Engg counselling scheduled from Oct 8 to be delayed?

Engg counselling scheduled from Oct 8 to be delayed?

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:07.10.2020

The round-wise schedule for online engineering counselling for the general category is yet to be announced, sparking doubts that the process will be delayed.

The Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) committee said counselling would begin from October 8, but is yet to notify how many students qualify for each round and dates for filling choices, tentative allotment and initial payment. The TNEA committee released the rank list for 1,12,406 candidates on September 28. TNEA officials said the higher education minister K P Anbalagan would release the schedule on Wednesday. They refused to comment when asked whether the counselling will begin as scheduled.

Sources said the minister was busy with the political developments in the AIADMK, which is set to announce its CM candidate on Wednesday.

Last year, the choice filling started from July 8 for the first round. But, the TNEA had declared the complete schedule on July 1 giving more time for students to decide.

Educational consultant D Nedunchezhiyan said the round-wise schedule should have been released at least a week ago to help students prepare. TNEA has released the videos to help the students to prepare the choice list and pay the initial payment through online. However, experts argue students need schedule to know whether they are part of round 1or round 2 and when to give their choices.

Career consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi said there’s nothing wrong in postponing counseling by a week. “The counselling is scheduled to begin before the first round of Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSSA) for central institutions and medical admissions. There are many IIT aspirants and NEET aspirants in the TNEA 2020 rank list. If the counselling is conducted before JoSSA and medical counselling, all top colleges will have huge vacancies,” he pointed out.

The online choice filling for round 1 for the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) began on Tuesday. The first round of online counselling for IITs, NITs, IIITs will go on till October 17. Anna University former VC E Balagurusamy said when the engineering counselling was conducted by Anna University, it had total control and the minister would visit only during the release of rank list. “Since the directorate of technical education is conducting the counselling now, they are waiting for the approval of the minister for every move which is unfortunate,” he said.

TNEA is yet to notify how many students qualify for each round and dates for filling choices, tentative allotment and initial payment

Validity of agri courses in new univs depends on HC verdict

Validity of agri courses in new univs depends on HC verdict

Colleges Move Court Against Rules Laid Down By GO

Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com

Chennai:  07.10.2020

The fate of students joining agriculture courses in newly mushrooming private deemed universities will hang in the balance, as the Madras high court has said validity of their admissions would be subject to the outcome of cases challenging a state government order.

The issue pertains to a GO dated July 28 stipulating various conditions on the universities, including obtaining a no objection certificate (NOC), to conduct agricultural and allied courses within six months.

The universities were also restrained from admitting students to such courses till they obtain NOC from the state.

Aggrieved, the institutions moved the high court. On September 29, a single judge of the court stayed the operation of the GO and directed the registry to tag the cases with other similar pending cases and place it before the Chief Justice.

The first bench of Chief Justice A P Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy on Tuesday observed that admission would be subject to the result of these petitions.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu advocate-general Vijay Narayan submitted that the GO was issued in view of a sudden mushrooming of such agriculture institutions and to regulate the same. Noting that the government had no intention to interfere with the day-to-day affairs of the universities, he said, “This is one subject that needs to be taught in the fields and not in classrooms.”

Any institution which desires to conduct such courses must own 110 acres of farm land with clear title and without any encumbrances. Such conditions are imposed as every student must be given access to fields to plough, sow and nurture crops as part of their practical training, he added.

Unlike other subjects, agriculture education is in the state list and only the state has exclusive power to impose such conditions, he asserted.

To this, the bench wondered whether the state expected an existing institution imparting such courses for the past 50 years with 10 acres of land to now buy 100 more acres to get an NOC.

Vijay Narayan, however, replied that such institutions are mushrooming only in the past three to two years and that is the primary reason for the GO.

Earlier, opposing the GO, senior advocate G Masilamani representing Karunya deemed university, said the GO was an encroachment into their status of deemed university.

Recording the submission of Vijay Narayan that the GO would not cause any impediment to students who are already admitted to the courses in the past academic years, the bench posted the pleas after six weeks for further arguments.

The issue pertains to a GO dated July 28 stipulating various conditions on the universities, including obtaining a no-objection certificate, to conduct agricultural and allied courses within six months. The varsities were also restrained from admitting students till they obtain NOC

At Chitlapakkam, people power ensures Tangedco does its job

At Chitlapakkam, people power ensures Tangedco does its job

Srikkanth.D@timesgroup.com

Chennai: 07.10.2020

As Tangedco begins replacing electric poles in Chitlapakkam town panchayat after people there sent a complaint with photographs of 31 damaged ones, early residents recall the postcard campaign they undertook to ensure the first transformer was installed in the neighbourhood to ensure power supply.

Thirty years later, the residents once again rose up in September last year after a 42-year-old man, Sethu, was killed while walking his dog after dinner when a live wire fell on him after an electric pole collapsed.

Sethu’s death caused public outrage more so because of the comments by state power minister P Thangamani that the post fell not because of the authorities’ negligence, but because a truck had dashed against it.

The residents then sent a detailed complaint with the list of all electric poles damaged in the neighbourhood and work, which was stalled due to the lockdown, has begun.

“Around 1990, after CMDA approved layout in Chitlapakkam, we had an issue with low voltage. Then all residents, numbering around 100, undertook a postcard campaign, which eventually yielded the desired result,” reminisced P Viswanathan, convener, Chitlapakkam Residents Associations Co-ordination Committee. The first transformer in Chitlapakkam came up at the junction of Thirumurugan Salai and Raghavendra Salai and the sequences surrounding the event itself was dramatic.

“It was a manual process and took more time for erecting the pole. This transformer was commissioned at around 7.45 p.m. and the next day was Diwali. So, our low voltage problem was solved ahead of the festival of lights,” Viswanathan said.

“We had asked Tangedco to appoint an inspection team to visit and inspect all poles, wires, transformers and other equipment related to the safety and quality supply of electricity and replace the damaged electric poles. We also requested them to provide underground electricity cables in a phased and time-bound manner too,” Viswanathan said.

An engineer with Tangedco said that work was delayed due to the lockdown restrictions and that they will complete works regarding the damaged electric poles and low hanging wires within the year.

Tangedco staff re-erect damaged electric poles at the junction of Thirumurugan Salai and Raghavendra Salai

Early residents of the area recall the postcard campaign they undertook before the first transformer was put up in the neighbourhood

Anna univ awaits govt nominee to recruit faculty

Anna univ awaits govt nominee to recruit faculty

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:07.10.2020

The state government is yet to appoint its nominee for selecting new faculty members for Anna University’s four campuses despite several reminders from the university.

The university has notified 312 vacancies – posts of 139 assistant professors, 106 associate professors and 67 professors after a gap of six years. The campuses including College of Engineering, Guindy, Madras Institute of Technology, Chromepet, Alagappa College of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning have more vacancies due to retirement and no recruitment. At present, the campuses are using temporary faculty to conduct classes.

“As per the statutes, the university needs a nominee from the state government and a nominee of the chancellor to the selection committee besides subject experts. Considering huge vacancies, the state government should immediately appoint its nominee to the selection committee,” a senior professor from the university said.

Sources said the chancellor had appointed his nominee whereas the state government is yet to appoint its nominee despite several reminders from the university.

After scrutinising the applications, the selection panels need to be convened for interviewing candidates.

Anna University’s former vice-chancellor E Balagurusamy said the state government should support the university in filling the vacancies. “Unless there is a valid reason, the state government should not delay appointing its nominee. They should have their representative and make sure everything goes by the rules,” he said adding that so many vacancies would affect quality of teaching and research.

In a related development, some members of Anna University Teachers Association demanded the university to conduct a career advancement scheme for the university faculty members before the direct recruitment.

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