Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express
20-Nov-10
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: The long queues in front of the Passport offices may soon become a thing of the past as the proposed Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) would become functional in the state by the beginning of next year.
As many as 13 PSKs are being set up across the state including three under Thiruvananthapuram-region, five under Kochi region, two each under Kozhikode and Kannur and one at Malappuram.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) which is setting up the PSKs have already identified the locations. The land acquisition process is being carried out. Once it is over, the building would be set up in 100 days time, TCS sources said adding that the PSKs would become operational by around April-May 2011.
A total of 77 PSKs are being set up across the country. The project was already rolled out in Bangalore in May this year. Though there are certain initial technical hick-ups, those are expected to be sorted out soon.
The PSKs would offer a customer friendly atmosphere with modern amenities. In order to avoid queues, the applicants would be given appointments for submitting the applications. The applications will have to be filed online. There would be help desk at each PSKs to assist the applicants in filling the forms. Officials of Passport Office would be verifying the documents at the PSKs.
Another feature of PSKs would be that the applicant need not attach passport size photographs along with the application as digital the photographs would be taken at the PSKs itself. Moreover, biometric finger print of all fingers of the applicants would also be collected and stored in the data base. This would be useful to check tampering with the photographs in a passport, which is rampant these days.
The biometric data being collected could also be used once biometric passports with smart cards are introduced.
Once the PSKs are set up the Regional Passport Offices would not directly accept applications from the public. Instead it would turn to be back-end processing centres of passport applications. The applications received at the PSKs would be transferred to the Regional Passport Offices online. The police verification process would also be done online.
By making the entire process online, the processing time for a passport application could also be reduced considerably, said sources.
The existing facilities to submit passport applications at the passport cells attached to the District Superintendents of Police as well as as selected Post offices may be phased out in the due course.
Ends
Saturday 20 November 2010
Friday 19 November 2010
Kerala: Keltron taking government for a ‘ride’
Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express
19 Nov 2010
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Taking undue advantage of the state government's decision to place orders for various projects with Keltron without inviting tenders, the state Public Sector Undertaking is suspected to be fleecing the government by collecting exorbitant rates.
While Keltron recently installed the biometric finger-print-based attendance management system at the Secretariat at a cost of Rs 62.7 lakh, private players claim that they could have installed the same system at one-third of the cost.
A prestigious project of the Police Department to install surveillance cameras along the Thiruvananthapuram-Kollam National Highway is also held up owing to the exorbitant rate quoted by Keltron, it is learnt.
With the state government asking all the directorates to install biometric punching system, Keltron is hoping to present magical figures in its fiscal results for the coming years. There are more than 80 directorates under the state government and Keltron has already approached most of them.
Keltron had charged Rs 62.7 lakh for installing the entire system, which includes Rs 40.8 lakh for the Biometric Smart Card-based Attendance Management System and Rs 21.9 lakh for web-based customised software for managing the attendance, additional hardware and technical manpower support. A total of 42 punching machines have been installed at the Secretariat, which means that the average cost for one unit came to around Rs 1.5 lakh. Keltron had procured the hardware from a Mysore-based firm.
While 'Express' enquired with a couple of suppliers of punching machines in the state, they claimed that the actual cost of the most-advanced finger-print-based punching machine would be only around Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000. Keltron officials claim that they had provided imported hardware.
But the private parties clarify that almost all the hardware associated with punching systems that are commonly used in India are imported.
It is widely alleged that Keltron is playing the role of a middleman and reaping undue benefit.
Earlier, there was a government directive that government departments, organisations and public sector units shall place orders for direct purchase of computer and other hardware with Keltron. However, it was later relaxed by the government as private players were denied an opportunity.
Even then, many government agencies are still placing direct purchase orders with Keltron by violating the Store Purchases rules of the state government, according to which any purchase above Rs 20,000 has to be made only through tendering process.
It was as part of the much-hyped Thiruvananthapuram-Kollam model road project that the Police Department decided to install around 15 cameras along the stretch so as to check traffic rule violations. Keltron is learnt to have quoted Rs 20 lakh per camera, which is many times higher than estimated by the Police Department. Hence, the project has come to a standstill.
The New Indian Express
19 Nov 2010
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Taking undue advantage of the state government's decision to place orders for various projects with Keltron without inviting tenders, the state Public Sector Undertaking is suspected to be fleecing the government by collecting exorbitant rates.
While Keltron recently installed the biometric finger-print-based attendance management system at the Secretariat at a cost of Rs 62.7 lakh, private players claim that they could have installed the same system at one-third of the cost.
A prestigious project of the Police Department to install surveillance cameras along the Thiruvananthapuram-Kollam National Highway is also held up owing to the exorbitant rate quoted by Keltron, it is learnt.
With the state government asking all the directorates to install biometric punching system, Keltron is hoping to present magical figures in its fiscal results for the coming years. There are more than 80 directorates under the state government and Keltron has already approached most of them.
Keltron had charged Rs 62.7 lakh for installing the entire system, which includes Rs 40.8 lakh for the Biometric Smart Card-based Attendance Management System and Rs 21.9 lakh for web-based customised software for managing the attendance, additional hardware and technical manpower support. A total of 42 punching machines have been installed at the Secretariat, which means that the average cost for one unit came to around Rs 1.5 lakh. Keltron had procured the hardware from a Mysore-based firm.
While 'Express' enquired with a couple of suppliers of punching machines in the state, they claimed that the actual cost of the most-advanced finger-print-based punching machine would be only around Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000. Keltron officials claim that they had provided imported hardware.
But the private parties clarify that almost all the hardware associated with punching systems that are commonly used in India are imported.
It is widely alleged that Keltron is playing the role of a middleman and reaping undue benefit.
Earlier, there was a government directive that government departments, organisations and public sector units shall place orders for direct purchase of computer and other hardware with Keltron. However, it was later relaxed by the government as private players were denied an opportunity.
Even then, many government agencies are still placing direct purchase orders with Keltron by violating the Store Purchases rules of the state government, according to which any purchase above Rs 20,000 has to be made only through tendering process.
It was as part of the much-hyped Thiruvananthapuram-Kollam model road project that the Police Department decided to install around 15 cameras along the stretch so as to check traffic rule violations. Keltron is learnt to have quoted Rs 20 lakh per camera, which is many times higher than estimated by the Police Department. Hence, the project has come to a standstill.
Friday 12 November 2010
Pinarayi gags humour
The New Indian Express
Nov 12
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Is forwarding an e-mail a crime? Yes, feels CPM party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. More so if it pertains to him. At a time when cyberspace is populated with stuff lampooning politicians of all kinds, including the President of the United States of America, Pinarayi has taken umbrage at an e-mail quoting a dialogue by veteran actor Sankaradi in the film ‘Sandesham’ which takes a swipe at the CPM and its policies.
Pinarayi , smarting under the severe wounds inflicted on the party in the local body polls, has got the person arrested for forwarding the email. Moyideen, 47, from Kuttipuram in Malappuram district, was summoned to the Cyber Police Station here and arrested on Thursday. He was later let off on bail.
‘’The mail had the image of Pinarayi Vijayan and the dialogue was attributed to him. This amounts to forgery and defamation,” the police said. Moyideen, one among the hundreds who had forwarded the e-mail, has been charged with various sections of the IT Act and the Indian Penal Code that warrants imprisonment up to three years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Moyideen, an employee of Keltron, had received the mail from Hamsa, a relative in Barcelona.
Hamsa got it from just4ajoke@ gmail.com, cyber cell sources said adding that efforts are on to trace the source.
"Pinarayi seems to be unaware that he is distancing himself from the masses by initiating serious action against such silly jokes which are now common. If the cyber police were to arrest people for such silly offences, the jails in the world would not suffice to keep them,” a tech-savvy comrade said on condition of anonymity.
Nov 12
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Is forwarding an e-mail a crime? Yes, feels CPM party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. More so if it pertains to him. At a time when cyberspace is populated with stuff lampooning politicians of all kinds, including the President of the United States of America, Pinarayi has taken umbrage at an e-mail quoting a dialogue by veteran actor Sankaradi in the film ‘Sandesham’ which takes a swipe at the CPM and its policies.
Pinarayi , smarting under the severe wounds inflicted on the party in the local body polls, has got the person arrested for forwarding the email. Moyideen, 47, from Kuttipuram in Malappuram district, was summoned to the Cyber Police Station here and arrested on Thursday. He was later let off on bail.
‘’The mail had the image of Pinarayi Vijayan and the dialogue was attributed to him. This amounts to forgery and defamation,” the police said. Moyideen, one among the hundreds who had forwarded the e-mail, has been charged with various sections of the IT Act and the Indian Penal Code that warrants imprisonment up to three years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Moyideen, an employee of Keltron, had received the mail from Hamsa, a relative in Barcelona.
Hamsa got it from just4ajoke@ gmail.com, cyber cell sources said adding that efforts are on to trace the source.
"Pinarayi seems to be unaware that he is distancing himself from the masses by initiating serious action against such silly jokes which are now common. If the cyber police were to arrest people for such silly offences, the jails in the world would not suffice to keep them,” a tech-savvy comrade said on condition of anonymity.
MNP to benefit mobile phone subscribers
Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express
10 Nov 2010
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: No surprise, if the two croreplus mobile phone subscribers in the State enjoy stateoftheart customer care and attractive offers from their cellular service providers in the coming days. Thanks to the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) scheme to be introduced soon.
MNP, which allows a mobile phone subscriber to switch to another cellular service provider by retaining his mobile phone number, will force the service providers to ensure 100 percent customer satisfaction so that its customer base do not erode. MNP is scheduled to be launched in Haryana on November 25 and would be extended to other states by December.
It has been alleged that a formal launch of the MNP was postponed a couple of times owing to stiff pressure from the cellular service providers on the Department of Telecommunications.
''Ultimately, the customer is going to be the king. So far, however poor is the service offered by the provider, the mobile phone subscribers had no option but to stick to their existing connection so as to retain the number. But with the introduction of MNP, customer care would have to be given utmost priority by the service providers,'' highly placed sources in the telecom sector point out. With more than two crore cellular connections, the mobile phone industry has almost reached a saturation point in Kerala which has a total population of around three crore.
Already, there is an intensive competition between the cellular service providers to woo customers from other service providers.
This would become more intensive with the introduction of MNP and the customer would benefit from it. At present, Idea cellular service has the highest number of subscribers in Kerala, 60 lakh, followed by Vodafone, 47 lakh. BSNL, which was once leading the tally, is now pushed to the third place with 43.6 lakh connections, according to the figures available with the Cellular Operators Association of India.
''BSNL, being a governmentcontrolled organisation, has its own disadvantages when it comes to marketing. Compared to private sector, decision making involves more time in the case of a government firm.
Hence, the future of the BSNL with the introduction of MNP may become further bleak,'' said sources.
Though 'Express' contacted the senior officials of the leading mobile phone service providers in the State and enquired about the strategies they are chalking out to face the stiff competition with the launch of MNP, all of them preferred to keep mum.
The charge for switching from one user to the other is fixed by the DoT at Rs 19. Once shifted to a new service provider, a customer could make a further change in service provider only after a specific period.
The New Indian Express
10 Nov 2010
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: No surprise, if the two croreplus mobile phone subscribers in the State enjoy stateoftheart customer care and attractive offers from their cellular service providers in the coming days. Thanks to the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) scheme to be introduced soon.
MNP, which allows a mobile phone subscriber to switch to another cellular service provider by retaining his mobile phone number, will force the service providers to ensure 100 percent customer satisfaction so that its customer base do not erode. MNP is scheduled to be launched in Haryana on November 25 and would be extended to other states by December.
It has been alleged that a formal launch of the MNP was postponed a couple of times owing to stiff pressure from the cellular service providers on the Department of Telecommunications.
''Ultimately, the customer is going to be the king. So far, however poor is the service offered by the provider, the mobile phone subscribers had no option but to stick to their existing connection so as to retain the number. But with the introduction of MNP, customer care would have to be given utmost priority by the service providers,'' highly placed sources in the telecom sector point out. With more than two crore cellular connections, the mobile phone industry has almost reached a saturation point in Kerala which has a total population of around three crore.
Already, there is an intensive competition between the cellular service providers to woo customers from other service providers.
This would become more intensive with the introduction of MNP and the customer would benefit from it. At present, Idea cellular service has the highest number of subscribers in Kerala, 60 lakh, followed by Vodafone, 47 lakh. BSNL, which was once leading the tally, is now pushed to the third place with 43.6 lakh connections, according to the figures available with the Cellular Operators Association of India.
''BSNL, being a governmentcontrolled organisation, has its own disadvantages when it comes to marketing. Compared to private sector, decision making involves more time in the case of a government firm.
Hence, the future of the BSNL with the introduction of MNP may become further bleak,'' said sources.
Though 'Express' contacted the senior officials of the leading mobile phone service providers in the State and enquired about the strategies they are chalking out to face the stiff competition with the launch of MNP, all of them preferred to keep mum.
The charge for switching from one user to the other is fixed by the DoT at Rs 19. Once shifted to a new service provider, a customer could make a further change in service provider only after a specific period.
Saturday 6 November 2010
Witness in Varghese case pleads for justice
The New Indian Express
2 Nov 2010
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, who welcomed the CBI Special Court’s verdict against former IG K Lakshmana in the Naxal Varghese murder case by calling it as a victory for law and justice, seems to be unaware that his government has been denying justice to a person who played a key role in solving the four-decade-old case related to police torture.
A Mohammed Haneefa, a former police constable and the lone eyewitness in the Varghese murder case, has been knocking at the doors of power centres over the last many years for getting minimum pension. But his pleas have been repeatedly turned down by the government and the 70-year-old Haneefa is now struggling hard to make both ends meet. Haneefa and his wife are now living at the mercy of their friends and relatives.
Haneefa started his service in the MSP third battalion in 1965 and later joined the CRPF in 1967. During his service in the CRPF, which lasted till 1973, he had served on the border during the 1971 Bangladesh war and had received ‘Bangaldesh Star’ medal. It was during this period that he became part of the operation to trap Naxalites, including Varghese.
‘’Having served in the MSP, CRPF and the SAP for 12 years from 1965 to 1977, I had applied for minimum pension and had called on Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Finance Minister Thomas Isaac. However, no decision has yet come in my favour,’’ says Haneefa, who is a native of Thiruvananthapuram.
It is learnt that though the Home Minister had given nod to Haneefa’s request it is being held up in the office of the Finance Minister citing reasons of financial burden to the exchequer. Haneefa had left the police service without submitting formal resignation and this was initially cited as an obstacle for granting him pension. But the Home Minister has already cleared this aspect of the issue.
Haneefa was the 21st witness in the Varghese murder case and it was his eyewitness account which became the crucial evidence in cracking the four-decade-old case. The CBI special court had said in its judgment that Haneefa’s statement alone was enough to establish the involvement of Lakshmana in the case.
Haneefa had left the police service in 1977 fearing for his life as he had participated in the operations against Naxalites. He later worked in Gulf countries for a few years. "Now I am struggling to meet my daily needs as well as that of my wife. Hence, I am knocking at the doors of the power centres for a minimum pension,’’ Haneefa says.
Considering the poor health of Haneefa, the CBI court had took his statement in the Varghese murder case by holding the court in his house.
2 Nov 2010
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, who welcomed the CBI Special Court’s verdict against former IG K Lakshmana in the Naxal Varghese murder case by calling it as a victory for law and justice, seems to be unaware that his government has been denying justice to a person who played a key role in solving the four-decade-old case related to police torture.
A Mohammed Haneefa, a former police constable and the lone eyewitness in the Varghese murder case, has been knocking at the doors of power centres over the last many years for getting minimum pension. But his pleas have been repeatedly turned down by the government and the 70-year-old Haneefa is now struggling hard to make both ends meet. Haneefa and his wife are now living at the mercy of their friends and relatives.
Haneefa started his service in the MSP third battalion in 1965 and later joined the CRPF in 1967. During his service in the CRPF, which lasted till 1973, he had served on the border during the 1971 Bangladesh war and had received ‘Bangaldesh Star’ medal. It was during this period that he became part of the operation to trap Naxalites, including Varghese.
‘’Having served in the MSP, CRPF and the SAP for 12 years from 1965 to 1977, I had applied for minimum pension and had called on Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Finance Minister Thomas Isaac. However, no decision has yet come in my favour,’’ says Haneefa, who is a native of Thiruvananthapuram.
It is learnt that though the Home Minister had given nod to Haneefa’s request it is being held up in the office of the Finance Minister citing reasons of financial burden to the exchequer. Haneefa had left the police service without submitting formal resignation and this was initially cited as an obstacle for granting him pension. But the Home Minister has already cleared this aspect of the issue.
Haneefa was the 21st witness in the Varghese murder case and it was his eyewitness account which became the crucial evidence in cracking the four-decade-old case. The CBI special court had said in its judgment that Haneefa’s statement alone was enough to establish the involvement of Lakshmana in the case.
Haneefa had left the police service in 1977 fearing for his life as he had participated in the operations against Naxalites. He later worked in Gulf countries for a few years. "Now I am struggling to meet my daily needs as well as that of my wife. Hence, I am knocking at the doors of the power centres for a minimum pension,’’ Haneefa says.
Considering the poor health of Haneefa, the CBI court had took his statement in the Varghese murder case by holding the court in his house.
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