Public servants must work where they’re posted: HC

Public servants must work where they’re posted: HC

K.Kaushik@timesgroup.com

Madurai:17.09.2021

A public servant is liable to work wherever he is posted in the interest of public administration as transfers are incidental to the service conditions, the Madras high court has observed.

Justice D Krishnakumar observed that it is pertinent to note that transfers are imminent in respect of public servants. In certain circumstances, there may not be any evidence to prosecute the employee or to initiate departmental disciplinary proceedings. However, the competent authorities may be of the opinion that further continuance of a public servant in a particular place would cause inconvenience as well as cause some difficulties for the peaceful functioning of the public administration.

The judge observed that administrative transfers are the prerogative of the concerned department and its competent authorities are the best persons to assess and act accordingly. Only if an order of transfer is issued with malafide intention or in violation of the statutory provisions, a writ petition can be entertained. In the absence of any such legal grounds, routine administrative transfers can never be interfered with by the constitutional courts.

The court made the observations while hearing a batch of petitions filed before the HC Madurai bench in 2019, by two Railway Protection Force (RPF) constables challenging their transfer orders and consequential relieving orders. They were transferred from Golden Rock Workshop at Trichy district to Mayiladuthurai railway station in 2019.

The standing counsel for the authorities submitted that transfer orders were issued to the petitioners on administrative grounds.

City teen attempts to end life over NEET

City teen attempts to end life over NEET

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:17.09.2021

A 17-year-old girl, who recently wrote the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), tried to set herself ablaze on Thursday as she didn’t perform well in the examination, police said The girl, a resident of Guduvanchery, sustained at least 60% burns and has been admitted to the government hospital in Chengalpet. She is being attended to by a team of doctors. Police, quoting the doctors, said the girl is in a critical condition.

“The girl sat for NEET on September 12 and was stressed over the outcome. She is said to have been detached and aloof for the past couple of days and she set herself ablaze when she was alone at home in Urapakkam,” an officer said.

The Guduvanchery police, who received information from the Chengalpet GH about the girl, rushed to the hospital and held an inquiry.

On Wednesday, a 17-yearold girl from Katpadi in Vellore district ended her life fearing poor results after appearing for NEET. A day after the exam, a 17-year-old student from Ariyalur district also ended her life.

On the eve of the test, a 20-year-old man from Salem also took his life over fears that he would fail the test a third time.

(Assistance for those experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)

Police said the 17-yearold girl from Guduvanchery tried to end her life over fears that she didn’t perform well in the test. She is being treated for burns and is said to be in a critical condition

Fresh Covid death certificate must be given in one month: HC to TN

Fresh Covid death certificate must be given in one month: HC to TN

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:17.09.2021

If a death due to Covid-19 is not recorded in the death certificate itself, an additional certificate should be made available within a month of the death, the Madras high court has said.

The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu made the observation on Thursday while disposing of a batch of PILs alleging that the cause of death wais not being appropriately recorded in death certificates, particularly in case of deaths caused by the pandemic.

When the plea came up for hearing, government pleader P Muthukumar submitted a status report on behalf of the principal secretary, health and family welfare department.

In the report, the officer referred to the guidelines issued for Covid deaths by the Union health ministry pursuant to orders of the Supreme Court.

It was indicated that based on the guidelines, the state government has instructed all collectors to form district level committees, consisting of the additional district collector, the chief medical officer, and the dean or joint director of medical and rural health services in addition to an expert, for the issuance of the official document in the format as suggested by the Union.

Recording the submission, the bench said: “It is hoped that the guidelines are strictly adhered to and the district level committee should ensure that in case of deaths which have happened on or prior to August 31, the appropriate certificates in accordance with the relevant guidelines are issued by October 31.”In the event the certificates are not issued within time or on some other untenable excuse, it will be open to the individuals affected thereby to raise the grievance before the appropriate forum in accordance with law., the court added.

‘Approach local health authorities for official document for Covid-19 death’

Chennai:

People can approach local health authorities for an “official document for Covid-19 death”, the directorate of public health said on Thursday. After orders from the Madras high court, the state health department said applicants will be given copies of forms that contain certification of deaths by doctors along with cause details. “The certificates issued by the government will not carry cause of death. But people can take a copy of doctors’ certification which will have these details,” said director of public health Dr TS Selvavinayagam, who is also the registrar of births and deaths for the state. “Health officials are following protocols declared by the centre in the declaration of Covid-19 deaths,” he said. If people want to dispute the reports issued by hospitals or doctors regarding kin’s death, they can lodge complaints to the district collectors. If district reconciliation committee thinks the death should be entered into Covid registry, it will make its recommendation, he said. TNN

To get jobs in UK, agency to train nursing students free of cost

To get jobs in UK, agency to train nursing students free of cost

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.09.2021

The Overseas Manpower Corporation Limited (OMCL), an agency of the state labour department, would reach out to the nursing students in the state and offer them free Occupational English Test (OET) training programmes to help them to find jobs in the UK. The agency had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Health Education England (HEE) to recruit qualified nurses under their national health service (NHS) in January 2020. However, the programme was put on hold following the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to facilitate the placement of nurses from Tamil Nadu in the hospitals in England, the corporation has planned to conduct the OET training programme for the 3rd and 4th year nursing students in their college premises, minister for labour welfare and skill development C V Ganesan told the state assembly recently.

Yet another student ends life over NEET

Yet another student ends life over NEET

Bosco.Dominique@timesgroup.com

Vellore:16.09.2021

Yet another MBBS aspirant in Tamil Nadu committed suicide fearing failure in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Neet). The student, identified as T Soundharya, 17, from a village near Katpadi in Vellore district, hanged herself from a ceiling fan hook using her mother’s sari.

She is the third student in the state to take the extreme step fearing failure in Neet, held across the country on Saturday, after Dhanush, 19, of Salem district and K Kanimozhi, 17, of Ariyalur district.

"The girl might have committed suicide between 9.30am and 9.45am today (Wednesday). Her parents were working in a nearby farm. Her mother came home in the afternoon. She found the door locked and peeped through the window to find her daughter hanging from the ceiling. She raised the alarm and sought help," said DSP (Katpadi) P Palani.

The DSP added that preliminary inquiries could not attribute any other reason for the girl ending her life than her poor performance in the test. "Based on preliminary investigation, we suspect that her fear over failure in Neet might have driven her to take the extreme step," Palani said.

Soundharya, who completed Class XII in Vellore Thottapalayam Government Girls' Higher Secondary School, scored 510 out of maximum 600 marks in the board examination. She scored 381 out of 600 marks in plus one and 413 out of 500 marks in SSLC examinations. She appeared for Neet at a centre in a private engineering college in Katpadi on September 12.

Her mother, T Rukmini, said she had been upset and sad for performing poorly in the test and had been depressed for the past two days. Rukmini and her husband, Thirunavukkarasu, are coolies working in agriculture fields. They left home for work on Wednesday morning. Soundharya's three elder sisters had gone out too. She was alone at home.

When her parents returned home, they found her hanging from the ceiling. The Latheri police registered a case. The body was sent for post-mortem examination and police began an investigation.

Stalin to decide on reopening of schools for lower classes: Minister

Stalin to decide on reopening of schools for lower classes: Minister

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

16.09.2021

School education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhion Wednesday said he has received suggestions on reopening of schools for students of lower classes.

The minister said that chief minister M K Stalin will take a call on the matter based on the expert opinion from the public health department officials. The minister was attending a local government function in Trichy.

He said that the reports of the chief educational officers (CEOs) of all the districts will be sent to the chief minister’s office to take decision on opening of schools for lower class students. There have been sporadic incidences of Covid-19 among students in the government and government-aided schools in the state after schools were reopened for higher classes.

“We have different suggestions from the CEOs. Some suggest reopening of school from Class I while some propose to reopen the schools for students of Class VI, VII and VIII. We have sent all the suggestions to the chief minister,” said Poyyamozhi. He said that the decision on the matter would be taken in the review meeting for lockdown extension for Covid-19.

Man runs over girl, tries to implicate his driver

UNDONE BY CCTV

Man runs over girl, tries to implicate his driver

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:16.09.2021

Police have arrested a man who ran over a twoand-half-year-old girl child at T Nagar and tried to implicate his driver. Ajay Subramanian was nabbed with the help of CCTV camera footage and the statement of the child’s parents. Police said Jayaraman and Chitra of Royapettah were going with son Barghav, 6, and daughter Thanshika when a car hit their bike from behind on South Boag Road and all four fell down. They were rushed to Government Royapettah Hospital from where Thanshika was shifted to a hospital in Nungambakkam where she died.

The Pondy Bazaar police were registering a case when a man surrendered, claiming responsibility.

The couple, however, said it was the wrong man and police, after checking CCTV camera footage, arrested Ajay Subramanian.