MP couple lose boy born after 12yrs in ICU fire

MP couple lose boy born after 12yrs in ICU fire

Jamal Ayub & Sudeept Mishra TNN

Bhopal:11.11.2021

A couple who waited 12 years for a child took the baby back home, dead, just a week after birth. A father of twins ran about in tears, seeking to know their fate, only to learn in the wee hours that one of them was dead and the other critical.

The grandmother and aunt of another newborn fainted on seeing his blackened body, with his plastic crib apparently melted on the skin .

Bhopal’s Kamala Nehru Hospital was torn by heartrending scenes a day after a fire in the paediatric ICU killed four babies.

‘Brought kids to hospital 2 hours before fire broke out’

Ankush Yadav staggered as he carried a cardboard box in his arms on Tuesday morning. It contained the remains of one of his twin daughters, born less than 12 hours before the fire broke out. At night, he was told the other twin had died too. They were the first-borns of Rachna and Ankush. “I brought them to Kamala Nehru Hospital in the evening, barely two hours before the fire broke out,” said Ankush, who runs a grocery shop.

Ankush switched two hospitals — one of them asked for Rs 10 lakh — before landing up at Kamala Nehru where the twins were admitted to the ICU. “On Monday night, a doctor asked me to bring an injection that costs Rs 8,000. I went back to verify the name of the injection when the fire erupted around 8.30pm,” Ankush said.

Travel booster: 96 countries to sign vax cert pact with India

Travel booster: 96 countries to sign vax cert pact with India

UK, EU Nations In Long List; Talks On With More

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:11.11.2021

In a big boost to international travel, 96 countries — including US, UK, many European and Middle East nations — have agreed to mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccination certificates with India, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday.

The government continues to be in communication with more countries so that beneficiaries of the world’s “largest Covid vaccination programme are accepted and recognised”, thereby easing travel for education, business and tourism purposes, Mandaviya said in a statement.

The move will ease travel for those vaccinated with Indian-manufactured Covishield and Covaxin. The countries include Canada, Turkey and Australia as well. Canada has sought an application from Covaxin to approve it, even as WHO’s emergency use approval has boosted the vaccine’s international acceptability.

“At present, 96 countries have agreed to mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and also those [countries] who recognise Indian vaccination certificates of travellers fully vaccinated with Covishield/WHO approved/ nationally approved Covid vaccines,” the government statement said.

Consecutively, persons travelling from these countries are provided certain relaxations as enunciated in the health ministry’s guidelines on international arrivals issued on October 20, 2021, the ministry said. For those who wish to travel abroad, the international travel vaccination certificate can also be downloaded from the CoWIN portal.

A couple reunite at Newark airport on Monday after US relaxed curbs

No vax shot, no entry at Ajanta caves

The district disaster management authority (DDMA) for Aurangabad has decided to aggressively assist the endeavour to push up vaccination coverage in the district by making it mandatory for visitors to tourist places, like the Ajanta-Ellora caves, to have taken at least one Covid vaccine dose.

MEA in touch with all countries: Min

Many countries from Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean islands have agreed to recognize Covid-19 certificates with India.

“The ministry of health along with the ministry of external affairs is in continuous communication with all countries for mutual recognition of vaccine certificates, and WHO and nationally approved vaccines to facilitate hassle-free international travel across countries,” the minister said. “The government’s commitment to accelerate the pace and expandthe scope of Covid-19 vaccination across the country has resulted in crossing the 100 crore milestone in administration of doses on October 21, 2021,” he stated.

Red alert for Chennai, coastal dists; 2-day leave for schools and colleges

Red alert for Chennai, coastal dists; 2-day leave for schools and colleges

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:11.11.2021

The low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal may soon concentrate into a depression and bring widespread rainfall across Tamil Nadu for the next few days, the Meteorological department said on Tuesday, issuing red alert for Chennai and other coastal districts of the state.

The department has sounded red alert for Chennai on Thursday, and for one more day for the other coastal districts.

The government has declared holiday for schools and colleges in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chengalpet, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, and Mayiladuthurai districts on Wednesday and Thursday.

While Nungambakkam received 11.1mm rainfall, airport recorded 1.9mm rain on Tuesday.

The weather system is likely to bring extremely heavy rainfall on Wednesday at isolated places over delta districts, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Pudukottai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram and Puducherry and Karaikal. On Thursday, extremely heavy rain may be recorded in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Chengelpettu, Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai. “Rainfall will be mostly in the night. After November 11, rain will reduce significantly,” said IMD area cyclone warning centre director N Puviarasan. Many interior and western districts may also receive heavy to very heavy spells for two days.

Revenue and disaster management minister KKSSR Ramachandran on Tuesday said five people died in rain-related incidents in Theni, Trichy, Madurai and Chennai districts. At least 64 cattle deaths were reported across the state, and 538 huts and 129 houses were damaged.

In Chennai, 1,723 people have been moved to 22 relief centres and 147 more centres have been kept ready. More than 11.49 lakh food packets have been given away to people across the city.

Poondi, Puzhal, Cholavaram, and Chembarambakkam lakes have almost reached their full capacity.

“Steps have been taken to release surplus water taking into consideration the inflow and the safety of dams,” water resources minister Duraimurugan said.

Balagurusamy to head MKU V-C search panel

NEWS DIGEST

Balagurusamy to head MKU V-C search panel

11.011.2021

Anna University former vice-chancellor E Balagurusamy has been appointed as convenor of Madurai Kamaraj University vicechancellor search committee. Former vice-chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University P Maruthamuthu and former vice-chancellor of Tamil University M Rajendran will be other members of the search committee. The university VC's post has been lying vacant after previous vicechancellor M Krishnan was appointed as vice-chancellor of Central University of Tamil Nadu in August. The search panel will recommend three names to governor R N Ravi.

‘COVID-19 victims entitled to a minimum of ₹50,000’

‘COVID-19 victims entitled to a minimum of ₹50,000’

HC says individual governments can also pay more than the minimum amount

10/11/2021

Legal Correspondent CHENNAI

The Madras High Court on Monday said the governments in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are obligated, as per Supreme Court orders, to pay a minimum of ₹50,000 each to the familes of over 36,000 people who had died so far due to COVID-19 in the State as well as the Union Territory.

Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu said the minimum amount was fixed by the Supreme Court under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The individual governments, however, would be free to pay much more than the minimum amount.

The judges granted a week's time for the governments to disclose the amount of money, over and above ₹50,000, that they would be willing to pay from the State Disaster Relief Fund.

The court also wanted a mechanism to be in place o redress the grievances of the claimants quickly.

The interim orders were passed on a couple of public interest litigation petitions seeking adequate compensation to the victims. Counsel for one of the petitioners, Kabilan Manoharan, insisted that the legal heirs or the next of the kin of every person who had succumbed to COVID-19 must be paid ₹4 lakh.

Rain lets up, but woes of Chennai continue

Rain lets up, but woes of Chennai continue

HC cracks the whip over inundation

10/11/2021

Bounteous yield: Residents fishing in Korattur Lake that overflowed on Tuesday.M. VEDHANThe Hindu

Special CorrespondentCHENNAI

Chennai had some respite from the rain on Tuesday when inundation cleared up in a few areas. But people were stranded and in need of help at other places where the stagnant water was yet to be drained. Residents are approaching the next couple of days with fear as heavy rain has been forecast.

The Madras High Court warned the Chennai Corporation that it would take up a suo motu public interest litigation petition on the travails of residents due to waterlogging, if the situation did not improve by Friday. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said action would be taken against the contractors implementing Smart City.

In the 24 hours till 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Chennai recorded 3.2 cm of rain. The weather office has issued a red alert in Chennai for Wednesday and Thursday as the low-pressure area that had formed on Monday is likely to turn into a depression.

The government announced a holiday for schools and colleges in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, and Mayiladuthurai on November 10 and 11. A holiday has been declared for schools and colleges in Pudukottai, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Madurai, Dindigul and Virudhunagar districts on November 10. Schools in Tiruchi and Ramanathapuram will be closed on November 10. The toll in the rain has risen to five and over 500 huts have been damaged.

Public transport operated in reduced numbers due to poor patronage

Public transport operated in reduced numbers due to poor patronage

10/11/2021

Special Correspondent CHENNAI

Public transport in the city was operated with limited strength taking into consideration the reduced footfalls due to heavy rain. However commuters reaching the city from far flung western localities of Tiruttani and Arakkonam, had a tough time, because of the fewer train services.

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has been operating reduced number of buses for the past two days. The MTC, which would normally operate nearly 3,250 buses on regular days, has been operating 2,200 to 2,500 buses in the past two days.

A senior official said since Sunday around 2,200 to 2,500 buses are being operated because of the announcement of holidays for schools and colleges and poor commuter population on several routes.

Buses are operated only based on the needs of particular routes.

Similarly, Chennai division of the Southern Railway, which started truncated operation of train services from Monday evening, operated Sunday schedule of train services on Tuesday also citing water stagnation and poor patronage.

The operation of reduced number of train services caused severe hardship to the working population travelling from the neighbouring districts of Tiruvallur and Vellore, as a large number of commuters depended on train services from Tiruttani and Arakkonam.

Social activist A. Roy Rozario, in a representation sent to the Chennai Divisional Railway Manager, highlighted the hardships faced by hundreds of commuters from Arakkonam, Tiruttani and Tiruvallur.

The Southern Railway on Tuesday has announced more stoppages for the fast line proceeding towards Arakkonam and Tiruttani effective from Friday.