news on 20-03-2014

BJP wants Advani in Gandhinagar

verruling veteran leader L.K. Advani, who reportedly desired to shift toBhopal, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday stuck to its decision to retain him in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency.

The Bhopal seat, however, does not figure in the sixth list of candidates for the general election, indicating that the option remains open in case Mr. Advani insists on shifting.

The BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC) also announced that the party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi would contest a second seat, Vadodara, in addition to Varanasi.

There were extensive parleys to persuade Mr. Advani to contest from Gandhinagar. According to reports, Mr. Modi called the party patriarch earlier in the day. Senior leaders Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari went to meet him at his residence. [They conveyed his unhappiness to party president Rajnath Singh, according to PTI] Mr. Advani, who chairs the BJP Parliamentary Party, did not attend the Parliamentary Board and CEC meetings.

The CEC announced 67 names for the Lok Sabha polls from 10 States. It includes Hema Malini (Mathura), Olympian Rajyavardhan Rathore (Jaipur, Rural), Dushyant Singh (Jhalawar), Jagdambika Pal (Domariaganj in eastern U.P) who quit the Congress to join the party on Wednesday.

How they both bagged Rs. 18-lakh package

For Nikhila Jayakanth and KNS Mounica, it was not just hard work and regular practice that helped them bag the highest annual pay package of Rs 18 lakh atcampus placements. The students of Department of Computer Science of GITAM University, who were the top achievers this year, say that their passion for their core subjects were the main reason behind it. “You need to have an interest in the subjects you choose. It is not about how many hours of study you put in, but how well you understand the basics that succeed at the end. We never believed in rote method of learning,” say the City-based students who were selected by Amazon.

They were a part of the 1,500 students of GITAM University who were given letter of appreciation at the Achiever’s Day – 2014 event on Saturday.

Notwithstanding the global economic slowdown, GITAM recorded 75 per cent placements this year as compared to 60 per cent last year, signalling positive sentiments in the job markets. The average annual pay package this year was Rs 4 lakh.

As many as 175 companies visited the campus for recruitments this year. Tata Consultancy Serviceswere the top recruiters who gave offer letters to 600 students. Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank and Karoor Vysya Bank were among the main recruiters for MBA students.

Interestingly, this is the first year which saw two students getting selected for Indian Navy and one for Indian Army.

GITAM University president M.V.V.S. Murthy gave away the awards to the students. GITAM Vice-Chancellor G. Subrahmanyam who participated in the event congratulated the students for their achievements.

3-lane bridge takes shape across Cooum

As part of its efforts to reduce congestion on Poonamallee High Road, the Highways Department has begun construction of a Rs. 8-crore three-lane bridgeacross Cooum river connecting Aminjikarai and Anna Nagar.

At present, there are two bridges - an old three-lane composite girder bridge and a three-lane bridge constructed recently. “The new bridge will be completed in about 18 months,” said highways officials.

“The work order for the 60 m-long bridge was issued in February. We are trying to speed up the work so that the bridge is ready in a year,” a senior official said.

However, the proposed structure is part of a larger design to ease traffic from Koyambedu to Chennai Central, two major entry points in the city visited by lakhs of people every day.

“As the old bridge is a weak structure, it will be demolished in future to make way for a four-lane bridge, providing ten lanes for traffic users,” said the official.

Meanwhile, a detailed project report is also underway for an elevated corridor on Poonamallee HighRoad running to nearly seven km and crossing several junctions from Rajah Muthiah Salai near Ripon Buildings to Pulla Reddy Avenue in Aminjikarai.

“The proposal had not been pursued since CMRL has a tunnel running beneath the road. But now, we have again taken it up and a consultant is studying various options as the project would help decongest the road,” explained an official.

S. Madhuri, a resident of Anna Nagar, who welcomed the widening of the bridge, said the government must take steps to widen other narrow stretches in the road too if congestion is to be reduced. “Traffic moves very slowly on either side of the bridge. The road has several bottle-necks. Vendors take up footpath space forcing pedestrians to walk on the road,” she said