Confusion over who will pay migrants’ train fare

05/05/2020

“What is particularly disturbing is that the Central government and the Rail Ministry are charging them for train tickets in this hour of crisis,” she said.

“Post the partition of 1947, this is the first time India witnessed a tragedy with such a massive human cost as thousands of migrant workers and labourers were forced to walk home several hundred kilometres on foot -- without food, without medicines, without money, without transportation, without anything except for the desire to return to their families and loved ones,” Ms. Gandhi stated. By making a “humble contribution”, the Congress would stand “shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with the workers”, she added.

(With inputs from Amarnath Tewary)

Over 500 people quarantined in Erode

05/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER, ERODE

As many as 545 persons who entered Erode from others districts were lodged in the 16 quarantine centres for 14 days, as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

Since there were no active cases, the district was moved from red to orange zone on April 30. Following this, people from other districts tried to enter the district, but were prevented at the inter-district check posts.

Only vehicle pass holders were allowed after verification and medical check-up. The district administration has established one quarantine centre in each of the 14 blocks and two in corporation limits, while work is on to establish four more centres in the district.

Schools and colleges in each block were converted into quarantine centres.

Centres

Number of persons in each centre are as follows: Ammapettai – Guruvareddiyur Higher Secondary School (21 persons); Anthiyur – Government Boys Higher Secondary School (33); Bhavani – Kavindapadi GHSS (51); Bhavani Sagar – GHSS, Thottampalayam (10); Erode – Kongu Engineering College (38); Gobichettipalayam – Gobi Arts and Science College (67); Kodumudi – Bharathiyar University Arts and Science College, Elumathur (68); Modakurichi – Modakurichi GHSS (18); Nambiyur – GBHSS (11); Perundurai – Kongu Polytechnic (24), Sengunthar Engineering College (97), IRT (4); Sathyamangalam – Sri Ragavendra HSS (46); Don Bosco School, Kadambur (11); T.N. Palayam – J.K.K.M. Engineering College, Bungalowpudur (37), and Talavadi – Don Bosco School (9).

Revenue officials faced opposition from residents in Modakurichi and Kodumudi blocks after they identified two schools in the blocks for establishing the centre. Later, two other centres were identified and disinfectants sprayed before accommodating people.

Heavy traffic on roads in Salem

05/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER,SALEM

The crowd on roads on first day following relaxations was in stark contrast to the precautionary measures advised by the governments.

It was traffic as usual on roads here on Monday with many people stepping out of their houses to report at offices and for other services. Automobile workshops, hardware and spare parts outlets and other non-essential businesses started functioning from Monday.

Long line of vehicles were noticed at automobile workshops for periodical maintenance and other services. Long queue was also noticed at super markets, mobile phone outlets and electronic appliances store, raising concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19. Several mobile outlets arranged chairs outside their stores for customers to wait maintaining physical distance.

V.Shakthi, who was waiting at a grocery store, said, “Many are not wearing masks and physical distancing has not been taken seriously by the public.”

P.L.Palanisamy, secretary of Salem District Hotel Owners Association, said, that only less number of hotels and bakeries had opened only for takeaways. However, the industry had suffered huge loss due to lockdown and it was not profitable to operate only with takeaways.

P.Thangadurai, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) said that vehicle checks would be focused mainly on city borders and vehicles coming in from outside the district would be checked. Those coming into the district would be quarantined at the facility set up at Karuppur Engineering College and they would be tested for COVID-19.

“We have quarantined about 200 persons till date here and if the results are negative, they will be advised home quarantine for 14 days,” he said.

S.Deepa Ganiger, Superintendent of Police, said checks had been intensified at 20 check-posts here and they were mainly checking for inter-district travellers and those returning from Koyambedu market. Revenue and health officials were alerted regarding suspicious cases and quarantine facilities had been set up at multiple places in rural limits.

People with ‘own vehicles’ can leave for other States

Persons intending to leave on special trains, government-arranged vehicles have to wait

05/05/2020, DENNIS S. JESUDASAN,CHENNAI

Natives of other States, stranded in Tamil Nadu owing to the COVID-19 lockdown, will be permitted to leave “on their own vehicles” from Tuesday. All such persons, who have registered themselves on the portal nonresidenttamil.org would get their e-passes for their vehicles and be allowed to cross the borders only during daytime.

“We would issue e-passes for vehicles for those who have registered online from midnight and allow vehicles to leave Tamil Nadu from Tuesday,” a senior official told The Hindu on Monday evening.

However, persons who intend to leave Tamil Nadu on a government-arrangement vehicle or special trains would have to wait for a few more days.

All those leaving Tamil Nadu on their own vehicles would have to go through medical check-up near the inter-State borders. There are about 107 roads touching other States but only about two or three roads in each district would be allowed for such vehicular traffic, the official said. “But, such vehicles would be allowed through all National Highways during daylight.”

Asked whether the Tamil Nadu government-issued vehicle pass would be valid in States through which the vehicle would be passing, he replied in the affirmative. For instance, if a vehicle leaves Tamil Nadu for Odisha passing through Andhra Pradesh, the T.N. government-issued vehicle pass should be sufficient, he said.

However, persons who have registered on the portal intending to return to Tamil Nadu may have to wait for some more time. As of Monday evening, no specific date and time was fixed from when the inflow of persons into Tamil Nadu would be allowed. “We are in the process of setting up quarantine facilities in the inter-State borders and are co-ordinating with District Collectors in this regard. We should allow inflow of such traffic in the next few days,” he said.

On Monday, the Tamil Nadu government also appointed 22 IAS, IPS and IFS officers as nodal officers for specific States over the movement of stranded persons to and from States and Union Territories concerned. According to a G.O. issued in this regard, they were to facilitate smooth movement of stranded persons across State borders as per SOPs and to co-ordinate with the nodal officers of other States and with district administration.

The officers are: Kakarla Usha (Andhra Pradesh), S.J. Chiru and R. Sudhan (Assam and the North East), Kumar Jayant and Najmal Hoda (Bihar), K. Srinivasan and Nihar Ranjan (Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand), C. Samayamoorthy (Odisha), T.P. Rajesh (West Bengal), Anil Meshram (Haryana), M. Sudha Devi (Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir), B. Chandramohan (Karnataka and Sikkim), Johny Tom Varghese and T. Ritto Cyriac (Kerala), Rajesh Lakhoni (Madhya Pradesh), Pooja Kulkarni (Maharashtra), Mangat Ram Sharma (New Delhi), Gagandeep Singh Bedi (Punjab), R.K. Jagenia (Rajasthan), N. Venkatesh (Telangana), Pinky Jowel (Uttar Pradesh) and Pradeep Yadav (Other States and Union Territories).

Tasmac to open shops from May 7

05/05/2020

“Employees will be given gloves and masks. We will have proper barricading in front of the shops. Tipplers who come without a mask will not be allowed to purchase. We will come out with detailed guidelines on the do's and don'ts before the shops open,” he said. Strict social distancing norms along with personal consumption limits would be followed, he added.

On Monday, the statement issued by the government pointed out that with neighbouring States, including Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, opening liquor shops, people in border districts of Tamil Nadu were crossing over in large numbers to buy alcohol. Crowd management was proving difficult and hence the decision, the government said.

"People have been crossing borders to purchase liquor and in the last few days there have been several complaints pertaining to illegal liquor being made at home and sold in black. The opening of shops will ensure people don't go to neighbouring States or brew liquor," a Tasmac union member said.

During the lockdown, the cash cow of the Tamil Nadu government reportedly lost ₹85 crore to ₹90 crore in sales per day. Tasmac usually witnesses brisk beer sales during summer.

The State has over 5,300 liquor outlets, which employ over 25,000 people.

Milling crowds and the merriment amiss

05/05/2020, P.A. NARAYANI,MADURAI

Tradition marries technology: A couple who tied the knot at their home in TVS Nagar during the celestial wedding at Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple on Monday. R. Ashok

“For the people of Madurai and nearby towns, the celestial wedding of Lord Sundareswarar and Goddess Meenakshi is like a family function,” says R. Lakshmi, a resident of Kakka Thoppu Street, who has never once missed the wedding in the past 25 years.

“Hundreds of devotees throng Meenakshi temple to witness the wedding, which is the highlight of the annual Chithirai festival. For the people of Madurai, the wedding is an event to renew their relationships and commitments. However, witnessing the wedding through digital platforms, in the wake of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, makes us feel it incomplete. But we are at least grateful that we were able to witness the wedding through digital platforms,” she says.

It was the first time that the celestial wedding took place without any public gathering due to the lockdown. The temple administration had been livestreaming the event on its website for the past few years. This time, the event was livestreamed totally on digital platforms with the inclusion of the temple’s Facebook page and YouTube, and TV channels were not given the live telecast rights.

Shanmuga Thirukumaran, a Tamil teacher who has given running commentary for the event for many years, says that from 1981, the annual event was held on Adi streets, so that hundreds of devotees could witness the wedding. “A huge number of people from nearby villages and towns used to reach Madurai to take part in the wedding. But, this year, the wedding took place at the mandapam inside the temple,” he says.

For L.T. Sanjayan, a trader from Pudhu Mandapam who sells packages containing kungumam, turmeric and the sacred yellow thread, the festival is the time when he does good business. “I have been preparing these packages at home and selling them for the past 30 years. Thousands of women buy these packages and replace the sacred thread that holds the ‘mangalsutra’ with a new one during the celestial wedding. But, due to the lockdown, there are no buyers for the packages that we make ready from March,” he says.

The wedding is incomplete without the ‘kalyana virundhu’ or the wedding feast which was served at Sethupathi Higher School for the past few years, says K.S. Narayanan, Headmaster of the school. “Usually, the feast would be coordinated by Pazhamudir Solai Thiruvarul Murugan Bhaktha Sabhai Trust and would have contributions of vegetables and groceries by hundreds of people. Those who could not contribute would volunteer to cook and serve food for thousands of people. However, this could not happen this year due to the lockdown,” he says.

“But, on the brighter side, we are able to distribute food to the homeless who are suffering due to the lockdown,” says Chamundi Vivekanandan, president of the Trust.

CRRI students sore about quality of hostel food

05/2020, STAFF REPORTER,MADURAI

Following a house surgeon having been tested positive for COVID-19 on May 2, those doing compulsory rotatory residential internship (CRRI) at Government Rajaji Hospital here have raised a complaint on Monday that they did not get to eat proper food for the past two days.

They took to social media on Saturday to air their grievances.

The Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association has sent a representation to the the Collector, urging him to ensure that the students were provided proper food.

According to a student, when the hostel was shut down after the house surgeon tested positive, mess workers became apprehensive about coming to the hostel.

While some students in charge of the mess arranged for food, the quality was not good.

“A good meal is one of the few incentives for working hard and fighting a deadly disease,” the student said.

A GRH source said food had been arranged for 150 CRRI students and 30 postgraduates at the hostel.

“We have already provided them two good meals today, including hygienically prepared non-vegetarian food,” the source said.