own property is not a fundamental right, therefore such acquisition of land cannot be challenged,’ Rajagopalan added.

As to the allegation that the acquisition process cannot be commenced without obtaining the environmental clearance from the Union ministry of environment, the solicitor general said the law barred only the commencement of the project before obtaining the clearance, and that there was no prohibition to acquire land.

To this, advocate T Mohan representing 35 affected landowners, submitted that the particular provision of the NHAI Act said the authorities could only ‘secure’ the land before the environment clearance. The term ‘secure’ means that they can secure the land from encroachment by third parties, but it does not mean that the authorities can acquire the lands before the environmental clearance, he said.

Explaining that the process involves various stages, another petitioner said it should start with a feasibility report based on which terms of reference would be issued followed by a draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) would conduct public hearing thereafter.

But in the case of Chennai-Salem greenfield corridor, so far the EIA draft notification had not been issued based on which public hearing should be conducted in which grievances of the public would be considered. The authorities are trying to bypass the public hearing and directly acquire the lands, which is illegal, he said.

He pointed out that there was no enabling provision in the act to acquire the lands before environmental clearance or even to measure the lands. This apart, they must submit the landownership pattern prior to the commencement of the project detailing the extent of forest, private, public and revenue land involved in the project. So far, this has not been done by the authorities, he added.

Asserting that the land acquisition is not an eminent domain, Mohan added that it is a matter of livelihood and right to land.

The other petitioners also pointed out that in case the project is cancelled, there is no provision in the act to return the land to its original owners and it can be given only to the state to use it for other purposes.


Several farmers have protested against land acquisition for the proposed greenfield corridor between Chennai and Salem

CASH FOR MARKS

Govt won’t spare guilty officials: Higher edu min
‘Monitoring Other Univs For Re-evaluation’

times of india 06.08.2018
In the wake of multiple skeletons tumbling out of Anna University’s closet, higher education minister K P Anbalagan tells Siddharth Prabhakar that the government is probing re-evaluation at all universities and will not spare any official involved in such scams.

A ₹63 crore contract was given without tender process with many irregularities by Anna University in 2016. Were you not intimated about such a high value contract?


This contract should have gone through the purchase committee since it was a huge amount. Everyone’s permission should have been taken. If it has not been taken, it’s an irregularity. But as far as universities are concerned, it’s under the control of a vicechancellor or a convener committee when there is no VC. This controller of examinations (G V Uma) was appointed in 2015 before I became minister.

The then secretary and chairman of the convener committee had raised questions about the process in which the contract had been awarded. Yet the contract was passed. Will you initiate action against then higher education secretary?

We have already directed action against the university officials involved. We will check which officer was holding the secretary’s post.

Are you investigating if the re-evaluation scam is happening in all universities in Tamil Nadu?

We now know what the modus operandi is. If such a scam happens in one university, we can’t assume it’s happening elsewhere as the CoEs are different. But we are monitoring the increase in marks after reevaluation at all universities.

TOI has reported about the I-transcripts company which claims other universities as its clients without signing MoUs with them. What action will be initiated by the government against such companies?

It has not come to my knowledge. Please send the details to me. I shall look into it.

Do these companies have a link to persons in the higher education ministry because of which rules were bent?

Officials in the ministry might not know about these things. This happens within the university. If there is indeed a link to officials in the higher education department, it is wrong.

The DVAC has registered an FIR against former Anna University vice-chancellor M Rajaram and now against Uma. Both were appointed during the previous government. Will you probe the then minister and officials?

We will investigate anyone found responsible. The government is not afraid of investigating any wrongdoer. There will be no compromise. We inquire into any irregularities that crop up during any vice-chancellor’s tenure.

Are you going slow on retired vice-chancellors facing allegations?

That is a misconception. We check the veracity of every allegation that comes up. We are also taking action against former VCs.

But the action is being initiated by the university’s internal committees, not by the DVAC which has more powers

We are giving the information to the DVAC as well. For an example, in the (ex-Bharathiar University vice-chancellor ) Ganapathi case, we were conducting enquiries against him earlier and gave information to vigilance after verification. We will not spare anyone.




If such a scam happens in one university, we can’t assume it’s happening elsewhere as the CoEs are different. But we are monitoring the increase in marks after re-evaluation at all universities

K P ANBALAGAN

Higher education minister

Cadres swell as Karunanidhi’s health condition deteriorates
Maintaining Vital Organ Functions A Challenge: Docs

Team TOI

Chennai:07.08.2018

After a week’s lull, roads around Kauvery Hospital in Chennai swelled with DMK cadres and well-wishers on Monday evening over news of a “decline” in the health condition of DMK president M Karunanidhi.

The former chief minister and DMK patriarch has been in the intensive care unit of the hospital since July

29. A two-paragraph press release signed by hospital executive director Dr Aravindan Selvaraj said the medical condition of the 94-year-old former chief minister had been on the decline. “Maintaining his vital organ functions continues to remain a challenge, considering his age-related ailments. He is on continuous monitoring and is being treated with active medical support. His response to the medical intervention over the next 24 hours will determine the prognosis,” it said.

Meanwhile, most of his family members and senior party leaders remained at the hospital on Monday. Union minister for road transport & highways Nitin Gadkari, TNCC president Thirunavukkarasar, Dravidar Kazhagam leader K Veeramani and senior DMK leader K Anbazhagan visited the ailing leader.



PRAYERS POUR IN: M Karunanidhi’s son M K Stalin leaves Kauvery Hospital on Monday night. Hundreds of people had gathered outside the hospital over news of a ‘decline’ in the DMK chief’s condition | P 2

Wife Dayalu Ammal visits hosp with son


Former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi’s wife Dayalu Ammal was on Monday afternoon brought to Kauvery Hospital on a wheelchair. It was her first visit to the hospital since the DMK chief was hospitalized in the wee hours of July 29. She was wheeled in by her son M K Tamilarasu.

Crowd in front of hospital cheers MK, says ‘get up’

Hundreds of people outside the hospital raised slogans, “Ezhunthuvaa thalaivaa ... polaam polaam Arivalayam polaam ... Gopalapuram polaam …” (Get up and come ... let’s go to Arivalayam ... let’s go to Gopalapuram).

As the crowd swelled, police introduced traffic diversions on TTK Road and deployed more personnel. Police also blocked traffic coming towards the traffic signal in front of the Hospital up to Desikan Salai on Luz Church Road, but vehicles were allowed on the other side. A posse of police personnel was posted and barricades placed to ensure smooth entry and exit of vehicles to the hospital. Police personnel were seen atop the Alwarpet flyover monitoring the crowd.

1 driver, multiple buses: MTC hit by scam

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai: 07.08.2018

: Automated public transport could be a generation away, but Metropolitan Transportation Corporation records showed remarkable progress on this front by some staff — including one driver who operated multiple buses simultaneously, earning separate overtime wages for each vehicle.

Alas for the transport corporation, and taxpayers who pay the wages of its employees, MTC officials recently discovered that the feat was evidence of a payroll scam that the seemingly superdexterous driver and six other staff members had successfully pulled off since January.

MTC suspended all seven after an internal probe revealed that they exploited a wide gap in the allowances of permanent and temporary staff to fudge the name of the driver to show him on duty on various routes and pocket the difference in wages, an MTC official said.

The driver, Sudarshanam, received multiple allowances for operating buses from Koyambedu to Kelambakkam and T Nagar to Mogappair at the same time, the records show.

Gilbert, a temporary bus driver basis, and conductor Kumar from Anna Nagar depot, were supposed to operate a bus on route 147B on May 19. The conductor, according to MTC rules, entered details of the total collection in ticket sales and the driver’s name in the log sheet and way bill. But he substituted Gilbert’s name with Sudarshanam, who works out of the same depot.

A computer operator who had seen Sudarshanam organize a labour union event all morning that day, was taken aback when he saw his name in the records. Realizing that something was fishy, he informed the branch manager. The conductor stated that Sudarshanam forced him to enter his name instead of Gilbert’s name.



10 MTC staffers suspended for fudging duty log entries

MTC pays temporary drivers ₹500 per trip and permanent drivers ₹1,000 in overtime wages for the same job, the official said. By entering Sudarshanam’s name, the scamsters could collect ₹1,000, pay Gilbert ₹500 and hand over ₹500 to Sudarshanam — even though he would not be on the route during the shift.

Other sources at MTC said Sudarshanam and his accomplices managed to pull off the scam easily for months, but officials finally got wise to the data fudging game on May 19 when another conductor who was a part of the scam and was assigned on route 570 had also shown Sudharshanam as the driver instead of a temporary appointee.

A probe by officials revealed that Sudarshanam had adopted a similar strategy on route 27B, the sources said. After gathering conclusive evidence, MTC earlier this month suspended 10 staff members — four drivers, including three hired on a temporary basis, three conductors and three computer operators — from Anna Nagar depot in connection with the scam.

The computer operators were cleared of the charges; an inquiry is pending against seven others.

MTC has unearthed similar scams in the Vadapalani and Ambattur bus depot. The transport corporation suspended and later transferred five staff members for the racket at the Vadapalani depot, in which they illegally pocketed ₹45 lakh.

DGHS NOTIFICATION 6.08.2018