‘Vegetable kits’ introduced at two farmers’ markets

It will prevent crowding, says official

30/03/2020,P.A. NARAYANITHENI

‘Vegetable kits’ were introduced on a trial basis at two markets in Theni district on Sunday.

As a measure to reduce the crowding of people while buying vegetables at Uzhavar Sandhais (farmers’ market) to prevent spread of COVID-19 pandemic, ‘vegetable kits’ were introduced on a trial basis at two markets in Theni district on Sunday.

The kits were introduced in the Uzhavar Sandhais organised at John Pennycuick Bus Stand and C.P.U. Higher Secondary School in Cumbum.

Each ‘vegetable kit’ consisted of a total of 18 vegetables weighing around five kg. It was sold at ₹ 150 and had all essential vegetables, including tomato, onion, potato and other green leafy vegetables.

A. Albert Robinson, Deputy Director of Agriculture, said that every day around 3,000 customers walk into each of these markets to buy vegetables.

“We took this initiative as we thought that customers need not visit multiple shops to buy all the essential vegetables. Also, this will help in faster movement of customers and thereby prevent any crowding inside the markets,” he said.

Mr. Robinson added that 20 ‘vegetable kits’ were introduced at these two markets on Sunday and half of them were sold. “We are planning to continue selling these kits and gradually will increase the number of kits depending on the demand from customers,” he said.

R. Paneerselvam, Administrative officer of the Uzhavar Sandhai at the bus stand, said that circles and squares had been drawn using white chalk in front of shops to maintain personal distancing between customers. They are asked to wash their hands with soap before entering the market.

‘Madurai Malli’ goes to compost bin

Farmers are clueless as Mattuthavani flower market remains closed

30/03/2020, STAFF REPORTER,MADURAI

The flower market at Mattuthavani in Madurai remaining closed. S. James

In the last two day, P. Ganapathi, a farmer in Madurai district's Mela Urulikundu village, has plucked and thrown 60 kg of ‘Madurai Malli’ that was harvested from his field into his compost bin.

With the flower market in Mattuthavani being closed since Sunday, farmers growing a variety of flowers including jasmine, samandi, arali say that they are clueless about what to do with the flowers blooming in their fields.

Several farmers from Dindigul and Sivaganga lament that the flowers are turning brown and losing their fragrance. Since flowers last a maximum of three days in cold storage, they say that they are going to face nothing but losses this season.

S. Chandra, a farmer from Sivaganga district's Melakadu village near Nattarasankottai, says that she is yet to pluck the ‘samanthi’ flowers in her field. “The Tamil month of Chithirai is when there are several temple festivals and weddings. I am frustrated because some small-scale weddings are taking place in and around our district but we are unable to transport and sell our produce because of the strict restrictions,” she says. She adds that since the announcement of the lockdown, she has had no income to support her family of four.

Mr. Ganapathi says that those producing jasmine need to pluck the flowers everyday.

“The plant will not produce as much as it currently does otherwise. We cannot let it sit,” he says.

“To see all our labour and handwork literally going into the bin is heartbreaking,” he says. Another jasmine farmer A. Jeyakodi says that almost all farmers had borrowed heavily when they began cultivation.

“How will we ever repay our debts?,” he asked.

President of Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Malar Makkal Nala Sangam, 'Pookadai' S. Ramachandran, says that the Mattuthavanai market on a regular day, used to receive a total of 20 tonnes of flowers.

“From Chandra's village alone, we would get 1,000 kg. This is usually the time when the market is upbeat. But now all of us are at home. Authorities are asking us to value our lives over our flowers but flowers only give us life,” he says.

He adds that arrangements must be made by various district administrations in South Tamil Nadu to ensure that flowers can at least be transported to scent factories.

An official from the Horticulture department in Madurai said that talks were on to ensure that three trucks pick up flowers from Usilampatti and Tirumangalam areas and transport it to two scent factories in Nilakottai, Dindigul district.

“However, we have to get permission from the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that the factories can run with minimum staff and that the pick-up trucks can cross borders. Another problem is that scent factories pay very poorly compared to market prices. Farmers must prepare themselves for some difficult times,” the officer says.

Mr. Ramachandran says that three trucks can only carry three tonnes of flowers. Some farmers may not even have an equal shot at getting a meagre income.

“If there are 10-15 trucks that function, we can somehow arrange for the farmers to transport their flowers to a common drop location each day and get enough to earn for our families,” he says.

Bihar villagers hand over city returnees to police

They are being taken away for medical tests

30/03/2020, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA , NEW DELHI/PATNA

Spreading caution: Residents of Kankarbagh spraying disinfectants in Patna on SundayRanjeet Kumar

Many of the thousands of jobless workers, marching from their workplaces to their native villages in States like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh hundreds of kilometres away amid the COVID-19 lockdown, are not being welcomed back home.

In many places in Bihar and elsewhere, those returning back home from even neighbouring countries such as Nepal and Bhutan were reported to the police, who, in turn, handed them over to medical authorities for tests. Some villages in Bihar have gone into lockdown, denying entry to people even from neighbouring areas.

“Four of my co-villagers working in Nepal returned home two days ago. But villagers informed the police about them following which they swooped on the village with ambulances and handed them over to the medical team,” a villager told PTI over phone from Alawalpur village near Patna.

In a similar case, nine people returning to their village Jamalpur, near Alawalpur, from Mumbai were handed over to the police and medical authorities, said Luv Singh of Jamalpur village.

“Yes, it’s true. Initially over 15 people coming from outside the State were reported to us by villagers and we handed them over to medical teams,” said Inspector Kumar.

After rough night, many leave Jaipur

Rajasthan govt. arranges transport for those stranded without food or water

30/03/2020, MOHAMMED IQBAL

Wait ends: Buses and waiting areas being sanitised in Jaipur on Sunday.Rohit Jain Paras

After a night-long ordeal, migrant workers leaving for their native places were on Sunday provided buses till the inter-State borders of Rajasthan, reducing their agony of walking long distances on foot.

Thousands of jobless labourers from the city’s industrial areas, including Sitapura, Vishwakarma, Mansarovar, Malviya Nagar and Bagru, waited through the night at four pick-up points after being told that transport arrangements were being made for them. The labourers spent the night on roads without food and water.

“A police van made an announcement in our area yesterday that those willing to travel by bus could reach Dugrapura, but there was no arrangement. Then we were told to come to this pick-up point,” Irshad Ali, 24, belonging to Bihar’s Supaul district, told The Hindu at Transport Nagar from where the buses left for the Uttar Pradesh border.

Mr. Ali and 20 other labourers were laid off by the cloth factory owner when the unit stopped operations since the lockdown started. Mahendra Singh, another labourer, said he and his colleagues had no money to pay rent or buy rations. “It is a matter of survival for us. We can fight the disease if we remain alive,” he said.

Over 600 buses

The Rajasthan Roadways pressed over 600 of its buses into service and also brought private buses for transporting migrant workers to the borders of U.P., Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.

Civil rights groups here demanded that camps be started and food, water and resting places be arranged for the labourers at the inter-State borders during the mass migration. “Children and women accompanying the labourers need it the most, as we have converted a public health issue into a human tragedy,” People’s Union of Civil Liberties-Rajasthan president Kavita Srivastava said.

While the activists alleged that the State government’s “callous attitude” had led to utter confusion, the issue of the U.P. government denying entry to the native labourers remained unresolved.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said Rajasthan had decided to facilitate the safe journey of migrants to their hometowns on the directions of the Union Home Ministry. He urged the Centre to intervene and give necessary directions to all States.

Rahul Gandhi calls for a ‘nuanced approach’

30/03/2020

“It is critical for us to understand that India’s conditions are unique. We will be required to take different steps than other large countries who are following a total lockdown strategy. The number of poor people in India who are dependent on a daily income is simply too large for us to unilaterally shut down all economic activity. The consequences of a complete economic shut down will disastrously amplify the death toll arising from the virus,” Mr. Gandhi said in the letter released by the Congress party hours after the Prime Minister’s Mann Ki Baat.

“Our priority must be to protect and isolate the elderly and vulnerable, and to clearly and strongly communicate to the young, the dangers of proximity to older people,” he said.

“Millions of India’s elderly live in villages. A complete lockdown and the resulting shut down of our economic engine will almost certainly ensure that millions of unemployed youth rush back to their villages, increasing the risk of infecting their parents and the elderly population living there. This will result in a catastrophic loss of life,” Mr. Gandhi added.

Veteran academician passes away at 100

30/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

S.V. Chittibabu

Well-known academician S.V. Chittibabu passed away on Sunday at the age of 100. The former Vice Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University and Annamalai University had also served as Vice Chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education.

Mr. Chittibabu headed the State government-constituted commission to prescribe fee structure and minimum infrastructure facilities for private schools following the death of 96 children in a school fire in Kumbakonam in 2004.

Mr. Chittibabu is also founder of the Tamil Nadu History Congress.

Mr. Chittibabu formed the congress in 1994 and for 10 years he held the post, said general secretary S. S. Sundaram.

Mr. Chittibabu is survived by two sons and two daughters.

The funeral will be held on Monday afternoon in Nungambakkam, said his grandson M. Ramgopal.

A look into key aspects of virus pandemic

30/03/2020

There are a lot of scientific terms being bandied about during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a short primer on the key aspects everyone should be aware of.

What is ‘social distancing’?

‘Social distancing’ refers to a way of creating a barrier of physical distance between two or more people so that transmission of infectious agent can be prevented or halted. It may also be termed as physical distancing. It is a traditional public health measure of separating people to curb the outbreak of infectious disease, aimed to prevent person-to-person spread of disease to interrupt transmission and checking community transmission.

When does the need for social distancing occur?

Infectious diseases such as COVID-19, transmitted by respiratory droplets require a certain proximity of people. Social distancing reduces transmission, mitigates COVID-19 outbreak, particularly useful in settings where community transmission is believed to have occurred, but where the linkages between cases is unclear, and where restrictions placed only on persons known to have been exposed is considered insufficient to prevent further transmission.

What is ‘isolation’?

‘Isolation’ is the separation of ill persons with contagious diseases from non-infected persons to protect non-infected persons. This usually occurs in hospital settings. It is particularly effective in interrupting transmission if early detection is possible before overt viral shedding.

What is ‘quarantine’ ?

Quarantine demands movement restriction of persons who are presumed to have been exposed to a contagious disease but are not ill, either because they did not become infected or because they are still in the incubation period.

Quarantine may be applied at the individual or group level and usually involves restriction to the home or a designated facility. During quarantine, all individuals should be monitored for the occurrence of any symptoms. Quarantining is most successful in settings where detection of cases is prompt, contacts can be listed and traced within a short time frame with prompt issuance of quarantine. It is one of the oldest, most effective tools of controlling outbreaks & was implemented successfully as an effective measure during the SARS epidemic in 2003.

Is there evidence that physical distancing has been effective to control infectious disease?

Since the flu pandemic in September 1918, studies have showed the importance of distancing measures. Social distancing was the key in reversing the outbreak in Wuhan and the wider Hubei region. The earlier a lockdown is put in place in the epicentre of an outbreak, the smaller it ends up being.

Are ‘isolation & quarantine’ not a form of social distancing?

While isolation and quarantine are forms of social distancing, there is an important distinction to be made.

Isolation and quarantine are aimed at preventing people who are infected or are known to have had contact with people who are infected from passing on the virus.

Social distancing is a wider measure aimed at stopping the kind of mixing of people that allows infections to spread through a population. They range from ending mass gatherings, closing public spaces like educational establishments (schools, universities), gyms, museums, cultural and social centres, swimming pools and theatres and may be a total lockdown with people forced to stay indoors (community containment).

What are periods in the natural history of COVID-19 from public health angle ?

There are four periods:

1. Infected, but not contagious and not symptomatic.

2. Infected and contagious, but not symptomatic.

3. Infected, contagious, and symptomatic.

4. Recovering (assuming survival), where you may still have symptoms but are no longer contagious.

How does social distancing help in reversing the epidemic?

Even with an ignorance of who’s infectious, who's contagious, and how widespread the infection actually is, the social distancing can crush the exponential growth phase of COVID-19 & support reversing the transmission of the disease. One of the main aims of social distancing is to “flatten the curve”, which means delaying the spread of the virus so it reaches people more slowly.

Madras varsity calls for donations

30/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

The University of Madras has issued a circular to all its campuses, inviting its teaching staff to donate a day’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, to help the State combat the COVID-19 crisis.

In the circular, the registrar of the university has said that “at least one day’s salary”, in the month of April, be donated.

Those willing to donate more or do not wish to donate can write to the registrar personally, before April 17, the circular said.

Medical varsity postpones admissions
30/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,CHENNAI

The Directorate of Medical Education has postponed the admission process for postgraduate programmes offered in the State, indefinitely.

The DME, on its website, said that following the lockdown, “due to unforeseen circumstances”, the DME had postponed the release of merit list and counselling “till further orders”.

Two days ago, the Directorate General of Health Services had suspended the release of results of the first round of counselling, that was due on the day.

Physical distancing goes for a toss at fish markets

Though many in the crowd were wearing masks, they were seen jostling for space

30/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,CHENNAI

Despite restrictions, people turned up in huge numbers at the Aminjikarai fish market on Sunday. R. Ravindran

Due to non-availability of mutton, fish markets at Kasimedu, Chintadripet, Aminjikarai and Avadi witnessed large crowds on Sunday, despite the lockdown.

Though people were seen wearing masks, they did not adhere to personal distancing and were seen jostling for space.

“At Kasimedu, the crowds started as early as 7 a.m. and buyers were there till noon. People were buying directly from the boats. Though fishing is not allowed now, boats sold fish from their stocks. These were kept in deep freeze on ice. However, prices were quite high due to the demand,” said a fish dealer.

Sources said that sellers at markets in Pattalam, Vanagaram and Kavankarai were told not to sell fish. The Marina Loop Road, a popular space for many in the city to buy fish, was also closed on both sides to prevent people from entering.

“This is not fair. When 40 tonnes of cultured prawns were sold at Chintadripet, our fishermen were not allowed to go to sea or sell fish. These were brought from far way and sold there. When there are so many restrictions for movement of other trucks, we wonder how these reached the heart of the city,” complained K. Bharathi of Nochikuppam.

Price rise

Redhills resident I. Murugappan said that he was able to make mutton biryani on Sunday since a vendor he knew had sold a goat to him and his friends.

“And we got it at a reasonable price too. Chicken and egg prices have climbed up back to ₹190/kg and ₹5/egg this weekend. No fish was sold in our area on Sunday,” he said.

Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said that sale of fish inside Kasimedu would not be allowed near the wharf from Monday.

“Fish sale is being allowed since we cannot deny it. The issue at Kasimedu was that people went there at the same time and they just bought fish off the boats. The government has instructed the police and Fisheries department officials to ensure that people adhere to strict norms while buying fish. Since fishing in the sea is not allowed now, we got fish from the Sathanur dam for the Sunday demand. We sold inland fish, including cutla, rohu and carp,” he said.

‘T.N. still in second stage of pandemic’

The phenomenon of a cluster of cases has not started here yet: Health Minister

30/03/2020, , RAMYA KANNAN,CHENNAI

Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar, a qualified medical professional himself, has been leading from the front in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly a month after the first positive case of SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the State, he discusses the stage of the pandemic in Tamil Nadu, the containment, treatment and preparatory measures that have been set in motion, and future preparedness. Excerpts:

There seems to be a great deal of apprehension about whether Tamil Nadu has entered the third stage of the pandemic — community transmission…

We are still at stage 2 — local transmission. We are working really hard to stop/slow down the progress to stage 3, or community transmission, where the source of infection cannot be traced. So far, in all but one case, we have traced the infection back to people who have tested positive or those with travel/contact history. We have also doubled our containment efforts in areas where positive cases have been found, by marking out an area around the house/place where the patient is staying. We are also engaged in aggressive case detection. This will help in ensuring that the infection does not spread.

We have also started enquiring with everyone who had been abroad and had returned since mid-February, and are recommending a strict quarantine of 28 days at home for those who do not show symptoms. If they have symptoms, they are tested and, if the result is positive, shifted to a hospital.

Another interesting fact is that the phenomenon of a cluster of cases has not started in Tamil Nadu yet. In some States, it has already begun. But all the work we are doing is to prevent the progression to that stage.

Besides the lockdown and containment, what are the other measures that the government has taken to battle COVID-19?

We have been carrying out a lot of campaigns on respiratory hygiene and surface hygiene. Respiratory hygiene is basically personal hygiene — coughing and sneezing into your sleeve, maintaining personal distance and using sanitisers and soap frequently. As far as surface hygiene goes, we have been regularly disinfecting surfaces of buildings and vehicles using personnel, machines and drones.

This is a key aspect. If you look at the progress of COVID-19 in different nations, you can see this has made the difference. The numbers in nations such as Italy and America, versus, say, Japan and Singapore, tell the story of the impact of better preparation, hygiene practices, disinfection and prophylaxis on the community.

We have also started to upgrade the infrastructure and gear up health systems to be able to tackle a large volume of cases, should they occur. We have converted the Omandurar Multi Specialty Hospital into a COVID-19 specialised unit, and have ensured that there are exclusive units in every district to cater only to COVID-19 patients. We have asked all District Collectors to ensure that provisions are made to accommodate a large number of people under quarantine conditions. We have also increased the procurement of ventilators for the State.

We have also collaborated successfully with private hospitals, some of whom have already allocated beds for COVID-19 patients. The number of testing centres too has gone up.

What about the health status of patients who are testing positive?

We are mainly getting people with mild symptoms. The most significant symptom is breathlessness, and so far, that has been handled by providing an oxygen mask, through a cylinder or a pipeline. As of now, not a single patient needs to be admitted to the ICU.

Only one patient, the 54-year old male in Madurai, who expired, was seriously ill. However, that is because he had co-morbidities. Though we tried hard to save him, it was very challenging, and ultimately we lost him.

Apart from him, only one other patient, a 73-year-old lady from Pammal, was a little ill, but she has now been moved to a government facility and the doctors are telling me she is doing much better.

What are the Health Department’s plans for the future, down the course of this pandemic?

Our biggest strength is that we have been able to adjust ourselves to the emerging scenario. We will continue to do that and be flexible to make changes as and when necessary. If this turns out to be a long-drawn-out process, we are equipped to handle it.

A percentage of our health force is always kept on reserve, at home, so that they can relieve the current workforce after a specified period. This will ensure that fatigue does not creep into our health force and derail our battle. That, I would argue, has been done with foresight and planning, and will help us tide over the worst phase of the pandemic.

Railways to hire medical staff on contract

30/03/2020, S. VIJAY KUMAR ,CHENNAI

The Indian Railways apprehends an “enormous” rush at hospitals soon and has decided to hire the services of retired paramedical staff. The Ministry of Railways has decided to hire doctors and paramedical staff on contract.

In a note to all General Managers of Zonal Railways and Production Units, the Railway Board on Saturday said “keeping in view the pandemic situation because of the outbreak of coronavirus disease, it is apprehended that extra paramedical staff will be required for handling the enormous rush expected in a few weeks.”

Opening up medical facilities in railway hospitals to all Central government employees, the board also decided to engage doctors on contract. “Presently the country is facing an unprecedented public health emergency with the COVID19 pandemic affecting several parts of the nation. The government is taking necessary steps to contain the spread of this deadly disease. It is time to prepare ourselves well in advance...” the note said.

The Railway Board authorities asked the General Managers/Chief Administrative Officers/Divisional Railway Managers to engage retired paramedical staff up to the age of 65 years on contract basis for one month over and above the sanctioned strength.

Incubation period

The move comes amid apprehension that there could be a spike in cases since the incubation period of those who arrived from abroad, particularly high-risk countries like China, Thailand, Japan, the U.S. and the U.K., ended this week.

Docs’ anxiety is never greater than when one of their own is afflicted

TNN | Mar 30, 2020, 04.58 AM IST

Bengaluru: Wash your hands. I’ve heard that phrase so many times these last couple of months that one more time is a drum stick clanging against my ear. Wash hands, sanitize. Repeat. Once every half-hour. Or maybe twice. With a doctor for a husband, you cannot be prepared enough in these Covid-19 times. Often it jars, sometimes it irritates, but that’s only one half of the story.

Doctors and health workers, whether their area of expertise is clinical, surgical or care-giving, are at the frontline of this battle. Before them is the patient who could be the carrier of the unseen enemy. They are governed by a guideline, but need to work with a certain sensitivity, at times with gloves and a mask, at others with make-do options in times of serious shortage of protective gear. Every patient, sniffling or coughing, is told to stay three feet way. “I don’t want you to catch any infection,” the docs tell you. Like they are immune to it.

For every smile sparked in the ward, for every word of hope exchanged in passing, there’s a look of despair at home, where unspoken fears express itself. Perhaps not so much in words – except with a fellow professional who has an equal understanding of a desperately dark time – but through other tangibles. The phone lines don’t stop ringing, mostly from senior citizens with a cold and a fever, who’d rather self-quarantine than wait for tests in hospital corridors. Calls of aches and pains are almost music to the ears – after all, they can be looked at, dealt with.

The anxiety is never greater than when one of their own is afflicted. A batchmate, also a friend, caught the infection from a patient and is in the ICU along with his family. The medical community is a tight-knit one, the bonds as strong as they are deep. The younger ones keep the high-risk older category away from the action, slapping them with curfews, forcing them to stay away from work, taking the knocks on the chin. So, while the rest of the world works from home, they leave for the front each day fully aware that, should the situation get worse, they might have to bed in in their workplace.

The give-and-take balance, sadly, is skewed. You want them to fight for you, but you don’t want them around you otherwise. When they return home after a long, draining day, they encounter hostile house owners who want them out because they are high-risk. Because they are the visible enemy. Worse, they have to deal with idiocy and misplaced bravado. ‘Lick a toilet seat, contaminate public transport with saliva’. Or, how about ‘Let's join hands, go out and sneeze with open mouth in public. Spread the virus.’ Really?

The carelessness of those they’re fighting for is quickly brushed aside as they brace to prepare with care. Best and worst case scenarios for India, 14,000 or 400 million infected, are just numbers in a milieu where hope is a scarce commodity. Against all odds, when you attempt to buoy spirit with an ‘it’s just a virus’, it’s a met with a nod that says, ‘not just’.

Every evening marks a quiet return home. No sit-down to even take off the footwear, no words exchanged before a shower. There’s the responsibility of protecting family after working to cure patients. These are challenging times for the health worker. If you want to really clap for him, do so from the confines of your home. Preferably with a prayer. They need it now more than ever, for you as much as for themselves.

3 railway stns offer meals to migrants

Mar 30, 2020, 04.55 AM IST

New Delhi: Northern Railway and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) have started a food distribution drive at three major railway stations in Delhi — New Delhi, Nizamuddin and Shakurbasti — with 4,000 meals distributed on Saturday and Sunday.

A railway official said that the markings with proper spacing have been made on the ground for effective social distancing while queueing up. At present, food is only being distributed at these stations between 12 pm to 1 pm.

“Those standing in a queue stand in marked spaces on the ground until their turn arrives. Sanitisers are being used as well and all RPF personnel deployed have masks too. We will continue to distribute 2,000 meals every day,” said S C Jain, divisional railway manager (DRM), Delhi division.

An official said the food is being prepared in a hygienic base kitchen of the IRCTC and it is being distributed free of cost. “This is being done in order to feed the daily wage labourers and the homeless that are still in the city but may not have access to food. A lot of them who stay near railway stations can now get access to food. We are also spreading the word so people can reach here,” said a senior railway official. The official added that Anand Vihar railway station was also being considered as an addition to this scheme.

In addition to freight trains, Northern Railways on Sunday said it had also started running parcel special trains that will be carrying small quantities of essential items like dairy products, medical equipment, medicines and groceries.

Coronavirus in Delhi: Today's updates from your locked-down city

TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Mar 30, 2020, 08.00 AM IST

NEW DELHI: Amid prevalent chaos and uncertainty over access to the essential services and commodities during the lockdown, we bring you the latest updates from Delhi.

Need help with food, meds? Call the cops

* Delhi Police has formed its own food delivery network comprising staff from PCR and the local police with support from RWAs.

* The markets and residents’ welfare associations have been asked by police to inform them in case someone needs food. An appeal has been made to citizens to contact the lockdown helpline — 011-23469526 — or the PCR if any aid is required.

* The food network has been established in all 15 districts at more than 250 locations, feeding nearly 1,32,000 every day.

* At most police stations, a list of senior citizens residing in their respective areas has been made. The policemen have been instructed to meet them and call them every alternate day to ensure everything is well or if they need anything.

59% of those surveyed can’t get essentials in Delhi

* As many as 59% of people were unable to get essential goods such as milk, pulses, wheat, rice, sugar etc through e-commerce platforms on March 27-28, while 40% were unable to get these items when they visited local retail stores on those days. These are the findings of a survey conducted by social media firm LocalCircles. This was the fourth such consumer survey carried out in the last week to ascertain if the demand was being met by the existing supply.

* The survey added that lack of clear instructions to police and officials had also led to restrictions on movement of vehicles and people engaged in carrying essential goods.

Sunday rush at fish, meat stalls throws lockdown out of gear

TNN | Mar 30, 2020, 04.55 AM IST

Madurai: Fish and meat markets in the city witnessed good crowd on Sunday flouting social distance norms even as the scare of Covid-19 is looming large every day. Police and local body authorities were caught off guard at the overwhelming crowd at the fish markets and meat stalls.

What police could do was to make announcement using a public-address system asking people not get into crowded markets further in vain. Hundreds of people kept crowding the Nelpettai market since early morning. It left the narrow street more crowded than a normal Sunday. People have forgotten everything and focused only on purchasing their favorite non-veg items. Traffic police in East Veli Street had a tough time handling vehicle movement and restricting parking.

A police office said, “People developed the habit of enjoying Sundays with family at home by cooking sumptuous food, but these days people are confined to home through the week. One can purchase non-veg items on any week day, but people are flocking to markets as it is the last day of non-veg sales.”

P Pachaiappan, a resident of Tallakulam, said that fresh non-veg items such as fish are available only on Sundays. He came to the market thinking that there would be few people due to the restrictions.

All fish stalls, meat stalls and markets were overcrowded on Sunday. A large number of people gathered at Southgate Fish market and vegetable market in South Marret Street, forcing the police to close the road for traffic movement. Commuters had to use alternative roads. Similarly, Thayir Market and Simmakkal were also crowded as people gathered in large number to purchase vegetables and fruits.

Sources at Madurai Corporation said that they are planning to close down vegetable markets at South Marret Street and Thayir Market, while retail sales at the Central vegetable market at Mattuthavani has already been closed.

Madurai collector T G Vinay and corporation commissioner S Visakan inspected the market later in the evening. Corporation commissioner said that efforts are underway to decongest the market by spreading out shops to various areas. Madurai district police have registered 384 cases for violating curfew restrictions and arrested 450 people. As many as 284 vehicles were impounded by them. On Saturday, around 180 cases were registered and 227 people were arrested. As many as 113 vehicles were impounded.

Poor awareness, indifferent attitude leave slums dwellers vulnerable

TNN | Mar 30, 2020, 04.57 AM IST

Madurai: No disinfection measures or awareness drives and add to it the belief that they won’t be affected by Covid-19 - this is situation in most of slums in the city even as the lockdown is in place to combat the disease. At the slum in MK Puram, a dense residential locality, residents said their streets remain unclean and not disinfected, while in Melavasal residents say they “don’t have anything to worry about”.

“No one comes to the interiors in our area. Even now you can see bleaching powder spread on the main road but not anywhere near here. No official has come here to talk about Covid-19 or prevention. We learnt from watching news only that Madurai has some positive cases. Still, no one cares,” said Ranjit Kumar P, a resident of MK Puram.

He added that, like him, many in the area are sanitary workers for the Madurai Corporation. While the workers keep the city clean and continue to work hard to implement preventive measures for Covid-19 like cleaning and disinfecting, ironically, their own residential areas neglected.

Many of the spaces throughout the neighbourhood also had litter piling up despite efforts by residents. “Sewage water overflows from the manhole here, creating a stink in the area and we have to clean it up ourselves. We have many children living here too who are exposed. We have complained repeatedly but no one comes to help. We have always been neglected so it is not surprising we are neglected during these times too,” said Kamatchi M, a long-term resident.

At the slum in Melavasal, officials have carried out disinfection measures and awareness campaigns but the streets remain crowded apart from hygiene issues. Children could be found sitting outside eating food and playing games in groups. “Corporation officials came to disinfect with bleaching powder. They also told us to keep clean and warned about Covid-19. They did their duty but we have nothing to worry about. No one who returned from foreign countries live here,” said Meena G, a resident.

Like Meena, most residents of slums, including in MK Nagar, people believed that since there was no one who returned from abroad live in and around their areas, there was no chance of infection at all. A general lack of awareness about Covid-19 is prevalent among residents of slum areas leaving cause for serious concern as Tamil Nadu has already entered stage 2 of transmission. “If we don’t wear masks or touch someone, we’ll get Corona? It is all just hype. We have nothing to worry,” said a youth at Melavasal slum, even as the whole country is under lockdown for 21 days.

City health officials maintained that they have been continuing to conduct disinfection and awareness drives for Covid-19 throughout the city, including slum areas. They added that measures will be taken not to miss out on any areas.

Tamil Nadu workers in Karnataka reach home after struggle

TNN | Mar 28, 2020, 10.29 AM IST

KRISHNAGIRI: Stranded in Karnataka without any work and earnings to run their families due to national lockdown, at least 136 Tamils returned to their native villages in Tiruvannamalai district on Friday. The journey back home was harrowing for all of them.

Working in different parts of Karnataka, they first managed to reach Majestic bus station in Bengaluru city in trucks. From there, they started walking home at 2am on Friday. They reached Hosur, which is nearly 40km away, at 8am and officials at the check post could do little to stop them. They walked for another 40km, but this time the Krishnagiri police stopped them near the office of district superintendent of police. Most of the workers were denied payments by their employers, going against Centre's orders.

M Samikannu, of Cheyyar in Tiruvannamalai district, said he was working in a factory at Tumkur in Karnataka. "The factory downed its shutters on Tuesday night and the owner asked us not to come for work until the coronavirus issue was sorted out." A daily wager, he used to earn 300 a day with which he used to run the family. He decided to return home as there was no other way to earn bread and butter for his family during the lockdown period. When he reached Tumkur bus stand with his wife and two children on Wednesday, the area was deserted and there was no public transport available. Left with no other option, he waited there and managed to get into a truck laden with vegetables that was heading to Bengaluru city on Thursday evening.

"The truck driver demanded 500 per head. I paid him the money as we were desperate to reach home after such a tiring wait at the bus stand," Samikannu said. He shelled out 2,000 to reach Bengaluru city, which is 75km away from Tumkur.

From Bengaluru, he joined other Tamils from his district and started walking to their native early on Friday as there was no other way out.

T Kishore Kumar, another member of the team, said he was working in a coffee estate in Coorg. A native of Gingee in Tiruvannamalai district, he was also accompanied by his family members.

The group reached Krishnagiri town on Friday morning. Police officials stopped them and contacted collector S Prabhakar after the team members recounted their harrowing tale. The collector subsequently directed transport department officials to arrange them buses to return to their native. Revenue officials, meanwhile, provided them food and water. Later, they were screened for Covid-19 symptoms and taken to their native places in Tiruvannamalai district in two buses.

Open only one branch of each bank in 3km radius due to Covid-19 scare: All India Bank Officers Confederation

Mar 28, 2020, 06.03 PM IST

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu unit of the All India Bank Officers Confederation has requested the state level bankers’ committee to open one branch of each bank in clusters of 3km radius instead of all branches in urban/semi urban/metro since ATMs are functioning uninterruptedly.

The state unit has submitted a representation to regulate bank branches in the backdrop of Covid-19 pandemic.

“Fear has gripped the personnel at the branches/offices, wrecking the very psyche. Despite lockdown and restrictions imposed by the government and advisory by the Indian Banks’ Association, people are thronging the branches, cash handling continues to be unabated, exposing staff and officers and perhaps making them as (virus) carriers also,” AIBOC-TN state secretary R Sekaran said. In several branches, personnel had expressed unwillingness to attend office.

The state government’s restrictions reduced the footfalls in the branches, but it raised a doubt about the necessity of existing large branch network for the next few weeks till the normalcy restored, Sekaran said.

The confederation sought permission to operate a branch of each bank in clusters to work till 2pm and to close after loading cash in ATMs.

Rural centres should work for three days in a week or on alternate days extending basic banking services as per IBA directions. Single officer branches should be brought under the cluster. Transactions of small and single officer branches should be temporarily shifted, and transactions allowed only in nearby big centres, Sekaran said.

Among other demands, administrative offices should function till 2pm with 25% to 40% staff in a staggered way and rest of the workforce to work from home. Officers/employees above 55 years of age who suffer from diabetic, heart/kidney ailments and undergoing treatment for critical illness should work on alternate days or to be permitted to work from home during lockdown.

Disabled staff should be allowed to work from home, while pregnant women and woman staff having children up to five years to be permitted to work from home.

Since all mode of transport had been withdrawn, officers/employees should be permitted to work from branch/office nearer to their residence, Sekaran said.

Government plans containment zones as Tamil Nadu in 2nd stage of Covid-19 transmission

TNN | Mar 29, 2020, 05.46 AM IST

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has ramped up plans to contain the Covid-19 pandemic with the government on Saturday declaring that it would demarcate a 5km radius containment zone around homes of people who tested positive and a further 3km radius buffer zone in 10 districts.

Health workers would go house to house in the containment zone to check for people with symptoms of the viral infection and create a list of high-risk patients, including the elderly and those with chronic ailments such as heart and renal conditions.

These measures were announced as the number of those testing positive rose to 42 with four more cases reported.

"We are now seeing transmission at a local level," said health secretary Beela Rajesh. More than half of those who tested positive so far are people with travel history; some of their relatives have also tested positive. But in the last couple of days, public health officials are seeing cases where patients do not have a travel or contact history. "This is the second stage of the disease. We want to stop the spread, and flatten the curve, before we see it in the community, where large number of people can become infected," the health secretary said.

As a part of the plan, on Sunday district officials will demarcate the containment and buffer zone. District collectors, health officials and doctors were briefed about the protocols and the strategy during a video-conference on Saturday. The plans have been drafted based on the "Micro Plan for Containing Local Transmission of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)" guidelines given by the Union Health Ministry and the real time risk assessment prepared by the state public health officials.

A team of health workers including doctors and nurses will be involved in the door-to-door screening of patients.

Tamil Nadu to launch mental health plan for 1L people in quarantine

The health secretary said, “If health workers find people with symptoms such as cough, fever and shortness of breath, they will be examined by doctors. The medical team will decide if patients can be kept in quarantine or if they require hospitalisation.”

Patients showing symptoms and their caregivers will be given personal protection equipment such as masks and counselled about the virus. The team will also make a list of patients above the age of 60, and those with chronic ailments who are at risk for the viral infection, Beela Rajesh said.

“People in high risk groups and those vulnerable will have to be in self isolation,” she said.

The state will also launch a mental health plan for more than one lakh people who are now in quarantine. “Our counsellors and volunteers will be talking to people who are alone or depressed,” she said.

Of the four people who tested positive on Sunday, one was a 42-year-old man who had come from the West Indies and is admitted at the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital. A 49-year-old man who travelled from UK is admitted at CMC, Vellore, and a 25-year-old man who travelled from US is admitted at Global Hospitals.

While 318 contacts of the Thanjavur and Vellore patients are being contacted, officials are working on identifying contacts of the Chennai-based man, who had attending functions including weddings.

Another patient, a 60-year-old man from Rajapalayam, did not have any travel or contact history. “He told us he met a person who had recently travelled from Dubai. He seems to be asymptomatic. We will be tracking him,” officials said.

The state has also launched a WhatsApp chatbot on 90357 66766.

Covid-19 lockdown: Chennaiites returning after pilgrimage to Nepal get shelter in UP town

Mar 28, 2020, 10.07 PM IST

CHENNAI: As many as 36 pilgrims, including 23 women, from R K Nagar who were stranded in Nepal have been rescued and given shelter and basic amenities at Sonauli in Uttar Pradesh.

Vinoth, a priest at a Lord Murugan temple in R K Nagar, and his friend Barani planned the pilgrimage months ago. They along with 34 others left Chennai on March 11. However, after they crossed the Indo-Nepal border on March 20, their vehicle broke down.

Senthil, one of the pilgrims stranded in UP, said, "Army personnel helped us repair the vehicle but a landslide further delayed our travel. That is when we were told that a nationwide curfew has been ordered in India. We decided to return to India on March 24. We were stopped on the border since there was instruction not to let any vehicle cross the border."

He immediately got in touch with Rajesh, an AIADMK functionary in R K Nagar. The matter was taken up with Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam.

Panneerselvam’s son and Lok Sabha member, O P Ravindranath Kumar, contacted the external affairs ministry, following which the stranded pilgrims were allowed to cross the border on Friday. They were given shelter at Sonauli.

"Now, we were able to communicate with our relatives. We feel safe. Most of the pilgrims are above 50 years and have health issues. Though we are not sure when we will be able to return to Chennai since it is a nationwide lockdown and no vehicles could be operated, we have been assured by the local authorities that our essential needs would be taken care of until the curfew is relaxed," he added.

Chennai civic body puts sticker on Kamal Haasan’s Teynampet house, later removes it

TNN | Mar 29, 2020, 09.02 AM IST

CHENNAI: The city corporation was caught in a spot of bother on Saturday after a home-qsuarantined sticker was found pasted on the wall of actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam leader Kamal Haasan's house on Eldams Road in Teynampet.

While fans were anxious, netizens went into a tizzy thinking the actor had been home-quarantined. The sticker showed that the person inside the house was to stay in isolation from March 10-April 6. Later, the sticker was removed and Greater Chennai Corporation r commissioner G Prakash clarified that it was meant for Gauthami Tadimalla, the actor’s former partner. Details of Gauthami's address were given to the civic body by the airport authorities based on her passport. The documents had the Eldams Road address. Civic body sources said Gauthami is quarantined in her house in another part of the city as she came from a foreign country.

Kamal Haasan on Saturday denied reports he was in home quarantine. In a press statement, the actor said, “Most of you already know that I have not been living there (Eldams Road) for the past few years and the Makkal Needhi Maiam office has been functioning from there. So, the news that I have been quarantined is not true,” he said.

Kamal said as a precautionary measure, he too had undertaken social distancing and requested the public to do so. “I would again re-emphasize that all of us undertake social distancing as a precautionary measure,” he added. The actor requested media to verify facts before breaking it so that “fake news” did not get spread.

Tambaram apartment dwellers to get vegetables at doorstep

TNN | Mar 29, 2020, 01.46 PM IST

CHENNAI: The Tambaram municipality on Saturday began delivering bags of vegetables to apartment dwellers.

Employees of the civic body chose an apartment complex at Aarthi Nagar, Selaiyur, where more than 200 families live and set up a collection point within the compound. "Each kit contains about 11 vegetables and weighs about 3kg. A household of four can manage for three days with a kit. We tried it as a pilot measure today. We managed to sell 100 kits. In coming days, more apartment complexes will be covered," said municipality commissioner (in-charge) M Karuppiah Raja.

According to the commissioner, civic body staff ensured that the apartment dwellers exercised social distancing while collecting the kits. The idea was primarily to cater to senior citizens. Each kit was priced at 100.

"On day one , the staff carried out the distribution. We will authorize vendors from Monday and issue them ID cards so that they can distribute such kits," Karuppiah Raja said, adding that the municipality had also distributed pamphlets and stuck posters highlighting the names of 15 grocery stores within the municipality limits, from where residents can avail home delivery. The stores are allowed to function from 9am to 4pm and residents can place their order over phone, which will be delivered the next day, according to officials.

Municipality officials believe these measures can help them enforce the lockdown better and people will not venture out to buy groceries and rations. The municipality has already shut down the main vegetable market in Tambaram and shifted it to playgrounds of a private school and a government school.

Around 250 shops function at the Tambaram marketwhich records the largest business after Koyambedu and a few areas in Chennai city as it caters to several residential neighbourhoods in the southern suburbs, Karuppiah Raja said

Elderly with dietary restrictions face food crunch

TNN | Mar 29, 2020, 01.54 PM IST

CHENNAI: It has been more than a decade since Raman Ranganathan cooked himself a meal. It was a little after his wife passed away in 2008 that the retired LIC agent - now 81 - decided to have simple, home-cooked meals catered home for the rest of his life - an arrangement that best suited his medical history with diabetes and weaning stamina.

But three days ago , for the first time in a decade, Raman's caterer in Nanganallur stopped sending him food. The decision to shut down operations was made by the caterer following the government order calling for a three-week nationwide lockdown starting March 25, and resonates with numerous other small-time caterers who for years have been sustaining senior citizens with nutritious homemade meals. "We cater to at least 15 senior citizens in a day, but decided to close because we don't want our license taken away under any circumstances, especially when neither the police nor us, seem to fully know what's allowed and what isn't," says Vinod (name changed), Raman's caterer.

On Friday, the TN government announced that food aggregator apps such as Swiggy and Zomato could deliver meals at designated time slots during the day, and small-time caterers armed with 'essential service' certificates and stickers could continue delivering cooked meals to the elderly and ailing citizens. However, ambiguity and fear are clouding caterers and their customised home-cooked meals are a big miss for elderly clients who cannot order in from regular restaurants due to medical and dietary restrictions. "I now walk over to a mess on the main road - about seven minutes from home - to buy food for the day," says Raman, even as his family members across the country worry about his exposure to infection and dietary changes in the time of the outbreak. Hit worse are lone, immobile seniors who have no house helps aiding them during the lockdown period.

Some small-time caterers allege that their delivery boys were reprimanded by police personnel regulating movement on roads, despite the provision allowing food delivery. "We had prepared meals to be delivered to our regular customers on Thursday morning but my son who was out for delivery, was pulled up by policemen and asked to go back," said a popular caterer from Mylapore. Some others are unaware of where to procure their required permits from. "We want to start operating from Sunday, but don't know where to get our passes from. Do we need to go to the Greater Chennai Corporation office or to the local police station," asked another caterer from Mylapore. On Friday, journalist and Mylapore resident Vincent D' Souza put up a Facebook post appealing to the zone DCPs to issue passes to the local caterers. On Saturday, he said that some were able to get police permission to deliver lunches between 6am and 9am and dinners between 6pm and 9pm.

Online bail system launched, but prisoners remain in jail

Mar 30, 2020, 04.24 AM IST

Chennai: Glitches in the online bail application system have ensured that prisoners whose release was ordered by the judiciary to decongest jails during the lockdown continue to languish in captivity.

As soon as the lockdown was announced, the state judiciary permitted release on own bail of hundreds of accused in prison for petty offences.

However, people charged with offences carrying up to seven years of imprisonment could not be released. To help them, an online system was introduced through which accused eligible for bail could apply before the orders were communicated to their advocates through e-mail.

Two officers under the respective principal district sessions judge were deputed for each district. Advocates were instructed to file the bail application through the notified email addresses in the prescribed manner. A couple of phone numbers for each district were also notified for the lawyers to mention.

The problem was that the online system didn’t work in some cases and in others the deputed officers didn’t respond to mails or even phone calls. Advocate V Kannadasan said, “I mailed a bail application for a client accused of subjecting his wife to cruelty. But I didn’t receive any acknowledgement or response from the Tiruvallur sessions court. Then I tried to contact the mobile numbers provided. One was switched off while calls to the other went unanswered. I don’t know who else to contact since the courts are also in lockdown,” he added.

“When bail is a right for every accused person, denying such right would amount to a double jeopardy for people who are already in jail. While the main aim of such an arrangement is to decongest jails, such glitches would not serve the purpose exposing the prisoners to the outbreak. The issue becomes more serious considering the sanitation conditions in the prisons,” Kannadasan said.

Adding that the courts promised that such applications would be processed in 24 hours, Kannadasan suggested that the process be processed through the state legal services authority for efficient delivery.

Advocate Duraikannan, who practises in Chenna,i said he had applied bail for an accused arrested in a TNPSC exam scam. “My application mail was responded to immediately. But I don’t know what happened after that. I don’t know the status of my application.”

Tamil Nadu: No power connection to be snapped for non-payment of bills till April 14

TNN | Mar 29, 2020, 08.09 PM IST

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu electricity minister P Thangamani on Sunday said that no power connection would be disconnected till April 14 for non-payment of power bills. The minister said all officials concerned had been instructed not to disrupt any power connection - domestic, commercial and industrial – till the lockdown ended. Tangedco, a week ago, had asked consumers, whose bimonthly bills had to be generated between March 22 and 30, to pay bills as per the previous bimonthly readings as the discom staff are not able to visit households to take meter readings.

With regard to some industrial associations seeking three months grace time to pay their February bills, the minister said only chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami could take a call on that.

He said some power connections in Tiruvannamalai district, which were disconnected a few days ago for non-payment of bills, had been restored based on instruction from senior officials.

“Nearly 80% of Tangedco employees are either attending office or working from home. Braving the virus outbreak, Tangedo employees have attended to complaints of power cuts across the state,” said Thangamani.

There was no power shortage in the state and the discom was committed to providing uninterrupted power supply to help people lead normal life, he said. Much of the demand at present is from domestic sector as most people are working from homes, he said.

Once normalcy returns, the assessors will visit each consumer and record the meter readings. The balance amount to be paid by the consumers, if any, will be intimated to them once the readings are taken. In case of excess payment by anyone – for those who pay bills based on previous billing cycle – the utility would adjust the excess payment against future bills, Tangedco has clarified.