CHENNAI: It was a year of highs and lows, triumphs and blunders for Chennai. As we step into the new year, KV Navya looks back at...
The horror of NEET continues
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) has continued to haunt medical aspirants of Tamil Nadu, particularly those from government schools. Only eight government school students managed to secure a medial seat after clearing NEET this year, according to official data. Despite setting up 412 special training centres, ineffective operation have let down the students. KA Sengotttaiyan, state school education minister, admitted that Rs 20 crore amount sanctioned remained unused and promised better performance in the coming years.
Also, many students were given centres in other states like Rajasthan since there were not enough centres set up here. Strict checking which also led to stripping in few cases took toll on mental health of few examinees. Of the 1.2 lakh candidates, around 60 per cent were unable to clear the entrance, according to official data. However, around 1,300 government school students who cleared the test were unable to obtain the necessary cutoff. With government showing no intent in clearing the bill which seeks a permanent exemption of NEET, private coaching centres have started to mushroom, collecting fees Rs 20,000-Rs 2,00,000 for a year. Some are also travelling to other states for coaching.
Revised syllabus cheers up students
After a gap of nearly 12 years, Tamil Nadu government revised school curriculum. The new textbooks, written based on the revised syllabus for state board students, have received a positive response from almost all the stakeholders. Besides enriching the content, value additions like Quick Response (QR) codes for reading reference materials, Information & Communication Technology (ICT) corners and career guidance sections have made the new textbooks better than the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), said an official from the school education department.
“The book is filled with worked-out examples, colourful illustrations and quick pointers which will help the students understand the concepts better and perform well in not only board exams but also competitive exams like NEET and IIT-JEE,” he said.
Only one bus for Chennaiites
Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy launched a total of 986 government buses this year — 515 in July and 471 in October. However, despite the Corporation’s proposal to replace 245 buses on an urgent basis, the city got just one new bus. According to official records, nearly 250 old MTC buses were declared unfit for operation. Also, more than 70 per cent of the 3,300 buses are being operated beyond the permissible six lakh kilometres.
M Chandran, vice president, Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) said a bus must ideally run for seven years. But, MTC buses have been running for more than 15 years. While the year started with the government announcing a steep hike in government and private bus fares ranging from 20 per cent to 55 per cent in January, the failure to replace rickety buses has proved in further losses to MTC, with a major chunk of commuters shifting to suburban trains for travel. When contacted, an official from MTC said that at least 50 new buses will be allocated to Chennai next year.
Now, pay your fine online
In a bid to eliminate cash transaction and ensure transparency, the city police in May this year launched a cashless fine payment system for traffic violators. Police reviewed that it is a major hit. “From May 10 to December 27, a total of 13,92,442 cases have been registered and fine worth Rs15,44,69,930 has been collected,” said a senior official from the traffic department. As per the new system, besides swiping cards at point of sale machines already available with traffic police, those served with e-challans can make payments online.
The fine can also be paid through Paytm using QR Code. The fine can also be paid in cash at post offices, relevant courts and state-run e-sewa centres The official further added that when offenders pay digitally, they get an acknowledgement text from the city police. “Also, from next month, we will announce an updated portal after tying up with the National Informatics Centre (NIC). This will help us know their previous details and nab repeated offenders,” he said.
Metro yet to become the first choice
Two underground metro rail stretches, Nehru Park to Central and Saidapet to AGDMS were inaugurated after nearly six years of construction in May, this year. The ridership of Chennai Metro currently stands close to 60,000 against the estimated five lakh. Though the inauguration of the two stretches increased the patronage from 30,000 to 60,000, it still has to go a long way. It may be noted that in December last year, Chennai Metro came under fire from the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs for several discrepancies in the Detailed Project Report (DPR), it prepared for the phase- II project. Even this year, Union Urban Development Ministry had reasons to doubt the feasibility of the 107 km second phase for which the agency had sent a detailed report to avail funds. An official of CMRL said the ridership will increase once Metro is connected from AG-DMS to Washermanpet via Central.
Chennai is becoming smart
While the Smart City project implemented by the Greater Chennai Corporation made little headway in 2017, an official said as many as seven projects were completed this year and several others have begun. “The completed projects include exclusive bicycle lane, installation of storm water drains in T Nagar, development of Namma Chennai app for GCC, establishment of 28 smart classrooms in corporation schools, park renovation, establishment of sensory park and conversion of sodium lamps into LED lamps in almost all the areas,” said an official. While projects worth Rs 26 crore are being implemented on the ground, projects worth Rs 336 crore are in various stages of implementation. Also, work to augment the water supply to city residents and increase the volume of supply, as part of the Smart City Mission, would be underway by March next year.