City girl, a budding pilot, dies in plane crash in Odisha

City girl, a budding pilot, dies in plane crash in Odisha

A.Selvaraj@timesgroup.com

Chennai:11.06.2020

Airborne, Anis Fathima flashed a smile and waved to her friend on the ground, and that was the last time the 20-year-old girl was seen alive. Aspirations of the young pilot trainee, daughter of a city cop who himself died while on duty, came to an abrupt end when her training flight crashed in Dhenkanal, Odisha. Her remains were brought to Chennai with great difficulty.

Her trainer Sanjib Kumar Jha of Bihar also perished in the accident.

It was perhaps the name of her locality – Vimanam (means aircraft) Nagar – and proximity to the airport that gave wings to her teenage dreams of becoming a pilot. “I want to fly high, and be one of the top-class pilots in India. I also want to build a house for my mom and brother,” Anis told this correspondent during a meeting at Theosophical Society in February.

The two-seater training aircraft did not fly for almost two months due to lockdown, a co-trainee told TOI over phone. “As per protocol, the trainer should fly the aircraft first before allowing trainee pilots to take off. And, the trainer shall also have control the bird on flight. This accident is due to technical snag,” she said.

Another trainee, Akash of Bihar, said Anis was one among the seven trainees pilots and she usually preferred to take to the skies last. On Monday, however, she chose to fly first, at 5.30am, he said.

Anis’s father, an assistant commissioner of police in Tamil Nadu, Mohammad Gori, too had a sudden death in 2011. Gori, whose family hails from Rajapalayam in Virudhunagar district, died in a road accident when he was with the Tamil Nadu Police Academy in 2011. Moments before he breathed his last, Gori clutched the then DGP Anoop Jaiswal’s hands and requested him to take care of his family. It was Jaiswal who helped Anis join the pilot training course. Jaiswal said: “I lost my child Anis. I considered her as my daughter and provided all support in her studies and extra-curricular activities.” On Tuesday night, her elder brother Anup and friends brought Anis’ remains by air to the city. After final rites at their house in Vimanam Nagar in Polichalur near Pallavaram, she was laid to rest near Rahim Masjid in Nagalkeni on Wednesday.

The mangled body of the plane that crashed carrying Anis (inset)

Govt docs, nurses worried about working conditions

Govt docs, nurses worried about working conditions

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:11.06.2020

As cases in government hospitals increased, more doctors have tested positive for the viral infection and government doctors and nurses expressed concerns about working conditions.

“As of now 60 of our doctors in Rajiv Gandhi Government General and related institutes have tested positive and are under treatment at ESI Hospital in Aynavaram. Five doctors have been asked to share a room. We have asked the government to provide them with separate rooms,” said TN Government Doctors Association president Dr K Senthil.

While staff nurses at Omandurar Medical College Hospital went on a short-lived flash strike on Wednesday, seeking nurse appointments to share the increasing workload, doctors’ bodies also asked for more staff at Women and Children’s Hospital in Egmore.

“We are now heavily short staffed as doctors and nurses are on quarantine.” said a doctor adding, “We worked for the government but did not get separate rooms to sleep when we have been infected. At the women's hospital many gynecs are at risk because they work closely with women in labour. They scream when they have pain and chances of droplet infections are very high,” a senior doctor undergoing treatment said. At Omandurar hospital, the nurses strike was called off after dean Dr Narayana Babu promised them to resolve the issue. According to sources, there are about 140 nurses attached to the hospital and half of them are in quarantine.

“For the 400 patients in the Covid ward, just 20-23 nurses are not enough and while on night duty, timings some time increase up to 12 hours. When we get affected, our families too are at risk,” said a nurse.

College holds convocation online to honour students

College holds convocation online to honour students

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:11.06.2020

There were no laughter, no claps, only silence as 453 engineering students received their certificates during a ‘virtual graduation day’ on Wednesday.

The function continued for more than an hour and students sat in front of their computers at homes peering into the screen as their images popped up on screen when their names were read out.

Rajalakshmi Institute of Technology, the college which held virtual graduation day sent an email of scanned copy of graduation certificates to all students. Students and parents were asked to log on at the specific time on a web platform to watch the live event.

“It is entirely a new experience for me. We looked forward to our graduation day where we put on a convocation robe and cap flanked by friends and family. I missed my friends on graduation day,” said Aswathi Muralidharan, one of the two rank holders who received their degrees in person.

But, she said her college organised the virtual graduation day well. “They have collected photographs of all students and used Instagram filters to put graduation day caps to the pictures. It is the new form of graduation,” she added. Another student Muthuvel C said it was a new experience for all students.

“Because of Covid-19, we were not able to conduct an inperson graduation day. So, we thought of holding virtual graduation day. We sent a scanned copy of certificates to all students,” said Thangam Meganathan, chairperson of Rajalakshmi Institutions.

Of 453 students, only seven could not login. More than 600 students and parents watched the event. Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan was the chief guest.

ALL VIRTUAL: Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan (bottom left) and others at the online graduation day of Rajalakshmi Institute of Technology on Wednesday

Citing COVID-19 Risk, Parents Move SC Against CBSE Decision To Hold Class XII Exams In July

Citing COVID-19 Risk, Parents Move SC Against CBSE Decision To Hold Class XII Exams In July 

LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK

10 Jun 2020 10:24 AM 

Raising concern about the safety of their wards and other students due to COVID-19, a group of parents from Delhi -NCR have approached the Supreme Court seeking quashing of CBSE notification to conduct remaining Class XII board examination from July. 

On May 18, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had issued notification announcing to hold the remaining examination of CBSE Board (Class XII) from July 1-15. 

In the PIL, the parents have cited the data of All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), according to which, the pandemic would be in its peak in July and there will be about 3,00,000 COVID 19 cases. 

The petition, filed through Advocate Rishi Malhotra, raised concern about the safety students saying "millions of students would be exposed to COVID-19 pandemic if they have to appear in the said examinations." 

"This situation coupled with the fact that cases in India are rising dramatically and as on date there are almost 3,00,000 cases of COVID-19 patients. 

Even if it is to be assumed that 50% of the cases are asymptomatic then, the said students appearing for these exams could also be potential careers themselves posing a great risk to the other family members and themselves", read the plea. 

"Moreover, to assume that the students in the month of July where the temperature touches almost 45 degree C and humidity around with students wearing gloves and masks sitting in examination centres for 4 hours at stretch would be a task which would be completely hazardous to everyone", added the petition. 

Earlier, respondent/CBSE considering the gravity of this pandemic has themselves cancelled the examinations of Class X and XII for its 250 odd schools which are situated abroad and has adopted criteria in awarding marks on the basis of either Practical exams conducted or internal assessment marks. 

"It is highly regretful that the respondents herein have no genuine concern about putting the lives at peril of all the students pan India and have no explanation whatsoever in insisting upon holding the said examination in India," as stated in the plea while seeking quashing of the CBSE notification. 

Delhi residents Col (Retd) Amit Bathla, Poonam Singla, Charu Singh and Sunitha are the petitioners. 

Earlier, the High Court of Kerala had dismissed a challenge against the State Government to hold exams for Class X under the State Board. 

A similar decision of the Tamil Nadu Government was however questioned by the Madras HC, following which the move was dropped. 

சென்னைக்கு வர டாக்டர்களுக்கு உத்தரவு

சென்னைக்கு வர டாக்டர்களுக்கு உத்தரவு

Added : ஜூன் 10, 2020 00:31

சென்னை; முதுநிலை மருத்துவம் முடித்த டாக்டர்கள், மூன்று மாதம் சென்னையில் பணியாற்ற வரும்படி, தமிழக அரசு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது.

தமிழகத்தின் பல மாவட்டங்களில், கொரோனா பாதிப்பு கட்டுக்குள் உள்ளது. ஆனால், சென்னையில் பாதிப்பு அதிகரித்து வருவதால், புதிதாக டாக்டர்கள், மருத்துவ பணியாளர்கள் பணியமர்த்தப்பட்டு வருகின்றனர். தமிழக முழுவதும், அரசு மருத்துவமனைகளில், முதுநிலை மருத்துவம் முடித்த, 2,000க்கும் மேற்பட்ட டாக்டர்கள் பணியில் உள்ளனர். அவர்கள் அனைவரும், கொரோனா தடுப்பு பணிக்கு, இன்றே சென்னைக்கு வரும்படி உத்தரவிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.

மருத்துவ பணியாளர் தேர்வு வாரியம், அந்தந்த மருத்துவ கல்லுாரி வாயிலாக, டாக்டர்களுக்கு உத்தர விட்டுள்ளது. அதை ஏற்று, அனைத்து டாக்டர்களும், சென்னைக்கு வருகின்றனர். 'அந்த டாக்டர்கள் ஓட்டல்களில் தங்கும் வகையில், வசதிகள் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளன' என, சுகாதாரத்துறை அதிகாரிகள் தெரிவித்தனர்.

No rush as Guruvayur temple opens for devotees

No rush as Guruvayur temple opens for devotees

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Thrissur:10.06.2020

Devotees entered the Guruvayur Sri Krishna temple on Tuesday, after a gap of about 80 days, following the relaxation of the lockdown rules.

However, contrary to the popular assessments that there will be a heavy rush of devotees to enter the temple, much less than the permitted number had turned up on the first day.

According to the devaswom administrator, S Sisir, only 88 devotees had come to the temple, though 284 had booked online requesting for darshan. The devaswom had in fact announced its decision to allow 600 devotees to enter the temple each day. Three marriages were also held on Tuesday at the temple kalyanamandapam. The devaswom had in fact decided to give sanction to conduct 60 marriages per day at the temple.

The bookings for darshan in the coming days are also reported to be not high. The devaswom has so far received only less than 1,000 requests for free darshan till June 13, when the present online registration will continue.

Devaswom sources said suspension of private buses and campaigns by some Hindu outfits against opening of the temple could have contributed to the dip in the arrival of devotees. But more than anything else, apprehensions about the possibilities of getting infection appear to be a major reason which deters the heavy flow of devotees to the temple. They are also worried of the need for going under quarantine if any of the devotees tests positive later.

The devaswom had put in place elaborate systems for ensuring that the devotees adhere to the norms of physical distancing and sanitisation to avert Covid-19 infection.

Only 88 devotees visited Guruvayur Sri Krishna temple on Tuesday

42K students require facilities to attend online classes: Govt

42K students require facilities to attend online classes: Govt

Kochi:10.06.2020

State government has informed the high court that the number of students requiring facilities to attend online classes has been reduced from 2.61 lakh to 42,412.

As per the report submitted by the state project director on May 10, 2.61 lakh out of the 41.3 lakh students in the state did not have the facilities. By June 1, the number reduced to 1.15 lakh and it further declined to 42,412 students as per the report filed on June 8.

Efforts are being taken to address the problem faced by the remaining students on a warfooting basis and the aim is to provide access to online classes to all students by the time classes begin on a regular basis on June 14, the court was told.

Government was responding to a petition questioning hurried implementation of online classes without providing the necessary facilities. TNN