MTC operates 1,800 buses

MTC operates 1,800 buses

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:22.06.2021

After 43 days, Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses are back on city roads on Monday. On day one,1,800 buses were operated.

This included 925 ordinary-fare buses in which women, transgenders and disabled people travelled for free for the first time. Transport minister RS Rajakannappan released the specially-printed tickets for these passengers and said the government has provided ₹1,200 crore as subsidy towards this announcement by the CM last month.

After inspecting preparedness at Central Depot, Rajakannappan told reporters almost 85% of the MTC workforce has been vaccinated and around 2,800 buses were disinfected and ready for operation, However, more passengers arrived at bus stops, particularly in the suburbs, than expected. Therefore, crowding was reported in some of the buses and conductors had a tough time in managing the 50% seating capacity rule.

Meanwhile, one MTC bus met with an accident at Poonamallee after one of the front tyres burst. The driver and three passengers suffered minor injuries.

ON THE MOVE: MTC resumed its service after 43 days on Monday

2 jabs on same recipients within 10 min? Officials rubbish claims

2 jabs on same recipients within 10 min? Officials rubbish claims

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhubaneswar/Dumka:  22.06.2021 

Two people — a man in Odisha and a woman in Jharkhand — have alleged that they were given back-to-back Covid vaccine shots, in gross violation of inoculation protocol. However, in both cases, the authorities have refuted their accusations.

A 51-year-old man, Prasanna Kumar Sahu, in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district claimed that he was administered two doses of Covishield within five minutes at a vaccination camp on Saturday.

“I was advised by the healthcare staff to stay at the centre for 30 minutes after vaccination for observation. While I was waiting, I was administered another dose,” Sahu said. “When I said I had been given an injection about five minutes ago by another nurse, the second nurse wouldn’t listen.” Both the doses were reportedly administered on the same arm.

Additional chief secretary (health) Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra said, “The director of family welfare was asked to verify and submit the findings. It was ascertained that repeat vaccination was not actually done.” In Jharkhand, a probe was ordered on Monday, a day after a 22-year-old claimed she was given two doses of Covishield in Poriyahat. Bulbul Dutta said she was resting after taking her first dose when the nurse called her again after 10 minutes and administered the second dose.

Optional board exams to be held between Aug 15-Sept 15: CBSE to SC

Optional board exams to be held between Aug 15-Sept 15: CBSE to SC

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:22.06.2021

CBSE on Monday told the Supreme Court that optional Class XII board examinations for students not satisfied with their assessment would be held any time between August 15 and September 15, subject to the situation being conducive.

In an affidavit filed in the apex court, the board said the result, on the basis of its assessment policy, will be declared by July-end, after which it will provide online facility for registration for the optional examination for those students who are not satisfied with their results. It, however, said the examination will be conducted only in the main subjects and “the marks obtained by a candidate in this examination will be treated as final”.

It said policy for tabulation of marks for Class XII board examination has been formulated by CBSE to ensure standardisation of marks, as marks of Class XI and XII component will be awarded at school level and, therefore, they will strictly not be comparable across schools due to variations in quality of question papers, evaluation standards and processes and the mode of conduct of exams etc.

As some of the parents opposed cancellation of the board examination and pleaded that it could be conducted in view of the Covid-19 pandemic being under control, a bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari said it would hear their plea also and take a final call.

Full report on www.toi.in

TESTING TIMES

City ration shop supplies tea past its sell-by date

City ration shop supplies tea past its sell-by date

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:22.06.2020

A ration shop at Chennai's suburb supplied expired tea packets to beneficiaries on Friday. People from Kadambathur village in Thiruvallur district, who consumed it without checking the expiry date on the wrapper, found the tea extremely bitter. "The tea packets provided to us had expired last year (July 2020)," said Ravi, one of the residents who filed a complaint with the Chief Minister's Special Cell.

Subsequently, employees from the local ration shop arrived at the complainant's house and provided fresh tea packets to them, said Ravi. When asked about this, a senior district civil supplies officer said that the salesman at the Public Distribution System (PDS) outlet named Gandhi had mistakenly provided an old stock without checking the expiry date on it and he is likely to face disciplinary actions for this.

"There was no point in blaming the salesman, who earns around ₹5,000 per month. The highly-paid officials, who are in-charge of monitoring the entire supply chain, should be questioned," said T Sadagopan from Tamil Nadu Consumer Progressive Centre, a not-for-profit organisation.

AS Balaji, another consumer rights' activist from Pattabiram, said that ration shops in the city's western suburbs do not provide bills for any of the packaged items sold to the public. Also, there is no mention of the price, manufacturing date or expiry date on the wrappers, he said.

When private shops don't follow these rules, they can be booked under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011. But government PDS shops seldom come under these rules, say activists, who blame the state labour and food safety department for lesser number of inspections and inaction.

‘Ready for 50% AIQ seats in MBBS after intimating the SC’

‘Ready for 50% AIQ seats in MBBS after intimating the SC’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:22.06.2021

The Centre is ready to implement 50% OBC reservation under all India quota (AIQ) to medical admission, but only after placing it before the Supreme Court.

A submission to this effect was made before Madras high court in response to a contempt plea by DMK against the Union health secretary and others for non-implementation of a July 27, 2020 HC order granting 69% reservation in state contributed medical and dental seats to AIQ.

A committee has given the options of following state reservation or central reservations but subject to parliament enactments on these seats of state, the Centre told the court.

“We are ready to implement state reservation on AIQ but only after placing it before the Supreme Court in the Saloni kumari case,” it added.

According to the contempt petition, the July 27 HC order order held there was no legal or constitutional impediment to extend benefit of 69% reservation followed in TN in the state contributed seats to the AIQ for medical admission.

The court directed the Centre to set up a committee comprising the TN health secretary and secretaries of the MCI and dental council, among others, to finalise the manner in which such OBC reservation is to be applied to AIQ seats.

The authorities failed to make TN health secretary of Tamil Nadu and DGHS s members of the panel, the petitioner said.

Lockdown FAQs

E-pass mandatory to travel for marriage within state

TOI 22.06.2021 

I want to visit Kerala for a property registration process.if I return within 72 hrs, is the 7-day quarantine necessary? — Mohandas s

Home quarantine is mandatory for seven days.

Can an IRCTC railway agent open his shop in Chennai? — Avinash

The government has not mentioned specifically about railway agents but you can check with railway authorities

We plan to shift our residence from Chennai to Mahabalipuram in the next few days. Can packers and movers transport our household items in their truck to our new residence without e-registration? — Ram D S

The government has permitted movement of cargo. There is no need for e-registration.

My son needs to come for his second dose of vaccination from Mysuru to Chennai.He has gone there to attend yoga classes. Does he need an e- pass? — Rema Bhaskar

Yes. e-registration is mandatory for all to enter Tamil Nadu.

We need to go for a road trip to Tirupati from Chennai. Do we need to have an e-pass? Is any other process involved? — Anand D

There is no need for e-registration to travel. However, it is better to avoid non-essential travel to prevent spread of infection.

My sister’s marriage is scheduled on June 26.We live in Chennai and the marriage is taking place in Kanchipuram. Do we need an e-pass to travel between Chennai to Kanchipuram? — Raju

Yes. E-pass is needed to travel for marriage. The bride/groom or head of family on either side should apply for an e-pass from the destination district for upto 50 guests.

Can all standalone shops open? I run a pawnbroker shop (no jewellery display or sales) in an area of 100 sq ft. — Rakesh

There is no separate mention about pawn shops. You can check with the local police and do accordingly.

FOR COVID-19 RELATED QUERIES AND EMERGENCIES

Helpline: 108/ 104 or 044-4612 2300/ 044 2538 4520

For bed availability, visit: https://stopcorona.tn.gov.in/beds.php

Schools should issue TC immediately to children: Education Dept

Schools should issue TC immediately to children: Education Dept

Reiterating the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the department said that any child up to the age of 14 has the right to move from one school to another and that schools must immediately issue TC.

Published: 20th June 2021 05:05 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Department of School Education, in a recent circular said that delay in producing Transfer Certificate (TC) cannot be considered grounds for denying or delaying admissions for children up to the age of 14.

Reiterating the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the department said that any child up to the age of 14 has the right to move from one school to another and that schools must immediately issue TC.

Further, these children cannot also be expelled till the completion of elementary education (up to Class 8).

The department instructed that children above the age of six years, not admitted in any school can be admitted in a class appropriate to his or her age. The child should be given training to become on par with other students.

Further, no school can collect any capitation fees and subject the child to any screening procedures.

“Receiving capitation fee and subjecting a child to screening procedures in contravention of the provisions of the (RTE) Act is punishable,” the circular read.