New corpn chief Gagandeep Singh Bedi is disaster management expert

New corpn chief Gagandeep Singh Bedi is disaster management expert

Directed Relief Efforts During Tsunami, Floods, Gaja

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:10.05.2021

Senior IAS officer and principal secretary of the agriculture department Gagandeep Singh Bedi was appointed as the commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation on Sunday, replacing G Prakash. Prakash had been in the post since February 2019.

Since no elected council is in place, Bedi also becomes the de-facto special officer who will be able to take all crucial decisions taken by the council. He has been given charge of the civic body at a time when Chennai’s daily Covid-19 cases have reached a high of 6,000 and have not yet peaked.

Bedi is a well-known bureaucrat who has won awards including that of ‘Indian of the Year’ given out by a private news TV organisation for his work during the 2004 Tsunami, when he was collector of Cuddalore.

His image as a disaster management expert was enhanced by his work during the floods in 2005 and more recently, during the Gaja cyclone in 2018.

Bedi was also the officer who investigated the illegal beach sand mining in Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts and presented a report to the state government. He has also been at the helm of the fisheries department.

Sources in the TN bureaucracy said Bedi was earmarked for this particular role by the current political dispensation. “He is a very planned person who puts in his best efforts. He is also very soft-spoken,” an official said.

During his tenure, Prakash was known for aggressive field visits and encouraging fresh ideas from officials. GCC’s social media accounts were revamped and ideas such as corona monitoring app and home quarantine monitoring system were developed. Greening in Chennai received a fillip with waste lands converted into Miyawaki forests.

However, GCC continued to face allegations of tender fixing during Prakash’s tenure as well. Prakash, who lives in a locality on East Coast Road (ECR), faced a backlash from fellow ECR residents over construction of a German bank-funded, costly stormwater drain project which they said was unnecessary.

Bedi, a senior IAS officer, is taking over the reins as Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner from G Prakash, who served in the post since February 2019

Govt: Enforce lockdown rules strictly

Govt: Enforce lockdown rules strictly

TN Orders Checks To Prevent O2 Wastage

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:10.05.2021 

The Tamil Nadu cabinet headed by chief minister M K Stalin in its first meeting on Sunday stressed on strict Covid-19 containment measures to rein in the virus.

With increasing number of Covid fatalities and a high test positivity rate, the new government was forced to impose a state-wide lockdown for 15 days starting from Monday. The meeting’s focus centred around the measures to be implemented to bring the pandemic under control.

Chief minister Stalin advised his cabinet colleagues to station themselves in the districts allotted to them and ensure proper implementation of Covid-related work during lockdown.

The cabinet meeting resolved that unless the total lockdown is strictly implemented, the state would not succeed in containing the spread of the raging pandemic.

All ministers have been directed to ensure that patients arriving at district hospitals are treated without delay. Besides ensuring healthcare facilities, the cabinet resolved to provide adequate food to healthcare workers and patients.

Noting that oxygen is being made available with great difficulty to government and private hospitals, the cabinet resolved to ensure proper supply of oxygen to all hospitals and directed ministers and officials to prevent wastage of oxygen at any cost.

On Remdesivir, the cabinet said that authorities should prevent its sale in the black market.

The cabinet also appealed to all people in eligible age groups to get vaccinated as soon as possible. To ensure this, awareness should be created among people about vaccination in all districts.

The cabinet meeting also highlighted the need for coordination among various departments, including healthcare, revenue, police, urban and rural developments, to ensure proper implementation of all Covid-related measures. The chief minister directed all the ministers to ensure such a coordination among various departments and conduct review meetings for proper implementation of the government initiatives, according to a state government release.

ON THE JOB: Health officials screen a person at Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital in Chennai on Sunday, a day ahead of the lockdown

Purpose of RTI Act is to provide info in time-bound manner: HC

Purpose of RTI Act is to provide info in time-bound manner: HC

Vasantha.Kumar@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:09.05.2021

The purpose and intent of the Right to Information (RTI) Act is not only to provide information sought for, but also to do it in a time-bound manner; any delay defeats the same. The high court made this observation while imposing a maximum penalty of Rs 25,000 on the tahsildar of Bengaluru North taluk for failing to provide information sought under the law.

“Undue delay, as in the present case where the application has been transferred after 17 months, is inexcusable. Further, there is no explanation offered by the tahsildar either before the appellate authority or this court,” Justice Suraj Govindaraj said in his order.

On May 8, 2018, the tahsildar had transferred the application seeking information to the office of Assistant Director of Land Records (ADLR), Bengaluru North taluk. The application was submitted to his office on December 16, 2016 by petitioner M Kishore Rao, a resident of Bengaluru, seeking information about certain lands.

Rao moved the high court after the Karnataka Information Commission passed an order on February 27, 2019 to close the proceedings after recording that the tahsildar had remitted Rs 5,000 penalty.

Rao claimed the tahsildar transferred his application to ADLR just before his appeal was to be heard by KIC, and there was a delay of 535 days in that process. He contended that KIC’s imposition of Rs 5,000 penalty is not in terms with section 20 of the RTI Act, which requires penalty of Rs 250 per day, subject to a maximum of Rs 25,000. Agreeing with the contention, Justice Govindaraj pointed out that if penalty is calculated at the rate of Rs 250 per day, it would shoot up to Rs 1,29,000 and since section 20 puts a maximum ceiling of Rs 25,000, the tahsildar needs to pay that amount.

No insurance cover for person sitting on tractor’s wheels, says high court

No insurance cover for person sitting on tractor’s wheels, says high court

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:09.05.2021

The liability of a person sitting on the mudguard of a tractor is not required to be covered by a statutory insurance policy as contemplated by section 147(1) of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, a three-judge, full bench of the high court headed by chief justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka observed while deciding a referred matter pertaining to a batch of motor accident claim cases.

Referring to the dictum of the Supreme Court in the Shivaraj case, the bench noted the top court has clearly held that a tractor could lawfully accommodate only one person, namely, the driver, and that the insurer was not liable to indemnify the tractor owner for liability of a passenger travelling in it.

It added the liability of a person working either on ploughing or crushing machines attached to the tractor and who is travelling on the mudguard is not required to be covered by the statutory insurance under section 147(1).

Regarding another referred question, the full bench said a ploughing or a crushing machine attached to a tractor is not a trailer. “Every instrument, including ploughing or crushing machine, attached to a tractor will not necessarily be a trailer. At most, it can be a semi-trailer. Even assuming that the said two categories of equipment are semi-trailers, they are not the motor vehicle covered by section 2 (28) of MV Act. Since a semi-trailer is not a motor vehicle, provisions of section 147 will not apply to it,” the bench observed while disposing of the reference made by a single bench.

While disposing of a miscellaneous first appeal, cross objections and appeals, the single judge was of the view that since there are conflicting decisions rendered by co-ordinate benches,the questions are required to be referred to a larger bench.

Now, in view of these findings, all pending appeals and cross-objections arising out of this group of appeals will have to be placed before the benches concerned having roster for consideration and disposal.

This Covid-19 hospital was set up by chance

This Covid-19 hospital was set up by chance

In The Second Report On Projects That Await New Chief Minister M K Stalin’s Attention, We Highlight A Hospital That’s Doing Well But Deserves More Care

RaguRaman@timesgroup.com

09.05.2021

The Omandurar multi super speciality hospital and medical college, which is playing a stellar role in the ongoing war on Covid, came into being as part of one-upmanship between J Jayalalithaa of the AIADMK and M Karunanidhi of the DMK. He built it as the new seat of government — a legislaturecum-secretariat complex. She turned it into a hospital.

Their disagreement on the issue started when Jayalalithaa wanted to build a new government headquarters overlooking the Bay of Bengal after razing Queen Mary’s College. The DMK opposed this and there was a public outcry. So she got the Anna University to hand over land at Kotturpuram for a new secretariat. When the DMK came to power in 2006, it returned the land.

Karunanidhi as chief minister built a new legislative assembly-cum-secretariat complex at the Omandurar government estate and moved the assembly there from Fort St George. When Jayalalithaa returned to power in 2011, she took the government back to Fort St George. She converted the new complex at Omandurar into the present super-speciality hospital and medical college.

Both the titans have since passed from the scene. Now M K Stalin has been elected chief minister and he has a 550-bed Covid hospital in the heart of the city that he can improve on. This is Stalin’s chance to chart his own path without being weighed down by old antagonisms.

According to DMK party sources, the state government has not made any decision to reconvert it as an assembly and secretariat complex. “There is absolutely no discussion about it at the moment,” a source said.

Medical experts and bureaucrats feel it is better not only to retain the hospital there, but also to expand it in view of the pandemic. Experts said the previous government spent more than ₹100 crore on converting the assembly complex into a super-speciality hospital. “Converting this again into a secretariat complex will result in huge loss to the public exchequer,” said Dr Edwin Joe, former director of medical education.

The Omandurar hospital has high-end equipment for cancer treatment. It is the only hospital in the state to have a nuclear medicine department.

“Though a majority of the beneficiaries have been poor, middle-class and upper middleclass also are frequenting to the hospital due to the new building and facilities available here,” Dr Joe said.

Dr G R Ravindranath, general secretary of Doctors Association for Social Equality, said the building was not originally meant for a hospital and medical college. “To prevent waste of public money, it should be allowed to function as a hospital,” he said.

On expanding the facilities, Indian Medical Association national president Dr J A Jayalal said, “The hospital can be expanded to have all superspecialities under one roof. They can also add infrastructure for pandemic-related research.”

Covid patients losing vision due to fungus

Covid patients losing vision due to fungus

09.05.2021

Acknowledging a “new epidemic” arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic, officials said at least eight people across Maharashtra had lost vision in an eye due to mucormycosis, a fungal infection being detected in a growing number of post-Covid patients. “Eight out of 200 patients treated for mucormycosis have lost vision in at least one eye,” doctors said.

DRDO rejigs cancer drug to fight Covid; DCGI gives nod

DRDO rejigs cancer drug to fight Covid; DCGI gives nod

Swati.Bharadwaj@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:09.05.2021

A potential cancer drug — 2-deoxy-Dglucose (2-DG) — that has been repurposed for Covid-19, has received Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) nod for emergency use as adjunct therapy for moderate to severe hospitalised Covid-19 patients.

The anti-Covid-19 application has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with pharma major Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.

The drug, which comes in a powder form, must be taken orally by dissolving it in water. It works by accumulating in the virus infected cells and prevents growth of the virus by stopping viral synthesis and energy production.

According to DRDO, the results of clinical trials on Covid-19 patients showed that 2-DG helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces their dependence on supplemental oxygen. “It’s the selective accumulation in virally infected cells that makes this drug unique. Higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in Covid-19 patients,” it said.

Being a generic molecule and an analogue of (similar to) glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in plenty in the country, INMAS-DRDO added.

The drug, which is an inhibitor of glucose transport and glycolysis, was originally being developed for cancer as it cuts the supply of glucose molecules to cancer cells, which require higher glucose than normal cells to survive, thereby killing them.

Full report on www.toi-.in

IN HONOUR: Urns containing ashes of Covid-19 victims tied on a sacred fig tree as part of a ritual in Kanpur on Saturday