AirAsia flight makes priority landing at Chennai due to hydraulic issue
The flight landed safely nine minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival, an airport source said.

Published: 28th November 2019 11:58 AM |

AirAsia (File | PTI)

By PTI

CHENNAI: A city-bound AirAsia India flight carrying 114 passengers from Delhi made a priority landing here on Thursday due to a hydraulic issue, an airport source said.

The flight landed safely nine minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival, he said.

A statement on the incident from AirAsia India was awaited.

"Local stand-by was declared for AirAsia India flight operating on Delhi-Chennai route on Thursday morning. The pilot in command sought priority landing from Chennai ATC due to some issue in the aircraft's hydraulic system. The flight landed safely at 8.01 am," the source said.

In local stand-by, all aerodrome emergency services are brought to a state of readiness and local emergency services are notified but remain at their respective bases on stand-by.

There were 114 passengers on board the flight, he added.

Now, Scrub typhus major health concern

If the dengue and viral fever cases were not enough, the officials of the health department are now also battling scrub typhus (a mite-borne disease).

Published: 29th November 2019 06:37 AM 

By Sinduja Jane

Express News Service

CHENNAI : If the dengue and viral fever cases were not enough, the officials of the health department are now also battling scrub typhus (a mite-borne disease).The disease caught attention after three cases were detected at the Institute of Mental Health during a special screening. All inmates were screened after four persons who were admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) died recently. According to senior health official, 45 scrub typhus cases were reported in Chennai and around 1,400 cases were reported across the State from January.

“It is an undifferentiated febrile illness. High grade fever, body pain and eschar at the site of the bite are common symptoms. It even affects the central nervous system and cause encephalitis, eventually leads to multi-organ failure and death,” an official said.“During screening, the official detected three cases and they were given antibiotics. We have bushes around, so the cases have been reported.

All precautions were taken,” said P Poorna Chandrika, Director, Institute of Mental Health. A senior doctor at RGGGH said, “Every day, one or two patients from IMH are being admitted. But they are chronically ill with co-morbid conditions. Though a few cases have been admitted with fever, still we have not come to any conclusion on common cause.

What is scrub typhus

Scrub typhus is a disease caused by Orientia Tsutsugamushi bacteria and it is spread to people through bites of infected larval mites. It is treated with antibiotic doxycycline. The mites are mainly found in grassy fields, shruby areas, forests, abandoned rice fields and cleared forests, officials said.

Four nurses duped by consultancy
29/11/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,BENGALURU

The Halasuru police have taken up a case of cheating against a -based job consultancy firm that allegedly duped as many as four nurses by falsely promising them employment in Ukraine, and then taking their money and passports.

Based on a complaint filed by Avinash B., a nurse from Mysuru, the police have booked a cheating case against the owner of the firm — Pranay Kiran Shah — who is absconding. In his statement to the police, Avinash said that Shah runs a consultancy firm in Murphy Town and had advertised that there were job opportunities for nurses in Ukraine. Avinash and three other nurses — Devaiah, Karyappa and Venkatachala — approached him and paid the required fee of ₹1 lakh each. In September 2019, they submitted their passports to the firm.

The cheating came to light this month when the victims went to collect their visas and air tickets as was promised to them and found the office locked up. They tried to reach Avinash but found that his phone was switched off, after which they went to the police to register a complaint.

Fake aviation firm scam

In a similar incident, a city based businessman filed a cheating complaint against an aviation firm for duping him by promising to to train his son to become a pilot.

The victim Mahadevaswamy, 57, a resident of Banashankari, told the SJ Park police that the accused Naveen Ravindran, owner of Suguna Aviation academy, had taken the money for the course in 2014, but kept prolonging the training session. On Wednesday, when the businessman went to the firm’s office to get his money back, he learned that Naveen had vacated the premises, and was unreachable on his phone.

Don’t withhold information sought under RTI : DGP

29/11/2019, GAUTAM S. MENGLE,MUMBAI

The office of the Director General of Police (DGP), Maharashtra, has issued instructions for information on ongoing cases, sought under the Right To Information Act, to be given out to applicants provided it can be established beyond doubt that giving out the information will not hamper the case.

The circular, signed by Special Inspector General of Police Milind Bharambe, Law and Order, on behalf of Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, DGP, refers to repeated observations about police officers refusing point blank to share information about ongoing cases, saying it will hamper the investigation.

“It has been brought to the notice of the State Information Commissioner that applications filed under the RTI that seek information about registered cases are summarily dismissed, with the only reason given being that the information can not be revealed as it is an ongoing investigation. Police officers have been observed to refuse or avoid giving information using this reason,” the circular states.

It further says that following these observations, instructions were issued by the State Information Commissioner about making information available about records, case diaries and reports, and CCTV footage as requested under the RTI.

The circular also instructs police personnel to save a copy of every footage released to applicants.

When contacted, Mr. Bharambe said,

“We have observed ample examples of RTI applications being filed for frivolous reasons, which is why it is important to consider each application based on its merit.”

Gujarat

Kuwait domestic help issue raised in House

Action taken against apps: Minister

29/11/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, ,CHENNAI

V. Muraleedharan

The Kuwait government has clamped down on apps and websites used to sell domestic help, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

He was responding to query raised by Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi MP D. Ravikumar.

“According to certain reports in the media, a digital application was used to solicit the services of domestic workers for Kuwait. The country’s laws are against human trafficking,” the Minister said in his reply. The authority concerned of the Government of Kuwait responded promptly to the media reports and took necessary action against such applications as well as other similar websites, he added.

Protective measures

Mr. Muraleedharan said the Indian Mission was also in touch with the Kuwait authorities to protect Indian workers from such applications. No case of an Indian victim duped through such means had come to the knowledge of the Mission, he said.

The Minister highlighted the measures put in place by the Indian government to safeguard Indian women workers and regulate their emigration for overseas employment in Gulf countries. All women emigrants (except nurses) emigrating on ECR [Emigration Check Required] passports, irrespective of the nature/category of employment, must be above the age of 30 years, he said. If foreign employers wanted to recruit Indian female workers holding ECR passports for overseas employment in 18 ECR countries, they could only do so by engaging any of the State-run recruiting agencies, Mr. Muraleedharan said.

No database

The foreign employer had to deposit a bank guarantee in the respective Indian Mission equivalent to $2500 for recruiting a woman worker in case of direct recruitment, the Minister said. Embassy attestation had been made mandatory in respect of direct recruitment of all ECR passport holding women workers in respect of all ECR countries, he said

Mr. Muraleedharan, however, said there was no mechanism at present to prepare a comprehensive database of women working as domestic servants in the Gulf countries because a number of such category of workers are holders of Emigration Check Not Required (ECNR) passport and they were not required to take either clearance or register themselves before departure from India. In addition, many often go to Gulf Countries on tourist visa/ family visit visa and subsequently take employment there. Naturally, in such cases also, there is no clearance or registration.

Train passengers seek better access facilities at Tambaram station

29/11/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,CHENNAI

When Tambaram railway station was designated as the third railway terminal in the city a few years ago, it brought cheer to the residents in the southern parts of the city.

While Southern Railway has started operating long-distance trains and has also provided stoppages for several trains at the station, it is yet to become a full-fledged railway terminal.

Despite good multi-modal facilities, the station suffers due to poor access facilities. Senior citizens particularly face severe hardships to reach the platforms to board trains.

V. Rama Rao, a senior citizen, rued the absence of an escalator or lift in platforms 7 and 8.

A senior official of the Chennai Division of Southern Railway said several passenger amenities have been created including the concrete-paved access road, parking facilities, and food plazas on both sides of the station.

On the absence of escalators and lifts at platform nos. 7 and 8, he said there is a proposal to instal escalators and lifts on the northern side of the station.