Plea In Karnataka HC Against Holding COMEDK On Aug 19; Says It's A 'Manufactured Havoc For Students'

Plea In Karnataka HC Against Holding COMEDK On Aug 19; Says It's A 'Manufactured Havoc For Students': A PIL filed in Karnataka HC challenges the decision to hold COMEDK test by Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK) on August 19.The PIL filed by Adv Abdulla Mannan...

Ex-DU students can get digital degrees

Ex-DU students can get digital degrees

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:11.08.2020

In a big relief to ex-Delhi University students who still haven’t received their degrees, DU has started an online portal to issue digital degrees.

The university informed the high court on Monday that the students only need to register on the online portal (www.digicerti.du.ac.in) and give their details, including academic qualifications and name of their college. Once the details are verified, the digital degrees will be issued within a week, the varsity told justice Prathiba M Singh. She was hearing various petitions by 21 doctors who completed MBBS graduation in 2018 and 2019 from DU-affiliated colleges, but have not yet received their degrees on the ground that the contract with the printer had expired.

The high court directed the university that digital degrees for all the doctors who moved the court should be issued by email on or before August 13, as they wish to apply for their residency programmes in the United States and to sit in the United States Medical Licensing Examination.

The court had earlier asked DU to come up with a sample digital degree.

“The court has perused the digital degree, which has been sent by email and it is satisfied with its content. The issuance of similar digital degree certificates duly verified by two officials of the DU and digitally signed by the authorised officer of the DU would, in the court’s opinion, satisfy the purpose of the petitioners,” Justice Singh said.

The court said that the doctors can use the digital degrees for the purpose of their ECFMG applications and if the ECFMG authorities need any clarification, they may be addressed to the email IDs of DU officials Sanjeev Singh or Vinay Gupta. It also asked DU to examine if marksheets and transcripts of students can be issued digitally too and listed the matter for further hearing on September 7.

DU officials told the court that data of all the students who have graduated up till November 2019 is available with the varsity.

Times View

Covid-19 has forced changes in every aspect of our life. Technology has been an ally in our efforts to find a way out of the mess. Granting digital degree certificates is a timely move because it helps us maintain social distancing while allowing us to move ahead with our lives.

152 illegally appointed faculty in Pachaiyappa’s Trust colleges Board Issues Notices To The Appointees

152 illegally appointed faculty in Pachaiyappa’s Trust colleges
Board Issues Notices To The Appointees

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:11.08.2020

At least 152 out of 234 faculty members, appointed to six colleges under the Pachaiyappa’s Trust Board were unqualified for the post, and hence the board has now issued notices to the illegal appointees asking why their recruitment should not be cancelled. The appointments were made between 2014 and 2016.

“Only 60 of the total 234 candidates were qualified candidates,” board chairman Justice P Shanmugam said in the notice. Notices have been slapped only on 152, as the remaining 22 have moved courts against their removal. “The illegal selection betrayed the Tamil Nadu government, UGC, universities, education departments and the public confidence and the reputation to the name of Pachaiyappa’s. The continuance of illegal appointees will misguide and set a bad precedent, as it is a blot on the fair and equal selection and morale of the students and society for generations,” Justice Shanmugam said in the notice. They were appointed as assistant professors, librarians and physical education directors in Pachaiyappa’s College; C Kandaswamy Naidu College for Men; Chellammal College for Women (all in Chennai); Pachaiyappa’s College for Men; Pachaiyappa’s College for Women (both in Kancheepuram) and C Kandaswamy Naidu College for Women in Cuddalore.

Candidates with correspondence or distance mode degrees, UG and PG degrees with cross majors and those without mandatory qualifications like NET, SLET or PhD were appointed as faculty members.

Violations came to light after complaints against selected names

Assistant professors with nil experience have been awarded the maximum marks of 14. In some cases, teaching experiences were taken into account without reference to the date of acquiring minimum educational qualification.

“The selection and the appointment made in the light of lack of educational qualifications, experience and other basic requirements are patently illegal and liable to be canceled on the ground that the candidates have failed to satisfy as UGC prescribed qualifications,” the notice said.

More than 4,300 candidates responded to job notifications and about 2,000 attended the interview during the period. Following complaints in final selection, the trust board checked the applications of selected candidates and was shocked to find gross violations of rules by the trustees in the appointment of faculty members.

“Illegalities in the selection have denied hundreds of deserving candidates their right of equality and proper selection and appointment. The education of thousands of students coming from economically weaker sections for whose benefit the public trust was conceived by Pachaiyappa have been compromised,” the notice further said.

The notice said it is proposed to cancel the appointments of 152 candidates and directed the concerned to show-cause as to why their selection and appointments should not be canceled within seven days from the receipt of the notice.

When contacted, Justice P Shanmugam confirmed issuing show-cause notice to 152 ineligible faculty members.

The continuance of illegal appointees will misguide and set a bad precedent, as it is a blot on the fair and equal selection and morale of the students and society for generations

Justice Shanmugam,

Pachaiyappa’s Trust Board chairman

Virudhunagar crosses 10K Covid-19 cases

Virudhunagar crosses 10K Covid-19 cases

Ananth.MK@timesgroup.com

Madurai:11.08.2020

Virudhunagar with 10,155 cases has become the second district in south after Madurai to touch the five-digit mark. After crossing 1,000 cases on July 7, the district added more than 9,000 cases so far. The district had recorded more than 500 cases a day once, more than 400 cases thrice, 300 or more cases on 10 occasions and more than 200 cases on seven days. As many as 577 cases were reported on July 28. The district got the warning bell when cases started to climb when e-pass free travel was allowed and people started frequenting neighbouring Madurai in June. Health department officials said that the second warning bell was when Madurai crossed 10,000 cases on July 27.

Aggressive testing by conducting 2,858 fever camps, which included around 100 a day for the last few days, help bring down the daily positive cases. The average daily cases in the district between August 5 and 9 are only 140 as against 310 a day during the previous four weeks. Of the 1,740 hamlets in the district, 361 hamlets had people affected by Covid-19 and only 130 have active cases. The number of containment zones in the district was reduced from 177 on Saturday to 108 on Monday. “When five or more cases are reported from a locality we form containment zones there and it will continue till a door-todoor screening for fever and sample collection is completed,” Virudhunagar district collector R Kannan told TOI.

While Sivakasi, Virudhunagar and Aruppukottai towns and the adjoining rural areas have more active cases it has started coming down in the eight other blocks. Though testing capacity of the district is only 1,000 a day sample collection has been increased to 4,000 a day last week in a phased manner over the last three weeks. A special team under the district revenue officer is coordinating sample testing mechanism as 75% of the samples have to be sent to other districts for testing. Around 2,000 samples are sent to Coimbatore every day, followed by 1,000 samples on alternate days to Chennai, 1,000 on alternate days to Erode and 500 on alternate days to Kanyakumari for testing.

Covid-19 toll in south TN goes past 1,000

Madurai: On one hand the Covid-19 positivity rate is on the decline and some districts in the south, including Madurai, are showing a downward trend in adding new cases, the number of deaths and the death rate is steadily on the rise. On Monday the total deaths in the 10 southern districts has climbed to 1,042. The southern districts account for 20.7% of the total of 5,041Covid-19 deaths in the state. The average death rate in the region against the total of 62,046 positive cases is 1.55%. Though it is less than the state’s average of 1.66%, the increasing trend in death rate is a concern. A study of the death rate in the southern districts on a 10-day interval shows that was it was 0.90% on June 30,1.17% on July 10, 1.24% on July 20 and 1.31% on July 30 and has climbed to 1.55% on August 10. TNN

Transport dept to provide spl buses for work, marriage

Transport dept to provide spl buses for work, marriage

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:11.8.2020

The state transport department has announced that it is ready to operate special trips using its government buses for marriage and work.

State Express Transport Corporation’s new white-coloured buses with 30 seats and 20 berths will be hired out to the public at a very low rate, said an official release. To maintain social distancing, a maximum of 30 people will be allowed to travel every trip, for which SETC will charge ₹45 for every kilometre travelled.

In case of longer travel for more than two days, SETC will apply contract carriage rates meaning ₹17,800 will be charged for the first 100 km and₹40 for every km after that. An additional ₹13,000 a day will be charged as bus rent. There was no need to pay driver bata.

“We hope that the initiative will be of great help to people who are attending marriages in faraway locations and industries in suburban areas, which are working with 75% staff strength,” said a SETC official.

“But on both the cases, the applicants should ensure that they get the e-pass sanctioned by themselves.In casethey opt to travel by SETC bus, they can call us. Once they confirm the package, we will share the bus registration number details with them, which they can use to file their e-pass applications,” the official added.

A total of 40 buses have been kept ready for the initial phase of operation. For additional details, interested people can contact 9445014402, 9445014416, 9445014424 or 9445014463 or can write an email to tnexpress16@gmail.com, the release added.

Transport department is already operating more than 100 buses to transport government employees to the state secretariat and back home. Staff from Madras high court too utilise this facility by paying tickets for travel.

City likely to have a few int’l flights

City likely to have a few int’l flights

Officials May Allow Limited Schedules

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:11.8.2020

The city airport may have a few scheduled international flights after shutdown restrictions are over, sometime next month.

Though no decision has been taken, there is a thinking among the officials of the ministry of civil aviation and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to allow some limited schedules to nearby international destinations.

It looks like Chennai is also being considered as one of the airports which will be nominated as gateway airports for such flights which will be decided based on the ‘air bubble’ concept mooted by the Union government.

“Till now the thinking was not to have international flights till domestic passenger movement picked up considerably closer to the numbers handled in the pre-shutdown days. However, the numbers are not increasing as expected because people continue to travel only for emergencies. Quarantine restrictions in major cities is the reason,” said an airport official.

Sources said that the new SOP issued by the Union ministry of health is released with this intention to ensure that there can be a few scheduled flights.

“The SOP exempts those arriving from abroad to skip institutional quarantine if they produce a Covid-19 negative certificate. This needs to be approved by the state government. But this is a first step towards opening up airports for international flights as the state government need not test or look for accommodation for the arriving passengers,” he added.

This change in rule is crucial because passenger numbers will be high when flights are operated regularly. A twin aisle widebody plane can carry around 300 to 400 passengers.

The airlines are also putting pressure on the ministry to start flights abroad. SpiceJet has got slots from London. Most of the flights are likely to be to the Middle East or Southeast Asia to begin with. There may be a flight to London but is yet to be confirmed.

“There should be scheduled flights. Chennai-London, Chennai-Dubai/Abu Dhabi are popular routes. These airports are transit hubs. People who want to travel to countries that are open for visitors can use the scheduled flights to transit via hubs. But only point to point travellers are allowed now. This means a passenger can buy tickets from Chennai to Dubai and not beyond,” said Basheer Ahmed of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI).

TAFI has represented the union government to permit people to book and travel to Europe or the US via transit hubs. Chennai airport now handles three arrivals from abroad on most of the days under the Vande Bharat flights.

TN transport corpns can now hire, use pvt buses

TN transport corpns can now hire, use pvt buses

Govt Says e-Bus Scheme Reason, Unions Disagree

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:10.08.2020

The state government has allowed its transport corporations to hire and operate private buses along routes on which they were unable to run government buses. While the government claimed that the policy change was aimed at clearing hurdles for the e-bus program, transport unions see this as a step towards privatisation of bus services.

The state nationalised all bus routes in TN in 1972. At present, there are around 50,000 ‘scheme’ routes in Tamil Nadu, says official data. The Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, allow only state-run corporations to operate government buses along the scheme routes. Except for a handful of approved private operators, permits were not issued to others.

In 2019, the Union ministry for road transport launched the second phase of faster adoption and manufacturing of electric vehicles (Fame-II) scheme and said it was ready to financially assist states willing to shift to electric mobility. TN was one of the first states to accept this scheme and since an e-bus will cost at least ₹2.5 crore, Centre advised states to hire vehicles instead of purchasing them.

Existing state rules needed amendments to allow hiring of private vehicles by state transport corporations and hence, necessary changes were made to the MV Act and a draft amendment was released in January. Since there was no objection received, final orders were released now, said a transport department official.

Opposing this, K Arumugam Nainar from CITU, claimed hiring e-buses will increase financial burden of the state transport corporations running on loss.

The Centre provides only a financial assistance of ₹50 lakh per bus. This means each bus will get roughly ₹2,000 per day. But private e-bus operators now demand ₹12,000 as daily hire charges. So the state needs to bear the additional cost.

“Also, the said government order doesn’t specify that changes would be applicable only to e-bus operators. Instead, it has allowed hiring of all types of buses including conventional diesel-operated buses. With no buses operated along 28,000 scheme routes, we fear that the government might allow corporations to hire private buses along them too,” he added.

File photo of e-bus launch in Chennai