Palaniswami inaugurates radiation oncology units

29/01/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami inaugurated the Radiation Oncology Block and Linear Accelerator service in Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital in Chennai on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister also inaugurated the CT simulator.

Mr. Palaniswami inaugurated through video conference the radiation oncology block and new equipment for cancer treatment in Government Royapettah Hospital, installed at a cost of ₹22.21 crore, an official release stated. Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar, Chief Secretary K. Shanmugam, Health Secretary Beela Rajesh and other senior officials were present.

State gets two more medical colleges
29/01/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

The Union government has sanctioned two more medical colleges to Tamil Nadu in Ariyalur and Kallakurichi districts, taking the number of new medical colleges to the State within a year to 11.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami thanked the Union government for the approvals on behalf of the people of the State.

The Centre had approved six medical colleges to the State in October last year and three more in November the same year.

On Tuesday, the Centre approved two more requests for medical colleges in Ariyalur and Kallakurichi districts.

Rush for birth certificates

29/01/2020

Going only by the names of the applicants for birth certificates in Chennai in January, 80% of the applicants are Muslims. The number of applications for birth certificates started increasing gradually after the announcement of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens, and the data show a sudden rise in January 2020.

More than 60% of city residents, who were born before 1990 do not have a birth certificate, it is estimated. The number of residents without a certificate is expected to be over a million. "Most of the residents applying for birth certificate are elderly people. It is a worrying trend," said an official. Corporation officials said the birth certificate of such residents would be issued based on a "field enquiry" by the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO).

The Corporation issues a non-availability certificate and the RDO has the powers to pass orders on the citizens’ place of birth. But the procedure takes three months.

The process of verification also involves field verification by Revenue Inspectors of the District Administration, Sanitary Inspectors of the Corporation and the local police.

With inadequate manpower in the Chennai District Administration, the process of issuance of birth certificate for all such residents may even take many years.

As most of the buildings that existed in 1935 in the city are already razed, it is not possible for the police to verify the place of birth, making the process more challenging, officials said.

TNPSC scam: two candidates held

29/01/2020,CHENNAI

Two candidates who allegedly paid touts to help them pass the Group-IV Services examination conducted by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) have been arrested by the Crime Branch CID of the Tamil Nadu police. According to an official press release, T. Vignesh alias Vicky, 23, of Ulundurpet and R. Sivaraj, 31, of Panruti were arrested for paying ₹7.5 lakh each to brokers to help them pass the test.

City’s bus termini in dire condition, cry for a makeover

Uneven surfaces, lack of toilets, overcrowding and stray cattle menace are some of the issues that plague the facilities visited by hundreds every day

29/01/2020, VIVEK NARAYANAN,CHENNAI

Hop, skip and jump — this is what commuters are forced to do at the Broadway bus terminus, one of the busy terminals in the city, owing to encroachments and the garbage littered on the floor. The promise to improve passenger amenities on the premises has remained an unfulfilled promise for the past many years.

This is not a lone example of the poor condition of bus termini. Most in the city are in a terrible condition and without basic amenities. The MTC operates over 3,600 buses across the city. There are 71 bus termini in the Greater Chennai limits, including adjoining districts. While 34 are maintained by the MTC, the remaining are taken care of by the respective local bodies.

A visit to some of the termini showed them to be in a very bad shape. While the surface is uneven in most of them, many do not have toilets for passengers. In some, cows were tethered to posts and cattle were found loitering freely amidst the buses.

‘Flooded during rain’

“Most of the termini are below road level and during monsoon, these places get flooded. It then becomes difficult for passengers to go inside,” said M. Somasundaram, liaison officer, Consumer Association of India. He attends the Voluntary Consumer Organisations’ quarterly meeting with MTC officials, including the public utility’s Managing Director and Depot Managers. The last such meeting was held in September.

Among the low lying termini is Thiruvanmiyur. “Buses to different parts of the city are operated from here. But it is in a pathetic condition; the surface is bad. When we complain to the officials, they brush it aside saying that the [Thiruvanmiyur] terminus will be demolished soon for some development work,” alleged S. Rajendran, a passenger.

The T. Nagar Bus Terminus, an important one in the city, is highly cramped. “At least seven buses enter and exit the terminus every minute, but the bus bays are insufficient. Though some bio-toilets are kept near the Madley Road entrance, people urinate around it and the stench is unbearable,” said M. Mugilan, a regular commuter.

Meanwhile, at the Villivakkam Bus Terminus, commuters have to jostle for space with cattle. “Cows move freely in the terminus as a cattle shed is located nearby. It is very difficult to start the bus in the morning as animals sleep under the vehicles. The stench is also unbearable,” said a bus driver.

R.K. Ravichandran, secretary, Ayyapanthangal and Baraniputhur Consumer Protection Society, said that the Ayyapanthangal Terminus is littered with garbage. “After much struggle, the toilets are now maintained well. But there is need for better illumination too,” he said.

A. P. Srinivasan, executive secretary, Consumer Protection Forum, said that the Tiruvottiyur Bus Terminus was shifted to a nearby vacant government land in view of Chennai Metro Rail work. “Earlier, public urinals were there, but not now. This has led to open defecation,” he explained.

‘Elders worst-hit’

Apart from this, Mr. Srinivasan stressed the need for a public address system, and bus bays.

“It has been one year since the terminus was shifted. By now, they should have introduced the facilities. There is also a need for seating facilities. Without this, senior citizens are struggling,” he added.

K. Natarajan, treasurer of MTC’s union Labour Progressive Federation, said that there are no urinals at the Anna Square Terminus, which is thronged by thousands of commuters every day. “We have made several representations, but to no avail,” he said.

‘Modernisation soon’

Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar said that some of the terminals may be modernised in the coming years. Mr. Vijayabhaskar claimed that he and his team visited termini in the city and found that most of them are in a bad shape as they are very old.

“They are below road level. There are plans to have multi-level bus terminus in Thiruvanmiyur, Vadapalani, T. Nagar and modernise them,” he added.

Air India flight waiting for nod from Beijing to evacuate Indians
Returnees to be in quarantine for two weeks: Health Minister

29/01/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Taking stock: A team led by Dr. Sujeet Singh, Director, NCDC, reviewing facilities at the RML Hospital on Tuesday.PTI

India has begun the process to evacuate nationals from the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, Hubei province of China.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday said the government was planning to send a plane to Wuhan and a special Air India flight had got the go-ahead from aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The evacuation process will take some days, Mr. Jaishankar told reporters at Vadodara airport.

“The aircraft will fly Mumbai-Wuhan-Delhi as per requirement for passenger evacuation,” a senior DGCA official said.

The 423-seater double-decker aircraft, with a 12-member crew, will fly as soon as China grants the required permissions, he said.

Officials said the government was also working on the issue on who will foot the tab for the evacuation.

Mr. Jaishankar, meanwhile, asserted that no Indian student had been found to be affected by the virus till date.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said, “The Health Ministry is working to ensure that the Indians in China after their return will be kept in quarantine for two weeks even if they display no symptoms. This is to ensure that they are not carriers of the virus.”

[Breaking] SC Dismisses Nirbhaya Convict Mukesh's Plea Against Mercy Rejection By President [Read Order]

[Breaking] SC Dismisses Nirbhaya Convict Mukesh's Plea Against Mercy Rejection By President [Read Order]: Three days ahead of the scheduled execution of death penalties in the 2012 Delhi gangrape-murder case, the Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved orders on the plea filed by Mukesh Singh, one of the...