FIFA team inspects Salt Lake Stadium
A FIFA team inspected the Salt Lake Stadium, one of the venues for the 2020 U-17 women’s World Cup, and suggested a few changes in infrastructure and removal of encroachments on the sidewalk. The eight-member team comprised the officials of the local organising committee of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Besides inspecting the main ground, the team also checked the access routes to the stadium and the gates. The walkways had been paved with red and black interlocking blocks and a few new ones built around the stadium in the run-up to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017. But the paver blocks have come loose in some places.
Court seeks CU’s reply on transgender candidates
Calcutta High Court directed Calcutta University to state whether it was ready to admit transgender candidates seeking admission to MPhil courses as part of the quota for other backward classes. Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharya’s directive was based on a 2014 Supreme Court ruling that transgender candidates should also get the privileges that other weaker sections of the society enjoy. Alia Sheikh of South 24-Parganas district had moved the court after she failed to fill up the application form for admission to the university’s MPhil course in clinical psychology as there was no option for transgender candidates. The Supreme Court had recently ruled that admission forms must have three columns—one each for male, female and transgender.
Kolkata Metro fares to go up
Kolkata Metro Railway fares will go up by Rs 5 on most stretches from December 5, the first revision in six years. Under the revised structure, minimum and maximum fares have been kept unchanged but the distance slabs have been tweaked. In the existing system, the minimum fare is Rs 5 for a ride up to five km. In the revised fare, the minimum fare will remain `5 but only up to 2 km. The maximum fare, Rs 25, will be applicable for a ride beyond 20 km, instead of above 25 km in the existing system.
Engineering courses losing their charm
The number of applicants in next year’s state joint entrance examinations has come down to 89,000 from 113,912 this year, a sharp drop that academics are attributing to waning interest in engineering courses triggered by shrinking job prospects. The applicant count in 2019 was around 11,000 less than the previous year’s. Prospective state-JEE candidates had time till November 13 to fill in forms online. Students who crack the test are allotted seats in engineering colleges across the state based on their ranks. Those intending to study medicine have to write a separate all-India test.