Flight cap to UK hiked to 60 services per week

Flight cap to UK hiked to 60 services per week

New Delhi: 13.08.2021

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has increased the cap on special flights that operate between India and the UK from 30 to 60 flights per week from August16onwards.

The ministry's decision has come five days after Sanjeev Gupta, Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat, Union home ministry, had complained on Twitter that an economyclass ticket on Delhi-London flights of British Airways, Air India and Vistara for August 26 was priced between Rs 1.2 lakh and Rs 3.95 lakh.

After Gupta's post, Vistara had said on Sunday that pricing is always a function of supply and demand.

"There are only 15 flights a week allowed currently on India-UK route for Indian carriers and when there is relaxation and more capacity allowed, it will automatically bring down prices," the carrier had said. PTI

Resident doctors’ strike: All barring a few join duty

Resident doctors’ strike: All barring a few join duty

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:13.08.2021

The deadlock between resident doctors and the state government was resolved on Thursday as the majority of striking doctors resumed duty or promised to do so. Sources privy to the development said a faction of doctors is still not in favour of a truce, but the majority of the doctors across the state accepted the offer of the state government.

Resident doctors in Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar resumed duty, whereas in Ahmedabad, senior resident doctors agreed to the proposals. The Junior Doctors Association (JDA) office bearers could not be contacted despite several attempts to know their stance.

On Thursday, the state health department issued a GR where they mentioned that the senior residency (SR) years of resident doctors would be considered as part of the bond period in the ratio of 1:1. They will also get deputation at district or sub-district hospitals and would only get stipend for it, sans DA or other perks.

‘The doctors on bond will have to complete the period according to the new arrangements. The arrangement is only for the 2021 batch and won’t serve as a precedent for the future. Senior residency provisions will remain the same,’ the GR states. The GR also revoked the order to doctors to vacate hostels.

This cab is ‘booked’: Driver, teacher set up mobile stalls

This cab is ‘booked’: Driver, teacher set up mobile stalls

Srikkanth.D@timesgroup.com

Chennai:13.08.2021

A little more than a year ago, Michael Crichton, Robert Ludlum, Jeffrey Archer, Dan Brown were names that Gopalan and Nageswaran (names changed) couldn’t care less about. Now, pandemic-induced salary cut and restriction in transport services have forced them to become sellers of old and used books. They now have sufficient knowledge about the bestselling paperbacks.

One is still a physical education teacher at a private school; the other a cab driver. While they were not acquainted with each other previously, both have set up mobile book stalls in their cars along busy Lake View Road in Madipakkam.

“My grandfather used to sell old books in the Moore market which was destroyed in a fire in1985. After the initial months of lockdown when cab services were allowed, there was no brisk business and the few who came about were also Covid patients. Since I had a little knowledge about this, I took it up,” says 50-year-old Nageshwaran. Every morning, he loads his cab with books from his house in Perumbakkam and then stations outside an apartment complex in Mambakkam. In the evenings, he sets shop along the Madipakkam lake.

Ganesan’s salary as a physical education teacher at a private school was cut due to the pandemic, forcing him to take up the side job. “My elder sister’s family is in the business. When I explained my situation, they suggested I take this up. Since I have my own car, I used it as a stall instead of opting for a rented stall or store,” says the 40-year-old.

Ganesan, who has been a PET for16 years, never foresaw this situation. “In the initial days, I was more embarrassed about selling books in a public place. Over time, it has come down. Now, even if management restores salary, I think I will try and continue this mobile stall.”

ALTERNATE MEASURES: After his salary as a physical education teacher at a private school was cut due to the pandemic, Ganesan decided to sell books to add to his income

Velachery bus terminus in bad shape

Velachery bus terminus in bad shape

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:13.08.2021

The bus terminus at Velachery, frequented by thousands of commuters every day, lacks basic amenities and ongoing flyover work has worsened the waiting area too.

Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) operates buses along a dozen important routes from Velachery to other areas in the city like Ambattur (D70), Perambur (29N) and Thiruporur (568B). But the bus terminus is able to accommodate only four buses at a time. Therefore, passengers are forced to wait for buses under extreme heat or rain.

Some of them wait under treesa few yards away, and run when the buses reach the terminus. There are sign boards showing list of buses which are expected to arrive or depart from the terminus. The public address system too is defunct most of the times, complain regular MTC bus commuters.

Senior citizens and students, who arrive at the terminus, also don't have shelters while they wait in long queues to get concessional or free passes renewed. In the opposite side (towards Tambaram), the bus stand has been completely dismantled.

S Kumara Raja from the Federation of Velachery Welfare Association said that the ideal location to shift the bus terminus would be the Mass Rapid Transit System premises (located diagonally opposite to the existing terminus location) so that people getting down from the local train can easily board buses to their respective areas or vice-versa.

If the discussion between the Union and state governments is not fetching any results, MTC should start looking at other possibilities. There is a 1.75-acre vacant plot, which belongs to Dhandeeswarar temple, on Taramani Road. Right now, private omni buses are using this facility. MTC can pay or take this land for lease to construct a terminus, he added.

S Vignesh of Madipakkam said even the approach roads towards the terminus are lying battered for years and traffic congestion worsens every day during peak hours.

An MTC official in response said the highways department, which is constructing the flyover, has promised to finish it by December end and only then a decision can be taken whether to develop the terminus at the existing location or to shifting to a new location.

Driving through Royapettah clock tower junction? Pray

Driving through Royapettah clock tower junction? Pray

Ayyappan.V@timesgroup.com

Chennai:13.08.2021

If you are stuck in the traffic at Royapettah clock tower junction in the evenings, be ready to wait endlessly as vehicular movement in the stretch is chaotic and often unregulated.

At 6.45pm on Thursday, at least ten two-wheeler riders were seen jumping the signal and driving in different directions in a span of around five minutes.

The junction appears gridlocked as traffic from Bharati Salai is allowed into General Patters Road. This set of vehicles intersect with those from Whites Road to Bharati Salai and vehicles from GH side to Bharati Salai. This criss-crossing traffic does not move in accordance with the traffic signals. The problem started soon after authorities opened General Patters Road for two-way traffic almost two years ago, said a regular commuter on the stretch.

Motorists, especially twowheelers, routinely jump signals even though a traffic police post is located close by. Signal violations are not penalised.

Mohammed K, who runs a shop near the junction, said that there are no traffic blocks but people violate the red signals and drive into different streets often coming close to collision. “They just drive away,” he said. The police sometimes crack down on parking and often tow away motorcycles and regulate the autorickshaws, he added.

Darshan V, a local resident, said, “You will need to drive carefully to prevent from getting hit by a two-wheeler. They appear to be coming from every direction. There is no order at all.”

The intersection that connects traffic from Mandaveli to Anna Salai and Royapettah and Beach and vice versa gets congested on weekends.

A traffic policeman on duty said that the two-way system is not the problem. “The traffic signal pattern that regulates flow of vehicles from each road needs to be changed. This will prevent motorists from trying to drive across. This will be tried out in the coming days.”

Space below three flyovers in city to be turned into leisure places for the public

Space below three flyovers in city to be turned into leisure places for the public

Komal Gautham@timesgroup.com

Chennai:13.08.2021

The space under flyovers is either used for dumping construction debris or as illegal parking space for street hawkers. This is set to change in the next few months, as the civic body has launched a drive to identify and beautify these spaces.

The first three flyovers in the pipeline are the Gandhi Mandapam flyover, G K Moopanar flyover and Pantheon Road flyover.

Under the chief minsiter’s Singara Chennai project, the civic body is teaming up with Chennai metro rail and the state highways department to beautify these idle spaces with water fountains, flowering plants, art work and seating arrangements.

A joint inspection was also held on Thursday when the civic body finalized the Koyambedu junction for the next renovation project along with the CMRL. The work at Kathipara flyover is nearing completion.

Gagandeep Singh Bedi, corporation commissioner, said they review the beautification work every 15 days, and recently decided to redesign spaces under flyovers. The corporation alone won't be executing these projects, as metro rail, highways and other departments will also be involved in the process.

Four stretches maintained by CMRL— Koyambedu to Alandur, Tondiarpet to Wimco Nagar, Saidapet to Airport and Alandur to St Thomas Mount will be revamped. Fourteen flyover spaces by state highways department, including Vysarpadi flyover, are also on the revamp list. In total, there are 35 flyovers and about 150 bridges that will be revamped.

The civic body has already set up vertical gardens at the IIT-M flyover, but they now plan to add a small garden, water fountains and seating arrangements. It will be a place where people can hang out. These will be undertaken using CSR funds and some work will be taken up under capital expenditure, said an official.

FACELIFT: The civic body plans to add a small garden, water fountains and seating arrangements at the IIT-M flyover

One-shot Sputnik Light all set for rollout in Sept

One-shot Sputnik Light all set for rollout in Sept

Mumbai:13.08.2021

India’s immunisation plan against Covid-19 may get a shot in the arm soon with the rollout of Russian singledose vaccine Sputnik Light, which will be locally manufactured in September, reports Rupali Mukherjee.

Panacea Biotec, which had earlier partnered Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), has submitted the dossier for seeking emergency-use authorisation to India’s drug regulator recently, sources told TOI. The vaccine is expected to be priced around ₹750. Shortage in supply of the two-dose Sputnik V could be resolved as early as the month-end, with Dr Reddy’s, RDIF’s exclusive distribution partner for India, ramping up supplies, sources added.

Around 5L doses of imported Sputnik vax could be rolled out in India soon

The full rollout of the Sputnik V vaccine was put on hold and is hence lagging, as its imports from Russia were impacted in June. Around five lakh doses of Sputnik V’s component 2 vaccine, which have been imported, could be rolled out in India soon.

“We are also working closely with our partners in India for manufacturing readiness. We expect that locally manufactured doses are likely to be available from the September-October period”, a Dr Reddy’s spokesperson said.

Sputnik Light, developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Institute and backed by RDIF, received emergency use authorisation in Russia in May. It is perceived by experts as more ‘suitable’, given the task of vaccinating a large population even as a possible third wave looms. The Sputnik Light jab has demonstrated nearly 80% efficacy, according to analysed data taken 28 days after the injection was administered in a trial in Russia, an RDIF statement said.