Coaches with panoramic view soon for Nilgiri Rly

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:26.02.2019

In a few days, passengers travelling on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) — on the UNESCO world heritage site — in Ooty, will be able to enjoy a wider view of the scenic route.

Integral coach factory (ICF) on Sunday despatched four new swankier coaches which will have larger windows that will enable a panoramic view.

The coaches that are currently being used on NMR are more than four decades old and have been refurbished and retrofitted time and again.

For the first time, ICF has taken up the task of designing and developing new age steel-bodied coaches for the NMR railway system.

A total of 15 coaches are being planned to be manufactured by ICF for the NMR. Of these, 12 coaches will make three rakes — each comprising of one first class, two second class seater and one luggage-cum-passenger car formation. The remaining three coaches will be spare coaches, an ICF official said. The first formation of one rake comprising four new stainless steel coaches for the NMR has just been rolled out from ICF and they are now being taken to Mettupalayam by rail.

NEW AVATAR

Univ women’s hostel a horror house
But Warden Talks Of Good Facilities Here
Aditi.R@timesgroup.com

Chennai:26.02.2019

Unhygienic toilets, poor drinking water facilities, unsafe living conditions and a constant threat of disciplinary action if any demand is made. These are some of the many woes nagging the students residing at the Mother Teresa Hostel for Women at the University of Madras.

“It has become increasingly difficult to live here. But since the authorities know we have no other place to go, they are taking advantage of our situation,” said a student on condition of anonymity.

The university hostel, located in Chepauk, houses nearly 250 students pursuing their post graduate and PhD courses. The hostel has 13 wings, each with eight rooms. A common bathroom and toilet is available at the end of each wing. To reach the rooms or the bathroom, however, students require a torchlight.

“I joined the campus around August last year, since then I have never seen the wings illuminated,” the student said.

Students added that campus maintenance was poor. The cook who abruptly left a few weeks ago prompted authorities to close the hostel mess till a replacement was found. “We had no food. When we complained, we were asked to eat outside. This went on for a month, but we were still charged for food,” said another student.

Students said the hostel has no emergency medical facility and is home to a drinking water cooler that doesn’t work, forcing students to buy water cans instead. The electrical wiring is poor and also prone to cause shocks, they added. Last month, the girls protested after they did not receive water supply for a whole day. “Around midnight a water lorry was sent to the hostel. We were asked to get our buckets and fill water from the lorry directly,” a student said.

Hostel warden S Sumathi, who is also the head of the department of anthropology at the university, did not take the students’ complaints seriously, they said. “You don’t know who I am connected to, so watch what you say,” a student quoted Sumathi as saying.

When contacted, Sumathi said she had put in her resignation papers six months ago, and is holding charge of the hostel till a new warden takes over. “Students must be thankful that they are getting such good facilities here,” she said.

Asked about the hostel lacking a cook, she said, “They get low pay, hence they leave. And everyday we spend ₹61 on food for the girls. What more do they want? And once we receive government funds we will repair other facilities. But the hostel is very clean and well maintained. Everyone including the vice-chancellor appreciates my efforts, only a few girls are spreading such false stories.”

SEEKING BETTER AMENITIES: After a whole day without water, students were told to fill their buckets with water from a tanker around midnight

Now, school kids to get free breakfast

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:26.02.2019

Akshaya Patra Foundation and the Greater Chennai Corporation on Monday rolled out Kaalai Unavu Thittam, under which students in corporation schools will be served free breakfast daily ahead of classes.

According to corporation officials from the education department, the scheme has been planned to initially cover 5,000 students from across 23 corporation-run schools.

On Monday, Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit and state minister for fisheries and personnel and administrative reforms, D Jayakumar, inaugurated the scheme for 1,000 students studying at Chennai primary school and Chennai higher secondary school in Thiruvanmiyur, and Chennai primary school in Thiruvanmiyur Kuppam.

Either upma, idli, or pongal will be served to the students every day, said a representative of Akshaya Patra Foundation.

“By end of next month, 5,000 students will be covered under this scheme. Within the next academic year, we plan to roll out the scheme to 20,000 students studying in several corporation-run schools. Akshaya Patra Foundation will cook and deliver the food at these schools at our own cost.

“The plan is to bring all corporation school students under this scheme so that they are well fed before their classes begin," said Sudama Vipra Dasa of Akshaya Patra Foundation.

There are 281corporationrun schools in Chennai.

The idea of a breakfast programme is said to be of R Rajagopal, additional chief secretary to the governor, taking the cue from the midday meal programme that was pioneered in Tamil Nadu, and later emulated across the country.

ON A HEALTHY NOTE: Governor Banwarilal Purohit and minister D Jayakumar launching the scheme at a city school on Monday

Fire dept toothless against violating bldgs
Licencing Body Not Sealing Structures, Say Activists

Yogesh.Kabirdoss@timesgroup.com

Chennai:26.02.2019

Delhi Fire Services has cancelled licenses of 105 hotels in the national capital in the aftermath of a fire accident in a hotel that claimed 17 lives. Their counterparts in Chennai, meanwhile, remain toothless, failing to act against buildings compromising on fire safety. On last official count, 2,684 commercial buildings in Chennai and its suburbs are functioning without fire safety — or without the mandatory ‘no objection cerificate (NOC)’and fire licence from the fire and rescue services. At least 10 hotels figure in the list of unsafe structures in the city. While Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services says it doesn’t have powers, activists hold the licensing authority guilty of not locking and sealing the buildings.

Two district fire officers in the city told TOI that locking and sealing were beyond their powers. “The local bodies should be doing it. We can only update the Greater Chennai Corporation about buildings operating without fire safety norms,” said a district fire officer. He could not say how many buildings did not have the mandatory papers showing fire safety.

The fire service, headed by a director in the rank of DGP, has a strength of 7,058 personnel. It has 315 services stations across the state. Of these, 40 fire and rescue stations are in Chennai and 15% of the personnel are based in the city. In 2018-2019, the state government allocated ₹347.59 crore to the fire services.

Secretary of T Nagar Residents Welfare Association B Kannan said fire and rescue services should be act against violating buildings. “While several buildings function without certificates, some get the paperwork done without the mandatory inspection by the department. The licensing authority is responsible to lock and seal the buildings when they are violating the norms,” he said.

Fire services officials denied the charges. “Necessary inspections are being done before issuing NOC and fire license. But we are shortstaffed and we cannot divert our manpower engaged to attend emergencies at fire stations for other purposes,” said an official.

Director of Fire and Rescue Services K P Maghendhran did not respond to calls and messages.

The local bodies should be doing it (locking and sealing the buildings). We can only update the corporation about buildings operating without safety norms

district fire officer

Salem sizzles at 39°C, hottest in TN
Temp In City To Be Around 33°C, Rain Unlikely

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:26.02.2019

Barely three months into the year and a virtual heat wave has started to hit the state. Five places recorded temperatures close to 40°C on Monday.

Salem was the hottest, recording 39°C, while Dharmapuri registered 38°C and Coimbatore registered 37.2°C. In an indication that summer days are edging closer in Chennai, Tiruttani, about 90km from the city, recorded 38°C.

An India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said the temperatures showed that summer was setting in. “These regions usually heat up first and is an indication that maximum temperature will be going up in the coming days."

The temperature will go up in the hilly areas further in the coming days. As a result, he added, the temperature in the plains including Chennai would also increase.

The maximum temperature will be around 33°C and no rain is likely.

‘Over 50% chance of normal monsoon’

There’s more than 50% chance of normal monsoon this year, private weather agency Skymet said in a “preliminary” forecast on Monday. The forecast is driven by the prediction that El Nino conditions will recede in the coming months, Skymet said on Monday. P 12

Mornings in Chennai likely to be nippy for a few more days

The official said, “This is a usual phenomenon every season. There will be respite only when normal convective action brings rain. But that will be for a day or two.”

The met department has not forecast a substantial increase in temperature in the city. The maximum temperature will be around 33°C and no rain is likely.

There was not much of an increase in the maximum temperature in Chennai in the last few days, hovering in the range of 32°C to 33°C.

An official said as the maximum temperature increased, the nights would get warmer. However, the mornings were expected to be nippy for a few more days in Chennai because the sky was clear and there was no cloud to mask the cold temperatures of upper atmosphere from percolating down.

The met department had forecast dry weather on Monday but forecast light rain in some parts of the state for the next two days. But dry weather may start again on Thursday.

The forecast for the city for Tuesday and Wednesday says: “The sky condition is likely to be partly cloudy. Maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 33°C and 24°Celsius.”

The met department has forecast light rain in some parts of the state for the next two days. But dry weather may start again on Thursday

Failed a semester thrice? Redo course with juniors: Anna univ
Current Batch Can Appear For Arrears Till Sixth Semester

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:26.02.2019

Engineering students of colleges affiliated to Anna University who fail to clear the first semester in three attempts will no longer be able to enter the third year (fifth semester) and will have to redo the failed course with regular students (juniors).

The same applies to students before the sixth, seventh and eight semesters, say exam regulations released by Anna University on Monday.

The new rules will cover those joining from 2019-20 as well as those in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 batches. But current students were given a one-year exemption after they protested saying they were not informed of the regulations during admission.

Students of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 batches can appear for arrears till the sixth semester but can move to the final year (seventh semester) only on completing all courses enrolled in the first semester.

The internal marks secured will be carried over for the above mentioned three consecutive semesters. For lab courses, they can reappear for failed courses when offered next by the college concerned.

Until now, students could reappear for arrears any number of times with many clearing the backlog only in their final year. From now, those not completing the engineering course in seven years will not be awarded the degree.

The aim, Anna University vice-chancellor M K Surappa said, was to improve quality. “Students can’t appear for arrears continuously. If one is unable to clear arrears in one plus three attempts, then he/she is not fit to be an engineer,” he said.

However, there will be no ceiling on the number of arrears a student can appear for in a particular semester. The old rules restricted the number of arrears in a semester.

Each semester, a student can take seven core/elective subjects (worth three/four credits each) along with labs or employment enhancement courses (worth two credit points). The most credits a student can register in a particular subject can’t exceed 36. Of this, 24 are consumed by current semester courses and students get only 12 points (maximum three arrears) for reappearance.

Those failing in even semesters (March/April) could reappear for backlogs only in next March/April. The same applied to odd semester exams.

These two regulations have been removed now.

போரூர்: எரிந்த 200க்கும் மேற்பட்ட கார்களில் 15 கார்களுக்கு தான் காப்பீடு செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளதாம்..! 

By DIN  |   Published on : 24th February 2019 07:40 PM  |

சென்னை போரூர் அருகே உள்ள தனியார் கார் குடோனில் ஏற்பட்ட பயங்கர தீ விபத்தில் 200க்கும் மேற்பட்ட கார்கள் எரிந்து நாசமானது. எரிந்த கார்களில் 15 கார்களுக்கு மட்டும் காப்பீடு செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளதாக தகவல் வெளியாகி உள்ளது. 

சென்னை போரூரில் உள்ள தனியார் கார் குடோனில் பெரும் தீ விபத்து ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. கார் குடோனில் உள்ள காலியிடத்தில் 500க்கும் மேற்பட்ட கார்கள் நிறுத்தி வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த இடத்தின் அருகில் இருந்த குப்பைக்கிடங்கில் தீப்பற்றி, பின்னர் அது கார் குடோனிற்கு பரவியதாக கூறப்படுகிறது. இந்த தீ விபத்தில் கார் குடோனில் காலியிடத்தில் நிறுத்தி வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த கார்களில் 200க்கும் மேற்பட்ட கார்கள் முற்றிலும் எரிந்து நாசமானது. 

தகவல் அறிந்து சம்பவ இடத்திற்கு 4 தீயணைப்பு வாகனங்களுடன் விரைந்து வந்த தீயணைப்பு வீரர்கள் கொழுந்துவிட்டு எரிந்து வந்த தீயை கடுமைாயாக போராடி கட்டுக்குள் கொண்டுவந்துள்ளனர். 

கார் எரியும் பகுதியில் கரும்புகை மூட்டம் சூழ்ந்ததை அடுத்து அப்பகுதி மக்கள் சம்மந்த இடத்தில் சூழ்ந்தனர். இதையடுத்து அங்கு பரபரப்பு நிலவியது. போக்குவரத்து நெரிசலும் ஏற்பட்டது. 

இந்நிலையில், இந்த பயங்கர தீ விபத்தில் சிக்கிய 200க்கும் மேற்பட்ட கார்களில் 20 முதல் 25 கார்கள் மட்மே தீயிலிருந்து தப்பித்துள்ளன. எரிந்த கார்களில் 15 கார்களுக்கு மட்டும் காப்பீடு செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளதாக தகவல் வெளியாகி உள்ளது. 

பெங்களூரு, எலஹங்காவில் உள்ள விமானப் படைத்தளத்தில் சனிக்கிழமை நடைபெற்ற ன்னாட்டு இந்திய விமானத் தொழில் கண்காட்சியின் போது ஏற்பட்ட திடீர் தீ விபத்தில் 300 கார்கள் எரிந்து நாசமானது. இந்த நிலையில் தற்போது சென்னையில் அதேபோல ஒரு விபத்து ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது பரபரப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.