writingonblog uncensored: Wake up Kumbakarnan, says Madras HC after TN delay...

writingonblog uncensored: Wake up Kumbakarnan, says Madras HC after TN delay...: EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ CHENNAI: Madras High Court has slammed the Tamil Nadu government for 17 years delay in framing Ad Hoc rules aft...

Wake up Kumbakarnan, says Madras HC after TN delays framing ad hoc rules to rationalise services of library officials

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ CHENNAI:

Madras High Court has slammed the Tamil Nadu government for 17 years delay in framing Ad Hoc rules after it took a policy decision to rationalise the service of the local library authorities and to bring them into one single unit.

A division bench of Justice K K Sasidharan and Justice R Subramanian said, “A policy decision to rationalise the service of the local library authorities and to bring them into one single unit was taken by the government as early as December 11, 1989. But the Adhoc Rules were framed only in 2006, nearly after a lapse of 17 years.” 

This exhibits the callous indifference shown by the officials of the state. In 1995, the state administrative tribunal had observed that the framing of the Rules should not be unduly delayed. It had specifically observed that administrative decisions which involve change in service Rules should be followed up by necessary changes by way of amendment without any unduly delay, the bench pointed out.

The Madras high court observed that it is high time for the state to wake up from ‘Kumbakarnan's sleep’ and follow court directions without any further delay while pulling up the officials of the Tamil Nadu government for their ‘callous’ attitude in making administrative decisions, leading to long-drawn litigations and waste of judicial time.

The judges made the observations on a batch of appeals challenging a government order issued by the school education department on January 12, 2015 and a consequential order of the director of public libraries dated January 13, 2015 by which the petitioners who were appointed through direct recruitment were reverted from the posts of district library officers. The appointments were made during 2002 to 2005.

Allowing the appeals, the bench said, “Once it is found that the appellants appointment was pursuant to direct recruitment, they cannot be reverted to a lower rank…”

“Despite the direction the government has taken 17-years for framing Rules, because of which the appellants had been running from pillar to post right from 2007 to till date. We are pained at the attitude exhibited by the state machinery in not even framing the Adhoc Rules for 17 years. In our considered opinion, this failure on the part of the state to do its duty has led to this long-drawn litigation resulting in waste of court hours on trivial issue of promotions and seniority,” the court said.  

writingonblog uncensored: PSLV-C42 launches 2 foreign satellites

writingonblog uncensored: PSLV-C42 launches 2 foreign satellites: Chennai: The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C42) of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched two satellites...

PSLV-C42 launches 2 foreign satellites

Chennai:
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C42) of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched two satellites -- NovaSAR and S1-4-- from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota on Tuesday.

The PSLV-C42 lifted off from the First Launch Pad of SHAR at 10.08 pm (IST). Both satellites were injected into the Sun Synchronous Orbit, about 17 minutes later, at an altitude of 583 km.

The satellites belong to UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), which has a contract with Antrix Corporation Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO. NovaSAR carries S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and an Automatic Identification Receiver payloads. The satellite applications include forestry mapping, land use and ice cover monitoring, flood and disaster monitoring and maritime missions. It will be operated from SSTL’s Spacecraft Operations Centre in Guildford, UK.

S1-4 is a high resolution earth observation satellite meant for surveying resources, environment monitoring, urban management and disaster monitoring.

This was the 44th flight of PSLV and the 12th flight of the Core Alone version of the vehicle. Core Alone is its lightest version without the six strap-on motors. It is used for launching smaller payloads.

The PSLV launch vehicle consists of four stages, each of which is a self-contained vehicle capable of functioning independently with own propulsion systems.

During the previous launch (PSLV-C41, April 12, 2018), the ‘XL’ version of PSLV with six strap-on motors was used. The vehicle successfully launched the IRNSS-1I navigation satellite to a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

Preparations for the PSLV-C42 began at Sriharikota in mid-July with the process of vehicle integration setting the tone for the launch. Many centres of ISRO contributed to this mission with the vehicle being designed and developed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. The second and fourth stage liquid engines came from Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Thiruvananthapuram and ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.

The vehicle’s guidance system is from ISRO’s Inertial Systems Unit, Thiruvananthapuram, while SDSC SHAR was responsible for solid motor preparation, vehicle integration and launch infrastructure. ISRO’s Telemetry Tracking and Command Network provided tracking support.

ISRO Chairman Dr K. Sivan congratulated the team soon after the successful mission.

“I am extremely happy that the PSLV-C42 precisely launched two of our customer satellites at 583 km orbit. This was unique night mission executed for the first time by us. The PSLV has proven yet again as a user-friendly vehicle in all aspects. The credit goes to the entire ISRO team and industries. This success will give added energy for industries to make PSLV by themselves. We are going to have 18 missions in the next six months, virtually one launch every two weeks,” Dr Sivan said.

Thousands of skilled personnel from ISRO and industries, including many youngsters, played a crucial role in this mission. The Project Director of PSLV is Shri R. Hutton, who was also the Mission Director.

“The PSLV-C42 marks the latest technology and commercial collaboration between India and the UK with the launch of the combination of high resolution optical and radar (SAR) satellites from us,” says Sir Martin Sweeting, Group Executive Chairman, SSTL.

As on date, ISRO has launched 239 foreign satellites of 28 countries

writingonblog uncensored: $500m World Bank aid to fund 40,000 homes for urba...

writingonblog uncensored: $500m World Bank aid to fund 40,000 homes for urba...: C Shivakumar @ Chennai: World Bank is likely to provide $500 million in assistance to Tamil Nadu government in building 40,000 homes f...

$500m World Bank aid to fund 40,000 homes for urban poor

C Shivakumar @ Chennai:

World Bank is likely to provide $500 million in assistance to Tamil Nadu government in building 40,000 homes for urban poor.

The move comes after state government had made the announcement in the floor of the house to build homes for urban poor.

A top housing department official told Express that World bank has accepted ‘Tamil Nadu Sustainable and Resilient Housing and Habitat Development for Urban Poor’ project and Department of Economic Affairs in the Union government has cleared it.

It is learnt negotiations are on with the World bank officials who to accord final sanction to the project. The World Bank officials are in the city and high-level meetings have been organized with them where in the concept note of the project prepared by the state government and cleared by DEA are discussed.

“The value of the entire project is $715 million of which World Bank has sanctioned $500 million,” the official said.

It is learnt that the World Bank officials will be visiting housing development projects on September 4 and inspect households which have been relocated and resettled from the rehabilitated waterways.

Sources said the negotiations had been on with the World Bank officials since May when a delegation of World bank undertook a scoping missionfor affordable housing project from May 16 to May 18. At that time, they held meetings with Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund Management Company, Slum Clearance Board and Chennai River Restoration Trust.

Interestingly, Tamil Nadu government has already taken Rs 4,145 crore loan from World Bank in 2015 for storm water drain network, water supply, solid waste and underground drainage network.

The aid from World Bank comes after Tamil Nadu has carried a demand assessment of 8.30 lakh houseless households under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in urban areas of the state under PMAY’s four components --- Insitu rehabilitation, Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme, Beneficiary led Construction (BLC) and Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP).

According to State Urban Housing and Habitat Policy (SUHHP) being drafted by German agency GIZ along with the state housing board, Tamil Nadu is facing a shortage of 1.5 million homes in the urban areas and there is an urgent need to regulate and streamline private urban rental housing to enable access to urban poor.

writingonblog uncensored: Health Minister’s father rejects IT report that un...

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