Guv rejects 3 Alagappa V-C candidates

Guv rejects 3 Alagappa V-C candidates

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:14.08.2021

Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Wednesday rejected the three shortlisted vice-chancellor candidates for Alagappa University saying that none of the candidates were found suitable for the V-C post. "Governor-chancellor has interviewed three candidates from the panel submitted by the search committee of Alagappa University at Raj Bhavan on August 11. The governor found that none of the candidates was suitable for the post of vice-chancellor of Alagappa University," a letter from governor secretary Anandrao V Patil to the registrar of the universiy said.

"As per the section 13 (1) of the Alagappa University Act, 1985, as amended in the Tamil Nadu Universities Laws (Amendment) Act, 1992, governor-chancellor has not approved any of the persons in the panel recommended by the search committee as vice-chancellor of Alagappa University," he said in the letter adding that the governor ordered that another search committee be formed to give a fresh panel of three different names. The letter further asked the registrar to form a new search committee for selection of vice-chancellor of Alagappa University, Kariakudi, at an early date.

TN extends maternity leave for govt employees

TN extends maternity leave for govt employees

Team TOI

Chennai:14.08.2021

Tamil Nadu has enhanced the period of maternity leave for women government employees to one year from 9 months as promised in the DMK's election manifesto.

Finance minister Palanivel Thiagarajan announced the extension of leave on the floor of assembly during his maiden budget speech on Friday.

The scheme will be restricted to women with less than two surviving children with effect from July 1, he said, amid applause from his cabinet colleagues and other members.

The policy will help the state’s target of increasing the number of babies being exclusively breastfed in the first six months of life, help them receive vaccinations and care for their nutritional status. The maternity leave will help mothers get back to good health in a short period of time, said officials from the social welfare department.

“Tamil Nadu provides cash benefits, free vaccination and nutrition supplement for mothers and babies. But several mothers are not able to care of themselves and their babies because they don’t have the time,” said a senior social welfare department official. “This will change, with longer maternity leave,” she said.

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.”