The New Indian Express

Published on Jul 18, 2012 at 13:20

Thiruvananthapuram: For most people, soil is something that has to be tapped off their shoes or washed off their clothes. But what about a museum for soil? India’s first reference centre on soil types will come up at the Soil Analytical Laboratory of the Soil Conservation Department at Parottukonam in Thiruvananthapuram.

The proposed ‘Soil Museum’ will be set up at a 5,000- square feet space on the first floor of the laboratory. ‘’The construction activities are going on. The museum will be ready this financial year,’’ Agriculture Minister K P Mohanan told the Assembly on Tuesday.

Tags: Thiruvananthapuram, Soil Museum, India\'s first, Soil, Earth

T'puram Corporation's squad a toothless tiger

The New Indian Express

Published on Jul 18, 2012 at 13:15

Thiruvananthapuram: During the last several months, the City Corporation’s food squad has not carried out a single checking in city hotels. That it is a toothless tiger when it comes to reining in faulty food joints being the main reason. The death of Sachin Roy Mathew, a hotel management student, in Bangalore allegedly after consuming ‘shawarma’ from Salwa Cafe, a food joint in Vazhuthacaud, naturally points to the limitations the local body faces in ensuring food safety.

Since the start of this year, to be precise after the Food Safety and Standards Regulations-2011 were notified by the Central Government in December 2011, the local body has only a namesake role in checking the sales of stale food sold in eateries. A circular issued by the Office of the Commissioner of Food Safety, Kerala, in June 26, 2012 has asked the Health Officers (HOs) and Health Inspectors (HIs) in local bodies to restrain from conducting food checking in hotels without permission.

Tags: Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Food, Restaurants, Hotel, Check

Have got no complaint on RTE: Karnataka officer

CNN-IBN

Published on Jul 18, 2012 at 13:15 | Updated Jul 18, 2012 at 13:47

Bangalore: Karnataka Primary & Secondary Education Secretary G Kumar Naik says he hasn't received any complaint on any school chopping of the hair of children admitted under the Right to Education (RTE) Act and will act once he receives it.

"The incident has just come to government's notice. We have asked for a report on this from the zonal officers and it'll come by this (Wednesday) evening. We will take action after that. Complaints of this kind haven't come in from anywhere else. The awareness of RTE is being carried out across the state so that problems of this kind can be addressed," says Naik.

Tags: Right to Education Act, Karnataka, Bangalore, Discrimination, Reservation, Quota, Schools, Students, Karnataka Unaided School Managements' Association

183 buildings in Old Hyderabad face demolition

The New Indian Express

Published on Jul 18, 2012 at 13:12

Hyderabad: Besides the 400-odd dilapidated buildings in the core areas of the twin cities, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has identified another 183 which might collapse at any moment. The Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta had in its order last month directed the civic body to see to it that action as mandated under the GHMC Act with regard to old buildings is taken and submit a report to it on Aug 28. GHMC Commissioner M T Krishna Babu on Tuesday asked tenants and owners of the identified old buildings to vacate the premises and cooperate with the officials in demolishing the structures as it is in public interest.

“As the monsoon has arrived and rains are expected, old and dilapidated buildings might collapse. This might cause loss of life and property as it happened in the past. It is better to vacate such premises,” he said. GHMC officials said the town planning wing, which carried out a survey in seven circles of the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad limits, identified as many as 183 buildings as old and dilapidated. Most of these buildings are located in the Old City.

Tags: Hyderabad, Old City, Demolition, Old buildings, Heritage

Bangalore: Passport verification? Just pay Rs 100

The New Indian Express

Published on Jul 18, 2012 at 13:07

Bangalore: While Passport Seva Kendras have gone digital, officials verifying passport applicants are making hay, 100 by 100. City Express speaks to a few Bangaloreans and sheds some light on the loopholes in the system. Shailaja, a college student, says, “Few months ago, an official from the Basaveshwarnagar police station had come to my residence for police verification. After completing all formalities, he said ‘Madam coffee thindi’. It took me a while to understand what he was referring to. But, he continued to stand near the door and later asked for money. I hesitantly paid Rs 100. But he said that there is one more official waiting near the gate. Then I paid an extra Rs 100.” When asked why didn’t she complain about this, she says, “I didn’t know whom to complain to. I am sure everyone in the department knows about this.”

Narrating a similar experience, Princy Thomas, an MNC employee says, “I had applied for passport in October last year and I was called to the Kodigehalli police station after almost a month, for police verification. After asking me a couple of questions, the Inspector in charge said Kaas Kodi. I expected this and paid Rs 200 to him. I was apprehensive of complaining about this incident, as I didn’t want to invite trouble.”

Tags: Bangalore, Passport verification, Bribe, Bangalore Police, Corruption

Canned water wars on the rise in Bangalore

The New Indian Express

Published on Jul 18, 2012 at 13:04

Bangalore: Following rising incidents of health hazard cases due to consumption of unclean water, the State Health department has issued a circular stating that water distributed through pipelines should be potable and the water sold in cans should be of ISI standards. On the other hand, the Karnataka State Purified Water Distributors Union says that the local authority and health department are using this circular to harass the owners of all water treatment plants. The court has ordered those treatment plants without ISI standards to be shut down but the members of the Union say that they will approach the court for relief since their livelihood is at stake.

It is estimated that there are around 1,000 water treatment plants in Bangalore alone providing employment to more than 75,000 people. There are roughly 150 plants which have the required ISI standards and they alone cannot cater to the demands of the people for pure drinking water. Most of the plants in Bangalore have Reverse Osmosis process to treat water. But some plants which sell packaged water draw water directly from the tap or the bore wells without treating it, thereby, affecting plants without ISI mark that have been asked to shut down.

Tags: Bangalore, Canned water, Health, Contamination, Disease, Water

Bangalore school chops off RTE quota kids' hair

CNN-IBN

Published on Jul 18, 2012 at 13:00 | Updated Jul 18, 2012 at 14:45

Bangalore: The Oxford English School in Laggere in Bangalore branded students from the economically weaker sections because they were admitted under the 25 per cent quota under the Right to Education Act. The parents of four students at the unaided school in Bangalore have alleged that their children were branded by cutting of tufts of their hair, just because they had been admitted under the Right To Education quota.

This was done to reportedly distinguish the 1st standard students from other students. The parents also allege the kids were made to stand separately during the morning assembly and were made to sit at the back in class.

Tags: Right to Education Act, Karnataka, Bangalore, Discrimination, Reservation, Quota, Schools, Students, Karnataka Unaided School Managements' Association

Bangalore school chops off RTE quota kids' hair

CNN-IBN

Published on Jul 18, 2012 at 13:00 | Updated Jul 18, 2012 at 14:45

Tags: Right to Education Act, Karnataka, Bangalore, Discrimination, Reservation, Quota, Schools, Students, Karnataka Unaided School Managements' Association

Quota seat scam hard to pull off: Anna University

The New Indian Express

Published on Jul 18, 2012 at 12:58

Chennai: While media reports, including those in Express, on Tuesday suggested that a probe had been launched into irregularities in the allocation of industrial quota seats at the Anna University, officials at the varsity claimed ignorance about any such investigations and termed the reports a “surprise”. However, most of them, while not ruling out the possibility of irregularities, said such a scam would be highly difficult to execute, given the checks and balances in the quota framework. Sources in the institution, who spoke to Express on Tuesday, said that the matter pertained to certain allegations raised in several quarters on the allocation of seats under the industrial quota, which was fixed at five per cent of the sanctioned strength in the various departments.

Officials said selection of candidates under the industrial quota involved several steps, including an application by the industry concerned that they were willing to sponsor a student, usually related to the company’s ownership. An inspection of the industry by a professor or group of professors followed the applications, where several parameters such as required infrastructure and if the core working of the company matched the stream that the student was opting for at the institution, is gauged. Based on this inspection, the official produces a report indicating whether the proposal could be accepted or not. Such reports produced on several companies are then scrutinised by a committee, which decided if the memorandum of understanding could be entered into with the company. “It is at this stage where the allegations are being made. It is argued that certain companies, which had suspect background, sponsored students to streams which had no connection to their workings. As per rules, this should not be allowed,” said a highly-placed source.

Tags: Chennai, Quota, Anna University, Scam

Chennai: Suburban stations to have CCTV surveillance

The New Indian Express

Published on Jul 18, 2012 at 12:52

Chennai: Work is on at a frantic pace at the Beach Railway Station to implement the first phase of the Integrated Security Surveillance System (ISSS). The project is aimed at giving security and law enforcement officials eyes over every part of the station. The project would help track kidnapping, pickpocketing and chain snatching cases, apart from keeping an eye on the safety of train driver cabins, officials told City Express.

The project is being taken up jointly by the Southern Railways and IT major HCL Infosystems, and would take up the installation of the CCTV cameras that would record visuals around the clock and and store the data for 30 days. The cameras will also lend to a security control room, where the feed from the cameras can be monitored. The Integrated Security Surveillance System will also be implemented at the Basin Bridge Railway Station, before being expanded to other stations along the suburban lines. The total cost of the project is expected to come up to Rs 40 crore.