Omicron in 15 states, tally 257; PM chairs meet today

Omicron in 15 states, tally 257; PM chairs meet today

24 Of 39 Fresh Infections From Southern States

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  23.12.2021

Omicron spread to the 15th state/UT in India on Wednesday with Haryana reporting six cases of the highly infectious variant of coronavirus even as 39 fresh infections took the country’s total tally to 257. With cases rising, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for a high-level meeting on Thursday to review Covid-19 situation.

Other states which recorded fresh infections were Telangana (14 cases), Kerala (9), Rajasthan (4), Delhi (3), Bengal  (2) and Andhra Pradesh (1).

Haryana health and family welfare minister Anil Vij told the assembly that three residents each from Gurgaon and Faridabad district have tested positive for Omicron. All three Gurgaon residents have a history of travelling to India via Dubai from the UK.

Most of the 14 patients who tested positive for Omicron in Telangana are medical tourists. While two of them arrived from the UK, an ‘at-risk’ nation, 12 came from Kenya and Somalia, both ‘non-risk’ countries.

In Kerala, all 9 fresh cases — six in Ernakulam and three in Thiruvananthapuram — had landed from abroad recently. While three of them came from the UK, two each came from Tanzania and Nigeria and one each from Ghana and Ireland.

K’taka: Will trace contacts of +ve patients in 24 hrs

Bengaluru:

With Omicron cases spreading rapidly across the globe, the Karnataka government on Wednesday said it would make aggressive efforts to trace, track and quarantine the primary and secondary contacts of Covid-positive persons within 24 hours.

TK Anil Kumar, principal secretary, health department, has directed all the district authorities to ensure dedicated staff for contact tracing and for quarantine, home isolation watch immediately. The primary contacts should be tested on day 1 and day 8 and home-quarantined during this period. If they test positive, they are to be treated and managed as per the state Covid protocol. P 2

No travel history for cases in Raj

However, three of the four new Omicron cases that were reported from Rajasthan neither had any recent travel history nor did they come in contact with foreign travelers, causing concern among the health authorities. The three are residents of Jaipur and the health department has launched a massive exercise to test those who came in contact with them.

The fourth person who tested positive on Wednesday is a 27-year-old Kenyan woman who had travelled to Jaipur recently and her samples were sent for genome sequencing after she developed Covid symptoms. The Kenyan is currently admitted to LNJP hospital in Delhi. “We have informed the hospital in Delhi about her testing positive for Omicron,” said Jaipur’s chief medical health officer Dr Narottam Sharma.

Omicron: Now, Singapore and Thailand tighten travel norms

Omicron: Now, Singapore and Thailand tighten travel norms

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:23.12.2021

The Omicron variant of coronavirus is yet again leading countries to reimpose travel restrictions or strict testing and quarantine norms that they had begun removing in recent months. Singapore and Thailand on Wednesday announced steps to prevent spread of the new variant through curbs. Earlier, many countries like the US, the UK, India and Canada had imposed stricter entry rules.

Singapore, which had started vaccinated travel lane (VTL) flights with three Indian metros from November 29, has stopped ticket sales for its VTL flights from Wednesday (December 22) to January 20, 2022. Ticket sales for entry from January 21 will also be temporarily reduced.

“Travellers who already hold a ticket for a VTL flight can continue to enter Singapore under the VTL (Air) on their originally planned date, provided they meet all VTL (Air) conditions. Applications For The Vaccinated Travel Pass (Air) will remain open,” a Singapore government agency website said.

Thailand has ordered a temporary suspension of Thailand Pass for all new ‘Test & Go & Sandbox’ applications to places other than Phuket. “Phuket remains open for Indian travellers . Travellers wanting to travel to Phuket can register for Thailand Pass under Phuket Sandbox program and Happy Quarantine. Under this programme, travellers will only be required to do a PCR test and wait in the hotel until the result is received,” the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said.

No salary sans vax certificate for Pb govt staff

No salary sans vax certificate for Pb govt staff

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chandigarh:23.12.2021

Vaccine hesitancy among state government employees in Punjab could cost them their monthly salaries, based on new regulations announced on Wednesday that require them to post their Covid inoculation status along with proof on the integrated HR management portal. This is applicable to the entire government staff, including officers.

“You are informed that the iHRMS portal has been enabled to register Covid vaccination certification number…If only the first vaccination has been done, then the certificate details of that will be registered,” states a circular issued by the finance department to heads of various wings of the government.

“The Covid vaccination number has been linked to the salary module, and salaries will not be generated for those who do not furnish the details.”

Mumbai-A’bad Shatabdi extended till Gandhinagar

Mumbai-A’bad Shatabdi extended till Gandhinagar

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:23.12.2021

Western Railway will provide more connectivity to the state capital. The railway has decided that the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central Shatabdi Express will now run from Gandhinagar. The train earlier use to terminate at Ahmedabad.

Western Railway officials said that the train will terminate at Gandhinagar from Friday. The train will leave from Mumbai at 6.10am and will reach Ahmedabad at 12.22pm and will Ahmedabad for Gandhinagar at 12.37pm and reach at the Gandinagar at 1.40 pm. Earlier, the train use to leave from Mumbai at 6.40 am and reach Ahmedabad at 12.55pm.

Similarly, the train will leave from Gandhinagar at 2.20pm and reach Ahmedabad at 3.05pm and will reach Mumbai at 9.45pm. The train use to leave from Ahmedabad at 2.50 pm and would reach Mumbai at 9.20 pm.

The officials said apart from the local trains the Shatabdi express will be the fifth train from the capital. Earlier, Shanti Express for Indore, Yoga express for Haridwar, GNC BSB SPL for Varanasi and BDTS Garib Rath from Delhi to Mumbai via Ahmedabad were the trains that were available from Gandhinagar.

A officer said that with Vibrant Gujarat summit scheduled for January the extension was seen as a move to give direct connectivity to the guest coming from Mumbai to Gandhinagar for the summit.

Now, park a car next to the door of your apartment in a high rise

Now, park a car next to the door of your apartment in a high rise

Space Crunch Makes Realtors Find Elevated Ideas

Paul John & Sachin Sharma TNN

Ahmedabad:23.12.2021

Imagine stepping out of your 13th floor apartment and getting straight into the driving seat of your car parked near the entrance door to hit the road. In concrete jungles where parking is becoming a headache in public places as well as residential complexes, developers across major Gujarat cities are getting creative to lift home-owners above the parking woes.

In Bhavnagar, a developer of a 13-floor high-rise residential building on a 6,200 square yard plot, has got a building plan passed to provide parking slots for owners on each floor.

The building will have a concealed hydraulic platform that will lift cars to the residents’ floors. This will effectively allow a resident to park his or her vehicle next to the home’s entrance. The developer has provided parking space for 10 luxury cars to be shared between five apartments on each floor.

The building will have a concealed hydraulic platform that will lift cars to the residents’ floors

‘Parking has become a crucial aspect of building planning’

Kamlesh Shah, the developer, told TOI that every 4BHK and 3BHK flat has parking space for two cars each. “As for conventional parking, there will be a two-level cellar," Shah said.

Tejas Joshi, president of CREDAI Ahmedabad-GIHED, told TOI: “Parking has become a very crucial aspect of building planning. Experiments of mechanised parking are finding favour with many developers in major Gujarat cities," said Joshi.

Experts said that Ahmedabad's expensive space economics is proving a deterrent to major experimentation with parking. "While many commercial and residential buildings are looking at stacked hydraulic parking systems, issues like limited consumable FSI (floor space index), height restrictions in certain areas due to zoning and limited plot sizes are some aspects that prevent builders from experimenting with new parking spaces.” Joshi said that builders are eagerly waiting for the 2022 GDCR norms.

Bhavnagar municipal commissioner M A Gandhi confirmed approval of the project with parking on each floor. “We have permitted the construction of the 13-floor building under Gujarat’s comprehensive GDCR (General Development Control Regulations),” Gandhi said. Earlier, nod was given to two projects in which vehicles are taken to the first floor by hydraulic lifts, he added.

In Vadodara, a commercial complex on the posh Racecourse area will have parking on its terrace, claimed to be first-of-its-kind parking space in the Banyan city. Amit Srivastava, project architect, said the complex has two levels of basement parking but an elevated parking area was added to accommodate more vehicles. “We wanted to boost the convenience factor for users without reducing the building’s commercial value,” he said.

Srivastava said that installation of solar panels is mandatory in new projects. “As these are installed at a height of 7 to 10 feet, they will provide shade to the parked vehicles. Lifts will be used to carry vehicles to the terrace.” In Rajkot, a commercial building to come up on Kalavad Road will have a separate parking tower for cars. The tower will use the hydraulic lift system. Permission for the tower envisioned as a 70 metre, 22-storey parking facility is underway.

Stalin pens emotional tribute to MK’s ‘kutti PA’

Stalin pens emotional tribute to MK’s ‘kutti PA’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

23.12.2021

Chief minister M K Stalin has penned a tribute to his father’s long-time associate Shanmuganathan, who died on Tuesday. “Hard to believe that you are no more. Unable to accept that you have been snatched away by nature,’’ he started the ode he wrote on Wednesday. Stalin then listed out the services rendered by Shanmuganathan to his late father and later to him. Stalin said that Shanmuganathan has compiled, proofread and made 50 volumes of letters written by Karunanidhi to DMK cadres. Likewise, he has compiled the assembly speeches of Stalin as well. Stalin wondered if he has to console others or seek consolation for himself after the loss. “Have you left us to see Thalaivar (M Karunanidhi). You wanted to be by his side to assist him forever?’’ Stalin asked in the emotional tribute.

Shanmuganathan was a fixture at the Gopalapuram residence of Karunanidhi, Stalin said, adding that he would be seated in a small room under the staircase at the home, always busy immersed in work. “Karunanidhi’s days are incomplete without him. Shanmuganathan was not just another name in Goapalapuram, but Kalaiganar’s shadow,” he said.

He recalled that Shanmuganathan, who was with the police department, was good at taking short-hand notes of the speeches of leaders. Shanmuganathan was the youngest among the personal assistants of Karunanidhi when he had joined and hence used to be called ‘kutti PA’ (young PA). “He was our kutti PA as well as ‘getti’ (strong) PA,” Stalin said. Stalin said he would ask Shanmuganathan for feedback every time he completed a speech. Shanmuganathan would appreciate as well as give suggestions.

IRREPLACEABLE LOSS: Stalin said he would ask Shanmuganathan for feedback every time he completed a speech

Key accused in railway job scam dies in prison

Key accused in railway job scam dies in prison

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:23.12.2021

A main accused in a railway job recruitment scam has died while in prison even before charges were framed against him, CBI informed a court here.

A city CBI court had expressed displeasure at the investigating agency for not taking any effort to secure former technician at Perambur Loco works, S Sriraman of Villivakkam for over four years, despite police registering cases against him.

Meanwhile, on December 4, the court received a letter from the Superintendent of Prisons, Puzhal stating that Sriraman who was sent to judicial custody in April was under medical treatment at Government Stanley hospital and succumbed on December 1.

Additional special judge L S Sathiyamurthy disposed the case against Sriraman stating that the court cannot pass an order of discharge against a dead person.

The court had recently convicted his accomplice, P Athimani, a government high school teacher from Krishnagiri district and sentenced him to two years imprisonment in the scam.