Run service on September 13 for NEET, West Bengal government urges Kolkata Metro

Run service on September 13 for NEET, West Bengal government urges Kolkata Metro

TNN | Sep 4, 2020, 04.11 AM IST

KOLKATA: The Bengal government has requested Metro Railways to run their service on September 13 for the benefit of NEET candidates. A meeting between the state government and Metro authorities was held on Thursday to discuss the modalities of crowd control, which the latter is keen on having in place before resuming services after a five-month hiatus.

The meeting at Nabanna, the state headquarters, started at 11.30am. Among those present were home secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, transport secretary Prabhat Kumar Mishra, police commissioner Anuj Sharma, ADG (traffic) Vivek Sahay, state health secretary N S Nigam and KMC commissioner Vinod Kumar. Metro Railway principal chief operations manager (PCOM) Satyaki Nath led the three-member Metro team.

Crucial logistical and planning details were discussed at the meeting, which lasted an hour. When services do re-start, passengers may have to furnish an e-pass or a smart card to a police officer to enter a station. The policeman would perhaps let them enter only after getting a green light from RPF personnel that passengers already at the station have moved to the platform to board a train. In other words, the state and Metro will have to work together as a team to ensure anti-Covid distancing protocols are stuck to.

Another meeting is scheduled at noon on Friday for the technical committee, which was formed on Thursday with officials from Kolkata Police, the state transport department and Metro Railway.

“The committee will deduce how to control access to stations and implement graded services, considering that 3.5 lakh people may have smart cards,” a senior state official told TOI. Metro wants to allow only smart-card holders; no token will be sold from counters.

It also hasn’t been decided yet whether the Kolkata Metro would run just for that day, or whether September 13 would mark the resumption of regular services.

Whether it will be e-passes or smart cards to ensure legitimate access is something that will be clinched in the next few days. “Initial discussions took place today. There will be some more to finalize the modalities. For elaborate SOPs, two or three more meetings may be required,” Metro Railway general manager Manoj Joshi told TOI. The focus of Thursday’s meeting, he added, was crowd control. It would be the starting point of Friday’s meeting as well.

Joint CP (headquarters) Subhankar Sinha Sarkar and transport commissioner Biswajit Dutta, members of the technical committee, will thrash out the standard operating protocol with their Metro counterparts at Friday’s virtual meeting and decide whether e-passes can be issued to commuters through an app. The draft SOP also includes 8am-to-8pm services, with a third of Metro’s existing fleet of 288 trains, that may be run seven days a week, at a 12- or 15- minute gap. Frequencies will reduce further during weekends.

Standing passengers may be allowed in a Metro coach. “The seats are only on the sides. So, it will be possible for commuters to maintain some distance, even if some of them stand,” a Metro official explained. One thing that emerged from Thursday’s meeting was that while the onus of implementing distancing inside stations and coaches was on the RPF, crowd control at the entries was the state police’s responsibility. While Bengal Police and Kolkata Police would keep guard outside north-south stations, for East-West Metro, the job will be done by the Bidhannagar Police.

Agra varsity to conduct OMR based exam for final year students

Agra varsity to conduct OMR based exam for final year students

TNN | Sep 3, 2020, 04.24 AM IST

Agra: Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University will be conducting exams for the session 2019-20 for the final year students of undergraduate and postgraduate courses from September 11. The exam will be based on optical mark recognition (OMR). Students will have to answer around 60 multiple choice questions in two hours. The exam process will be completed on October 6.

Varsity’s examination controller Rajeev Kumar said, “The exams for final year students will be conducted from September 11 to October 6. The sessional exam timetable is determined in such a way that it does not overlap with any competitive exam.”

“No theoretical questions will be asked. Students will have to answer multiple choice type questions on an OMR sheet. The duration of the exam will be 2 hours. We are in the process of finalizing the exam centers. The details will be made available on the varsity website very soon. Social distancing norms will be strictly followed while conducting the exam.”

According to the varsity records, maximum 43,495 students will be eligible to appear for BSc final year exam, 30,969 for BA final year, 10,812 for BCom, 8,684 for MA, 2,085 for MSc, 2,689 of MCom and 308 for Bcom (vocational).

CAG to audit TTD’s accounts from next yr

CAG to audit TTD’s accounts from next yr

TNN | Sep 4, 2020, 04.30 AM IST

Vijayawada: In a big step towards ensuring transparency in its functioning, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board on Thursday decided to entrust the annual audit of the temple body’s accounts to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) from 2020-21.

TTD trust board chairman YV Subba Reddy said in a release that the move will ensure more transparency in auditing while upholding the belief of millions of devotees and donors of Lord Venkateswara. Rajya Sabha MP Subramanyam Swamy had earlier moved the court, seeking timely external audit of the temple body’s accounts.

“By taking into consideration the spirit of criticism in the matter, we have resolved to get the audit done by the CAG. We feel there is a need to instill full faith of pilgrims and donors in the accounting and audit systems of TTD,” Subba Reddy said.

Till now, the temple’s annual audit was being done by the state audit department. The CAG may take over the audit of TTD from 2020-21 as the audit for 2014-15 to 2019-20 has already been completed by the state audit department. Government may also be asked to request the CAG to also undertake a special audit of the previous years and furnish its report within six months. The trust board’s resolution shall be intimated to high court by filing an appropriate affidavit in the matter, Subba Reddy added.

Tamil Nadu: I-T dept seizes Rs 4.2 crore unaccounted cash

Tamil Nadu: I-T dept seizes Rs 4.2 crore unaccounted cash

TNN | Sep 2, 2020, 04.38 AM IST

COIMBATORE: A land transaction has landed two people in trouble after the investigation wing of the income tax department seized Rs 4.2 crore that the buyer paid the land seller over and above the guidance value at which the property was registered.

Registration department sources said a resident of Gobichettipalayam in Erode district had sold two acres of land to businessman Somasundaram, of Sri Nagar in the same locality.

Somasundaram is engaged in fertilizer sales and owns a company named Royal Fertilizer Corporation at Gobichettipalayam.

The land registration was done on Monday and they showed that the land was sold at Rs 80 lakh, which was its guideline value.

The sources said as per the market value, the land was worth Rs 5 crore. “The buyer had paid the seller Rs 4.2 crore in cash before registration. The seller kept the amount at his residence with a plan to distribute the same among 12 people.”

Meanwhile, I-T investigation wing officials in Coimbatore and Erode got a tip about the deal and conducted a surprise search at the house of the land seller and seized the cash on Monday night. The officials also conducted a raid at Somasundaram’s house and office.

“The cash is unaccounted. We have asked them to appear before the investigation officer of income tax department in Erode for further investigation," the source said.

The source said the income tax department would collect 30% tax on the unaccounted money and another 30% as penalty. The land buyer has to answer for the unaccounted money before the IT department sleuths.

Rlys to run 5 daily passenger trains from September 7

Rlys to run 5 daily passenger trains from September 7

TNN | Sep 4, 2020, 04.24 AM IST

Trichy: Railways has announced that five daily special trains will run via Trichy, two of them passing through Madurai too, from September 7 following the nod given by the state government in this regard. These are Trichy – Chennai, Karaikudi-Chennai, Mayiladuthurai-Coimbatore, Madurai-Chennai and Chennai-Tuticorin. The frequency and the number of trains are expected to be gradually increased in the coming days.

Trichy railway division had begun preparing coaches for resumption of services. A senior official said many rakes were being halted at various stations as they were operated to carry guest workers during the lockdown. However, with the available rakes in Trichy division, they can operate 80% of the trains, the official said.

The required overhauling, maintenance and repairing works on rakes have already been completed. Hence, they were ready to operate any number of trains at any time, official sources said.

Meanwhile, in view of the resumption of services, a team of Railway Protection Force (RPF) along with Government Railway Police (GRP) conducted a mock drill at Trichy railway junction on Thursday morning. The team comprising the bomb and dog squad along with personnel from both the forces executed the mock operation on board the workmen special train which arrived on platform number 2 from Thanjavur carrying employees. The exercise tested the preparedness of railway armed force, employees and their response time in case of an emergency situation like bomb threat or accident, RPF inspector Sridhar told TOI.

Tamil Nadu: Colleges, varsities gear up for final year/sem exams

Tamil Nadu: Colleges, varsities gear up for final year/sem exams

TNN | Sep 4, 2020, 07.48 AM IST

MADURAI: Many top colleges and universities are preparing to conduct semester exams for final year students following the state government’s announcement that they will happen after September 15. Plans are on to hold the exams offline with Covid-19 safety protocols as there is a feeling that there is no need for further delay as public transport also resumes on September 7.

“We are not really prepared to hold it for online mode this time as there are connectivity issues especially in rural areas. Possibility of malpractices is also a concern. However, offline mode of examination could be held easily with proper planning as there are only five papers,” said Dr K Pitchumani, vice-chancellor, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU). Heads of colleges and universities felt that with all public transport resuming and JEE Mains and NEET being conducted, it should not be much of an issue to hold the exams for final year students.

“Offline is the best way to hold the exams as it would ensure no student misses out. Logistics too should not be an issue after September 15,” said N Rajendran, VC of Alagappa University, Karaikudi. Madurai Kamaraj University VC Dr M Krishnan too said that discussions have been held with college principals and all are ready to conduct the exams following UGC guidelines. “Though we are yet to receive any communication from the state government, as an autonomous college, we have decided to hold the semester exams for final years from September 17 to 30. The same has been communicated to students. The exams will happen in two shifts following all precautions. All students have already paid the fees,” said Dr Davamani M Christober, principal, The American College, Madurai.

Final year students, many of whom are already working or have got admission for higher studies, are also looking to finish the exams soon. “It is a bit tough for us as we have to suddenly write the exams after months of postponement. But there is no point in waiting further. Just clearing it would be enough to ensure I can continue with my job. By now, all are aware of Covid-19 safety rules like hand washing, wearing masks and social distancing. Just like in any public place, it shouldn’t be difficult to follow,” said G Kaviya, a final year BSc IT student.

1,300km on scooter from J’khand to MP for pregnant wife’s exam

1,300km on scooter from J’khand to MP for pregnant wife’s exam

P.Naveen@timesgroup.com

Bhopal  04.09.2020

 Let’s go, she said. And they did.

Battling floods, torrential downpour and rain-battered roads, a couple from Jharkhand drove 1,300km on scooter, the pregnant wife sitting pillion, so that she could appear for her second-year exam for a diploma in elementary education in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

With one raincoat to share, Dasrath and Soni Manjhi set off from Jharkhand’s Gantatola village on August 28. Soni is seven months pregnant, and Dasrath was unwilling to risk travelling such a long distance by scooter — that too in peak monsoon — but she was determined not to miss a year.

“I am a non-matric school dropout. She has completed her first year. I want her to build her career, follow her dream. She will become a teacher once she completes the course, and we can give a better future to the one who will come into our life in two months,” Dasrath said.

“I can face any situation with the support of my husband,” said the braveheart mother-to-be. They have been married for nine months.

Dasrath, 37, works with a catering firm. “Trains aren’t running, and taxis asked for ₹25,000 to ₹30,000. We couldn’t afford it. This exam was important for her, so we decided to go by road,” Dasrath told TOI over phone on Thursday while Soni wrote her exam at Padma College in Gwalior. The centre was allotted to her at random.

They reached Gwalior on August 30 and word trickled out on Wednesday night.

“I have been flooded with calls since this morning. One call was apparently from the chief minister’s office. I was told that the MP government will help us with a return flight to Delhi and further transportation to our village in Jharkhand. They will send our scooter by railway parcel. That is more than we can ask for. We are overwhelmed,” said Dasrath.

Full report on www.toi.in

AGAINST ALL ODDS: Dasrath and Soni Manjhi