Delivering posts through pandemic

Postal employees put their lives at risk

25/03/2020, SANJANA GANESH,MADURAI

A postman on his way to deliver letters by wearing gloves and masks. G. Moorthy

Postmen from different parts of the city gathered at Gandhi Nagar post office on Tuesday morning for their daily briefing. Here, they were told by a superior officer, “Keep your masks on at all times and wear the gloves. We want to avoid any incidents. Remember that your health comes first,” he said.

The postmen mumbled “yes” and began dispersing to ensure that they collected their delivery for the day.

For postmen and other employees of the postal department, mail delivery has been as usual despite COVID-19. Postmen like S. Murugan* said that they continued to visit banks, houses and commercial establishments as usual on their cycles and bikes.

“The only thing that is different are the ink blue gloves on our hands and the masks on our face,” he said.

Mr. Murugan said that postmen cannot afford to take long leaves during this time because many people’s old age pensions and money orders continue to be delivered by post.

When asked if it is concerning to work on the frontlines and meet people day to day, Mr. Murugan said that all postmen were apprehensive and scared.

“We earn meagre incomes and support our small families. With COVID-19 looming over our head, we are scared of venturing into areas where there are reported cases. A colleague who covers around five km of area in Anna Nagar says that he is concerned whether there may have been some transmission of the virus to him. We can never know about these things and only take precautions,” he said.

Echoing Mr. Murugan's concern, South Zone Regional Secretary of the National Federation of Postal Employees, R. Krishnamoorthy, said that expecting mail to be delivered during these dire times and expecting postal offices to be filled up was a concerning move by the Centre.

“Considering that bus and train services have been stopped, very important mail is not coming to the department. Many other forms of communication have taken precedence. Why should we put the lives of our workers at risk and continue work now?” he asked.

He added that there were at least 600 postmen in the city and the rural areas were working and making themselves susceptible to the virus.

Even employees in the department did not have any major work.

“We can certainly attend to it in case of emergency and can make ourselves available at our offices,” he said.

At the moment, employees at Tallakulam, Arasaradi and West Veli Street have asked employees to place sanitisers on their tables, wear disposable gloves and masks on their face. In Tallakulakam, they even have tied neem leaves inside their offices to ensure they can prevent COVID-19. An official from the post office on Collector Office Road says that the Centre must swiftly take steps to ensure that no major local transmission takes place through postal employees as they are vulnerable.

“When the railways department has shut shop, they should think of us too,” he says.

(*Name has been changed on request)

High Court quashes case against Ph.D degree holder

25/03/2020, STAFF REPORTER ,MADURAI

Bringing relief to a Ph.D degree holder, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court quashed a criminal case pending against him for his remarks against Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli.

He had posted certain remarks on the social media against his alma mater, pointing out irregularities in the administration of the university. The petitioner sought to quash the criminal case pending against him after a complaint was lodged by the Registrar of the university with Pettai police.

Justice G.R. Swaminathan observed that the petitioner’s relationship with the university was not all that smooth. It was the comment on the management of the university that triggered the institution to lodge a complaint against him, the court said.

Taking into account the fact that the petitioner, J. Mohammed Khan, had a bedridden mother dependent on him and he was eking out a livelihood by working as a parotta master, the court quashed the criminal case against him.

The petitioner appeared before the court to clarify and give an undertaking that he would be careful and measured while posting comments on the social media. The court said that the petitioner ought not be entangled in a criminal prosecution merely because he made an offending social media post.

Act against those who hide travel history: HC

J&K court calls for strict measures

25/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,SRINAGAR

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court (HC) on Tuesday directed the authorities of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to enforce their orders regarding disclosure on travel history in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hearing a public interest litigation appeal through video conferencing from Srinagar, Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Sindhu Sharma in an order said that judicial notice can be taken of several cases being reported in the electronic and the print media with regard to persons who were concealing their foreign travel history, to escape the mandatory quarantine. “Some of such persons have been found to be infected and huge public resources have been expended on tracking, not only these persons, but their several contacts during the period up to their detection,” the order read.

The High Court has also directed BSNL to ensure that every effort is made to operationalise the video-conferencing facilities in all the courts within the two Union Territories at the earliest.

The court directed the Secretary of Public Health Engineering to look into the water supply roster and ensure equitable distribution to all residents.

ED officials to attend office on rotation basis

Probes into important cases continue

25/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

The Enforcement Directorate has directed its officials to attend office on a rotation basis to avoid crowding in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Necessary instructions have been given to ensure skeleton staff in offices across the country. However, officials required for urgent court proceedings have to be present,” said a senior official, adding that the agency had taken all precautionary measures, as directed by the government.

The ED’s probe into all important cases is continuing as before. Although there is no written order pertaining to the issuance of summons to witnesses and suspects, sources said the agency may not mandate anyone’s presence during the lockdown period. Statements of those turning up may be recorded as per procedure.

Last week, the Department of Personnel and Training had issued a directive to the heads of Ministries and Departments to ensure that 50% of Group B and C employees attended office every day, and the remaining worked from home. They were also told to draft a weekly roster of duty for Group B and C staff, and ask them to attend office on alternate weeks. Working hours of officials have also been staggered.

Amid lockdown, foreign embassies worry about stranded tourists

Diplomatic missions are dealing with twin challenges of keeping staff safe while ensuring their nationals are able to return, given the ban on commercial flights

25/03/2020, SUHASINI HAIDAR,NEW DELHI

Nowhere to go: Planes stationed on the runway at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai after all domestic and international flights were cancelled. Vijay BatePTI

Germany is hoping to fly out the first batch of an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 tourists who have been stuck in India since the government banned commercial flights a week ago to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The special flights, starting on Wednesday and expected to operate all week, are being coordinated by an “embassy crisis centre” being run 24/7 at the Embassy in Delhi, which is registering all German tourists and travellers in India so as to evacuate them.

“As an act of solidarity in these difficult times, we are also taking some European Union citizens with us. We will keep on working to facilitate for all who want to fly back,” Germany’s Ambassador to India Walter Lindner told The Hindu.

Close to airports

In a video broadcast in German on social media on Tuesday, Mr. Lindner also told citizens that they should try and move to hotels near the Delhi airport in preparation for the flights.

Apart from the challenge of dealing with the large numbers of Germans in India, is the fact that many are individual travellers, including some who are travelling in remote mountains, embassy officials explained.

As the lockdown in Delhi over the pandemic continues, several embassies say they are dealing with the twin worries of keeping their own staff safe while ensuring their nationals are able to return.

The government announced on March 17 that it would not allow any nationals from 37 countries to come to India, and has banned all commercial flight operations from March 22. However, the External Affairs Ministry says it will “facilitate requests for special flights by resident missions on a case by case basis.”

The government has also been coordinating with missions so that flights coming in to evacuate foreigners can bring in Indians stranded in their home countries as in the case of a KLM flight from Amsterdam and an Air Asia flight from Kuala Lumpur. The Home Ministry announced last week that it would extend all visas for foreign nationals until April 15.

Another worry a number of embassies say they are facing is the harassment of, and discrimination against, foreign nationals. One European diplomat said their citizens had been denied rooms at hotels when they arrived in Delhi, over fears they might carry the virus. Among the first major cases of the novel coronavirus in India were 16 Italian tourists in Rajasthan, who came into contact with an estimated over 200 Indians during their stay here. Most of them have now been discharged from hospitals in Gurugram.

The Spanish Embassy in Delhi says it estimates more than 400 of their tourists are still in India, and have been negotiating with local hotels to help accommodate them until they are able to get a special flight, or when commercial operations resume.

“While no hotel is throwing guests out, we are having a hard time securing new hotel reservations, as tourists are returning from places such as Pushkar and Rishikesh, and need to stay in Delhi,” said a Spanish Embassy official.

Face stigma

“Many of them say that Europeans are being identified and targeted particularly, taunted by bystanders who call them “corona”. It is very unusual for them, when this is normally such a friendly country,” he added.

The U.S. Embassy in Delhi, which has among the largest citizen populations in India, is also working on ways for Americans to be transported back. “We are working with airline companies and Indian authorities to identify transportation options for U.S. citizens to return,” an embassy spokesperson said.

Ensure tight surveillance, Centre tells States

25/03/2020

With the lockdown hitting the Indian industry hard and causing job losses, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters an economic package to help tide over the crisis will be announced very soon.

In a letter to Chief Secretaries on Tuesday, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba asked them to ensure that no suspected or high-risk person was left out of surveillance efforts to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

He also called upon chief secretaries to make sure that hospitals are earmarked for treating COVID-19 cases and in a state of “full readiness” to deal with the situation in the event of a “further spike in the number of confirmed cases.”

Meanwhile complaints of discrimination against healthcare workers, airline staff and people who have been quarantined have also emerged.

As journalists and workers associated with the media faced police action amid the lockdown in some parts of the country, the Centre advised States to facilitate functioning of all print and electronic media outlets.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) said in an advisory, “false and fake news need to be avoided and good practices need to be promoted and these networks play a pivotal role in ensuring the same.”

HC asks ICMR to give no discharge instructions

25/03/2020,JAIPUR

The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday directed the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to consider the issue of discharge of coronavirus-infected persons from hospitals without proper testing and instruct all agencies not to send patients back home unless they were found virus-free. The court said cases had been noticed where the infected persons were hospitalised again after their discharge with a declaration that they were infection-free.

How safe are newspapers: WHO clarifies

Likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low, it says

25/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

How safe is the newspaper that you get at your doorstep every day? As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.

This was WHO’s answer to a question on whether it was safe to receive a package from any area where COVID-19 has been reported. Precautions at a personal level are a must, according to K.K. Aggarwal, past national president of the Indian Medical Association.

“Newspapers are like any other item or material. Take clothes for instance or books. Viruses can stay on any surfaces. So what can you do? Wash your hands before and after reading newspapers or books,” he said.

The WHO stresses on cleaning hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or washing with soap and water, and avoid touching eyes, mouth or nose.

Besides this, there is the recommendation for personal distancing as well.

Doctors cautious over use of malaria drug as virus preventive

ICMR warns against its unrestricted use

25/03/2020, R. PRASAD,CHENNAI

It is still at an experimental stage, the Council said.AFPGERARD JULIEN

A day after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved the use of hydroxychloroquine as prophylaxis by healthcare workers taking care of COVID-19 cases and asymptomatic household contacts of confirmed cases, the Council on Tuesday cautioned against the unrestricted use of the drug, stating that “it is still at an experimental stage and is not recommended for public use.”

Hydroxychloroquine is an antimalarial drug that is also used for treating rheumatoid arthritis. The ICMR’s approval followed a recommendation from its task force for COVID-19.

“The recommendation is for empirical use of the drug based on available evidence and is restricted for use by only two categories of people and under strict supervision of a doctor,” Director-General of ICMR Balram Bhargava told The Hindu.

The clarification comes as none of the drug approving agencies across the world, including the FDA, has cleared the drug for prophylaxis or for treating COVID-19 patients.

The available evidence of the efficacy of the drug is a small study by French researchers involving 26 COVID-19 patients.

The study found “significant” reduction in viral load in over half the number of patients at end of six days of therapy. The results were published on March 17 in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents even before the 14-day follow-up was completed.

During a White House press briefing a few days ago, asked if there was any evidence that the drug can be used as a prophylactic or as treatment for COVID-19 patients, Director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci, said: “The answer is ‘no’ as it is [based on] anecdotal evidence.”

Despite Dr. Fauci’s clarification, two Nigerians are reported to have over-dosed on the drug after hearing U.S. President Donald Trump saying the drug could help treat people with COVID-19. A man in Arizona, U.S., died and his wife was hospitalised after they self-medicated with a home remedy of hydroxychloroquine.

Prof. Gagandeep Kang, executive director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) in Faridabad, told The Hindu: “At this moment there is no evidence available [about its effectiveness]. There are on-going trials. They must have waited for the results. Even the trials are for treating COVID-19 patients and not for prophylaxis.”

Virus scare: doctors denied houses on rent in Warangal

Fearing spread of COVID-19, many owners decline to accommodate them

25/03/2020, GOLLAPUDI SRINIVASA RAO,WARANGAL URBAN DT

At a time when the whole world is lauding the efforts of doctors, some paranoid residents in Warangal are refusing to give houses on rent to people in the medical profession, fearing the spread of coronavirus.

Scores of house surgeons of a new batch who joined duties on Monday and Tuesday and their seniors, who were located around the MGM Hospital, are facing severe problems due to non-availability of accommodation.

When the issue was brought to the notice of Telangana Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao and district Collector Rajiv Gandhi Hanmanthu, they said the Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) authorities have allocated a new building to both senior and junior house surgeons. “Even the hostel rooms have been converted into quarantine wards and hence the problem. But it is now addressed,” the Collector said.

Most of these interns who hail from various parts of Telangana stay in rented houses near the hospital in the surroundings of Bhadrakali temple opposite KMC, Pochamma Maidan and Gopala Swamy temple until they complete their one-year internship in the MGM hospital. In the wake of virus pandemic, the house owners are reportedly asking them to vacate their houses.

A house surgeon working in MGM hospital has shared their woes on Facebook.

The post said that one of the owners called the doctors ‘dirty’ because of work in the hospital. “We are working without any protective equipment during this pandemic, without any holiday, without any stipend since five months while the nation is in lockdown,” the post read.

On condition of anonymity, one of the house surgeons described certain house owners as insensitive.

“They do not understand the risks we undergo to keep them healthy. It is really demoralising,” he said.

Meanwhile, GWMC Commissioner Pamela Satpathy responded to the viral post on Twitter and said “Few similar posts have come to our notice. The issue of accommodation has been resolved already. All Doctors/Medical Fraternity facing any such issue, are kindly requested to contact KMC Principal. ”

To transplant or not: a COVID-19 question

25/03/2020

The COVID-19 pandemic poses special challenges to patients with organ failure. Those waiting for transplant or who had received a transplant tend to have more severe disease due to weak immunity. Patients with severe heart, lung, or liver failure and waiting for transplant are at a high risk for dying if a transplant does not happen within a short period of time. But if there are clusters of COVID-19 disease in the region around the hospital or if there are COVID-19 patients already admitted in the hospital then, the course ahead becomes a quandry.

Performing a transplant surgery in such situation will increase the risk of exposure to the recipient during the surgery and in the recovery period. This exposure could happen from the donor or healthcare providers or other patients in the hospital. It is possible that the hospital resources could become limited due to COVID-19 cases and the care of the transplant recipients may get compromised.

Non-urgent transplant surgeries such as kidney transplants in relatively stable patients on dialysis may be avoided in areas of high prevalence of COVID-19. If the recipient is critically ill and the surgery is unavoidable then care must be taken to check both the donor and the recipient for COVID-19 prior to transplant.

Elective living donation transplants could continue in regions with low incidence and in hospitals with no infected patients. Deceased donation can continue in countries/regions with low incidence of COVID-19 but with stringent precautions.

Currently, there is no evidence to support blood-transfusion related transmission of the virus particles and no additional precautions need to be taken by the blood bank during transplant surgeries. But voluntary blood donation may decrease and hence available blood must be used judiciously.

All brain dead donors should be adequately screened for recent travel and potential exposure to virus. Deceased donation involves significant amount of interaction with the donor family, and increased human movement in hospital. Transplant coordinators should follow appropriate preventive measures to avoid exposure during evaluation. Donors with active infection or exposure to COVID-19 should not be considered for transplantation. Organ transportation throws additional challenges. Also deceased organ donation from hospitals with COVID-19 patients should be avoided due to risk of cross contamination.

Regular visits to the doctor should be limited during this period of virus spread. Physicians can use telemedicine to reduce visits but continue interacting with the patient. Routine investigations should be limited and any elective procedures must be postponed. Dialysis patients and their treating physician should identify another small volume unit for dialysis needs if the situation arises where the primary centre is overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

The role of pre-emptive placement of AV fistula should be evaluated in patients with advanced renal failure to avoid the occurrence of emergent needs during COVID-19 epidemic. Transplant recipients with mild symptoms including runny nose, cough, throat pain and low-grade fever should be considered as suspected case of COVID- 19. They should be asked to self-quarantine themselves at home and consideration must be given to lower the immunosuppression.

A majority of mild illnesses resolve spontaneously, with time and rest. However, such patients should be asked to closely monitor their symptoms. Patients with severe symptoms such as breathing difficulty, high fever and lack of oxygen should be admitted to the hospital.

Immunosuppressive therapy should be discontinued or reduced in patients with severe illnesses. Currently, there are no proven therapies to cure coronavirus infection. The treatment in the hospital includes oxygen and organ supportive care until the lung injury resolves. Certain anti viral medication have been used on experimental basis with some reported benefits.

Teachers told to remain on call

Directorate of Collegiate Education issues circular

25/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

The Directorate of Collegiate Education, in a circular, has instructed teachers and non-teaching staff coming under the purview of the Higher Education Department to remain on call.

The medical wing of Annamalai University, self-financing private colleges, nursing institutions and deemed universities are not under its purview. Teaching and non-teaching staff have been told to work from home except in case of evaluation and examination supervision. They must ensure that the institution’s premises and hostels are cleaned and ready for occupation.

University registrars, principals and hostel wardens have been advised to remain on standby and be prepared to arrive at the institution within 30 minutes, when called. The keys to the institution should be with a teacher who lives nearby. Institution heads should be prepared at all times to execute instructions issued by the Collector. Anyone who does not comply with the instructions would be liable for departmental action. Institutions have been instructed to ensure hygienic surroundings for foreign students in the hostels. All employees of the institutions must provide their phone numbers to their respective heads and be prepared to come in case of emergency.

MTC commuters get a taste of lockdown on Tuesday morning

25/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTCHENNAI

MTC commuters had a taste of the lockdown on Tuesday morning itself as limited bus services were operated. Though the lockdown was to fully come into effect only from 6 p.m. onwards, commuters, particularly those in the southern and western suburbs, faced severe hardships because of limited services. On some routes, buses were not operated at all.

Bus services were severely curtailed in some localities, which are already poorly connected, such as Sithalapakkam, Kovilancheri, Mambakkam, West Velachery, Pattabhiram, Valasaravakkam, and Mogappair.

T. Kumar, a resident of Sithalapakkam, said he found it difficult to reach Medavakkam as there were no MTC buses and finally had to pay double the cost by travelling in a share autorickshaw.

A senior official of MTC, denying that bus services were not adequate, said buses were operated normally.

As most of the drivers and conductors do not have personal transport, the buses were started late, he said.

30 flying squads formed

25/03/2020, ALOYSIUS XAVIER LOPEZ,CHENNAI

Chennai Corporation, the Revenue Department and the police have formed 30 flying squads to regulate congregation of more than five persons to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Corporation Commissioner G. Prakash held a meeting with police and revenue officials to regulate infection prevention and control in the city. “Residents who come out are requested to carry ID cards. Over 400 vehicles will patrol the streets. Eight check posts on stretches such as East Coast Road, Rajiv Gandhi Salai and Poonamallee High Road have been set up. All the 4.000 sanitary workers will get protective gear,” said Mr.Prakash.

Chennai goes into lockdown

Eight entry points to city closed; streets deserted

25/03/2020, VIVEK NARAYANAN,CHENNAI

Barricades put up on Kamarajar Salai near Marina Beach to regulate vehicles on Tuesday. R. Ragu

The usually bustling city wore a deserted look since Tuesday evening after the State came under a complete lockdown as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Policemen took over the streets after 6 p.m. to enforce Section 144 of Cr.PC and announcements were made on public address systems asking people to stay indoors.

As a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced restrictive measures in the State from 6 p.m on Tuesday till March 31. The public and private transport, including autorickshaws and taxis, will not be allowed to ply. There will be no inter-district and inter-State transport. Shops selling groceries, milk, vegetables, poultry and fish will remain open. All other shops should be shut.

In the evening, Police Commissioner A.K. Viswanathan issued the order under Section 144 of Cr.PC prohibiting assembly of more than five persons at public places in Greater Chennai police limits from 6 p.m. on March 24 to 6 a.m on April 1. Those who contravene the order will be subject to prosecution under IPC.

Speaking to media, Mr. Viswanathan said that eight entry points into the city will be closed. Corporation Commissioner G. Prakash said that only retail traders will be allowed into Koyambedu market. “If thousands enter the market, our sanitisation efforts will not bear fruit,” he said. Many thronged the vegetable markets and groceries since morning to stock up vegetables and essential commodities. After 6 p.m, the number of vehicles and people on the road gradually started reducing and by 8 p.m., the streets became deserted. The usually bustling Dr. MGR Chennai Central Railway Station wore a deserted look and usual sound of blaring train announcements fell silent. All the entries into the station were blocked by the police personnel. “I have never seen the station so empty in my lifetime. This shows the intensity of the problem,” said a policeman

No MTC buses

Though the lockdown was supposed to be from 6 p.m., MTC buses returned to their respective termini by 2 p.m. The Dr. MGR bus terminus was also shutdown around 4 p.m. and the entry points were barricaded. “On Tuesday alone, close to 500 inter-district buses were operated for people to reach their home towns,” said an official from the transport department.

Though the beaches were already shut for the public already, the arterial Kamarajar Salai was also barricaded and policemen advised the motorists to reach home at the earliest and stay indoors. The traffic police utilised two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transporter to patrol the service lane. On Anna Salai too, the police asked shop keepers, other than those permitted, to down the shutters.

At important junctions, including Nandanam, policemen, with the help of public address systems, warned people to stay indoors and explained about the intensity of the virus. “If you are safe, your family will be safe. If you venture out, you are not only bringing danger upon yourself, but also on others,” said one of the messages.

Lines in front of shops

In Tiruvallur, the police will be making announcements through public address system and asking people to stay indoors. Tiruvallur police is planning to draw lines in front of shops selling essential commodities to ensure social distancing.

Medical internship to be extended

DME instructs deans to extend CRRI by a month

25/03/2020, , SERENA JOSEPHINE M.,CHENNAI

Nursing staff helping colleagues don protective gear at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. R. Ragu

Medical interns, whose one-year Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI) comes to an end on March 28, will now have to work for another month in the wake of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The Directorate of Medical Education (DME) has instructed deans of all medical colleges to extend the internship by one month for all CRRIs.

In a circular issued on Tuesday, the DME has instructed all deans to give an extension of one month for all CRRIs completing their posting this month, and also arrange for immediate posting of the new batch of CRRIs. The existing batch comprises nearly 3,000 interns.

An official said the interns were doctors entering the service, and it was important for them to continue to be in service at a crucial time like this. “This is an epidemic. So, they will continue to be in service. They will help the doctors and be involved in patient care services. We will provide all protective equipment for them,” he said.

The new batch of interns, also known as house surgeons, have been asked to join on March 26. “The existing batch has been trained for a year. But the new students will need training. We will train them in the meantime and get them ready,” he added.

However, this has raised many doubts among the CRRIs. CRRIs of the Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association said as of now, there is no clarity on what basis the internship period is being extended. “We understand this is for COVID-19 management. As per our bond, CRRI is for 365 days. With this extension, we do not know if we will be junior residents, what our salary will be, and our accommodation,” an intern in one of the government medical college hospitals said.

Government extends tax deadlines to June 30

ATM withdrawal charges waived

25/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

Deadlines for filing income tax and GST returns have been extended to June 30, as part of a slew of relaxations of financial year-end compliance announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday.

The changes were prompted by the shutdown of large parts of the country in a bid to control the spread of the COVID-19 viral infection, so that taxpayers were not forced to endanger their health in a bid to meet compliance requirements, she said.

Bank account holders would not be charged extra for using a debit card to withdraw money from the ATMs of other banks for the next three months, and charges for not meeting minimum balance requirements would also be waived. Bank charges for digital transactions were also being reduced.

Income tax returns for the financial year 2018-19 can now be filed until June 30, with the interest rate on delayed payments reduced to 9% from 12%. The last date for linking Aadhaar with PAN has also been extended from March 31 to June 30. Other taxpayer compliance deadlines, including for investment in savings instruments or for roll-over benefit of capital gains, under the Income Tax Act and other laws have also been extended.

The deadline for filing GST returns for March, April and May, as well as for opting for the composition scheme, has been extended to June 30 for smaller companies — with less than ₹5 crore aggregate annual turnover — without any interest, late fee or penalty being charged.

As COVID-19 toll touches 10, PM announces 21-day lockdown

Govt. allots ₹15,000 crore to beef up infrastructure for treatment of patients

25/03/2020, NISTULA HEBBAR,NEW DELHI

As the death toll from COVID-19 rose to 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 21-day lockdown for the entire country, stating that it was the only way to break the chain of infection. The lockdown will be in effect till April 14.

In a nationwide television broadcast, Mr. Modi said the pandemic was a huge challenge to every country and even countries like the U.S. and Italy, considered to have good health infrastructure, were struggling to control the situation.

“In such a situation we have learnt from the experience of the countries that have managed to get some control over the surge in cases, and these show that a lockdown for a sustained period of time is the only way to break the chain of infection,” he said.

India on Tuesday recorded 564 positive cases, with the number of positive patients in Kerala and Maharahstra crossing 100.

Stating that it was the priority of both the Centre and the State governments to set up health infrastructure as fast as possible to deal with the pandemic, Mr. Modi said the government had allotted ₹15,000 crore for the purchase of personal protection equipment for healthcare workers, setting up testing laboratories and quarantine centres.

“Draw a Laxman Rekha outside your house door and do not step outside of it. Stay where you are. This will be the decisive battle against coronavirus,” he said.

Sounding a note of caution, he said: “If we are not able to adhere to this lockdown sincerely for 21 days, believe me, India will go back 21 years.”

Education sector in state comes to a grinding halt

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 05.35 AM IST

Vijayawada: The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the education sector in the state to a grinding halt. The impact of the epidemic has forced the state government to shut all educational institutions till March 31.

Even coaching centres have shut operations. Nearly one crore students are limited to their homes for almost a week now, and there’s every possibility of the lockdown being extended. Several busy academic centres in the state, including Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Kakinada, Guntur and Anantapur have been witnessing muted activity due to the closure of colleges, schools, universities and hostels.

Other than international students, most universities have vacated students from hostels. Some varsities have also postponed practical examinations. Meanwhile, thousands of teachers and faculty members have also been voluntarily observing self isolation due to the ‘lockdown holidays’.

Prof M Jagannadha Rao, vice-chancellor of Adikavi Nannaya University, has asked students to limit themselves to their homes and refrain from going to crowded places during the lockdown period. “We have already postponed the exams. We have conducted various awareness programmes for students on the prevention of the pandemic,” he told TOI.

Andhra University registrar Prof V Krishnamohan, dean (international affairs) Prof Dhanamjaya Rao and Dr Paul Douglas (chief warden of AU international hostels) have been visiting the hostels housing international students and reviewing measures being taken there in view of the prevalence of the pandemic.

Prof Dhanamjaya Rao said they interacted with international students residing in the hostels. “All students expressed satisfaction regarding the sanitary and hygienic conditions there. We have requested them to follow the self-imposed curfew for a few more days,” said professor Rao.

M Ravikrishna Kumar, a maths lecturer at a corporate college in the city, said his college has asked faculty members too to remain at their homes. “Students attended college even during cyclones and heavy rains. But for the first time, all faculty members have got holidays for an extended period due to Covid-19,” he said.

Many flyers stranded at airport

Mar 24, 2020, 04.07 AM IST

New Delhi: On the last day of domestic flight operations out of Indira Gandhi International Airport before suspension of flights, many passengers succeeded in their last-ditch effort to leave the capital, though some weren’t so lucky when their flights were cancelled owing to crew or pilot unavailability. There were numerous complaints about unexpected cancellations of connecting flights that left flyers stranded at the airport.

From Tuesday midnight, a major chunk of the airport staff will cease working. The cargo terminal operations and special flights bringing Indians stranded abroad will continue, and two runways have also been kept operational for chartered planes and special flights. At 1.30am on Tuesday, 270 passengers landed at IGIA from Iran on a Mahan Airways flight and were sent into quarantine.

“The airport staff requirement will be toned down, and only those essential to operations will be retained for duty. Even their numbers will be reduced because reaching the airport during the lockdown will not be easy,” an airport official informed. “Along with cargo and special flights, we are also prepared to manage chartered planes because a large number of MPs and politicians are in Delhi.”

On Monday, the central government had announced the cessation of domestic flight for a week, starting from 11.59 pm on Tuesday, to combat the spread of Covid-19 cases. An airport source said several flights were cancelled in the last 24 hours. Some had very low occupancy. Among those cancelled was an IndiGo flight to Jammu. Yash Naruka, a Twitter user, posted: “My female friend is at Delhi airport terminal 1D, she's from Jammu. She works in jaipur, she was travelling to Jammu. now in Delhi all the connecting flights have been cancelled and she have no place to go, please look into it (sic)”.

Gunjan Chawla, a passenger scheduled to come to Delhi from Mumbai, was unable to travel after her Vistara flight UK 960 was cancelled in the early hours of Tuesday. “I simply received a message at night about my flight being cancelled and when I called the helpline numbers to ask them to accommodate me on another flight, I had to wait for over an hour without luck,” said Chawla.

Another Twitter user, Aadeep Singh, said his brother and over 50 others from Raipur were struck at IGIA. “@IndiGo6E took the bookings of a connected flight from Coimbatore to Raipur, and now cancelled the flight at Delhi.(sic)”, complained his tweet.

‘Staying home is religious duty’

Mar 24, 2020, 04.10 AM IST

New Delhi: Following announcement of the lockdown in Delhi due to novel coronavirus, mosques across the city have appealed to people to pray from home and follow social distancing. Staying at home was nothing short of a religious duty, they said through loudspeakers.

Jama Masjid’s imam could be heard asking people to pray from home and not step out for any non-essential activity. Earlier, there were rumours of a few positive cases being found in Old Delhi.

Defence Colony mosque appealed all to pray from home as a precaution, while Friday prayers were not held at the mosque at Green Park.

Shahi imam of Fatehpuri mosque, Dr Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, shared a video message with imams in Delhi and across the country, explaining that Islam has options for praying at home in such times.

“It is the need of the hour to fight coronavirus through social distancing. We have requested people to pray in homes and take care of their health. It is as per the options Islam provides in rare circumstances such as present times,” he said.

Mufti Mukarram added that ever since LG Anil Baijal and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal have asked for a lockdown, he has been requesting Muslims across Delhi to follow the advisory and ensure no handshakes and mingling. Even for Friday, he has requested people to not travel far to attend prayers and offer it as zuhr namaaz at home.

He also urged people to maintain hygiene and wash hands regularly. Regarding concerns over hand sanitisers having alcohol content, he said cleaning hands with sanitisers does not mean consuming alcohol. If the need arises, people should use masks and sanitisers and wash hands regularly before eating, he added.

“There should be no fear that mosques are getting closed or religious practices are being affected. Prayers are being held by the staff. We are only taking temporary precautions which is the need of the hour. We should follow advisory and pray from home for health of our country and the world.”

DTC makes ID card must for passengers

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 05.11 AM IST

NEW DELHI: With nearly 2,000 buses of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) on the city roads on the second day of lockdown, there was less crowding inside the buses compared with Monday. However, to ensure only those involved in essential services are allowed to travel, DTC has now made it mandatory for all passengers to show identity cards. An order in this regard was issued by DTC managing director on Tuesday.

“This was necessary as even those who were not involved in essential services were roaming around in buses, putting other passengers and our staff in danger,” an official from DTC said.

“Our buses are being thoroughly sanitised, but with unnecessary crowding, maintaining social distancing becomes difficult,” he added.

“With more DTC buses in place, vehicles were comparatively less crowded today. The situation will improve on Wednesday with only those with official identity cards allowed to board buses,” he asserted.

While barring all types of public transport from operating on Sunday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had allowed only 25% buses of the DTC fleet to operate from Monday. Due to the overcrowding witnessed on the first day of the lockdown, DTC was asked to operate 50% of its fleet. With the number of buses in DTC’s fleet being 3,756, around 2,000 buses operated on Tuesday.

“The frequency of buses was significantly better on Tuesday and all passengers were able to maintain a comfortable distance,” said a central government employee who didn’t wish to be identified.

Navatri celebrations, in distance mode

Mar 24, 2020, 04.09 AM IST

New Delhi: With the capital in complete lockdown to check the spread of the novel coronavirus, the faithful will not, as usual, gather at temples when the Navratri festival begins on Wednesday. The major city temples instead are prepping to offer Delhiites the novelty of participating in the aarti and having a darshan from the safety of their homes. This is one win for technology over the virus’ ground assault.

Dedicated to Goddess Aadi Shakti, the Jhandewalan temple near Karol Bagh is among the oldest in Delhi and attracts lakhs of people during the nine-day Navratri period. It has made extensive arrangements to deter people from congregating there. “We have informed everyone besides putting up huge banners on all four sides of the temple warning of a closure till the next update,” said Sandeep Kumar, the temple spokesperson. “Devotees should worship Devi Maa in their own homes.”

But that will not deprive worshippers of participation in the pujas. Kumar elaborated, “The aarti of Devi Aadi Shakti will be live streamed on YouTube as Jhandewalan Devi Mandir Live Aarti. While the 4am morning aarti and the7pm evening aarti will be available live on all nine days, we have made arrangements to have a 24-hour live session on the auspicious day of Ashtami.”

Authorities at south Delhi’s Kalkaji Mandir have decided to appeal to devotees to carry out the Navratri rituals in their houses. Lokesh Bharadwaj, general secretary of the Shri Kalkaji Mandir Prabandhak Sudhar Samiti, said the pooja-archana-sringar will be carried out by the temple priests, but the lakhs who came to the shrine to take jyoti will be urged not to venture to the shrine this year.

Bharadwaj said that a meeting between committee members and the temple high priest will decide whether the proceedings will be streamed live. Perhaps for the first time in the history, there will neither be langars or bhandaras nor people thronging the temples. Jai Prakash, chairman of North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s Standing Committee, said anyone wishing to organise a bhandara should instead have a “bhandaras of soaps and hand sanitisers” for poor people as a service to Devi Maa.

The Chhatarpur Temple has been closed from March 21, and the shrine management has made arrangements for the live streaming of morning and evening aarti on the temple website.

Two students held under Goondas Act for spreading fake news

TNN | Mar 24, 2020, 04.11 AM IST

Erode: The Goondas Act was slapped against two college students at Gobichettipalayam on Monday for spreading fake news about Covid-19 on social media.

Police, who arrested the youths, identified them as S Boobalan, 20, and N Karthikeyan, 20, of Thookanaickenpalayam village in the district. While Boobalan was second year BSc computer science student at a Coimbatore college, Karthikeyan was an engineering student at Sathyamangalam.

Erode SP Sakthi Ganesan said police conducted an inquiry after a video of a news feed stating that 24 people were infected with Covid-19 at Thookanaickenpalayam village was circulating on WhatsApp. It also asked people of the village not to step out their houses.

“We found the video was created by the duo. They downloaded the logo of a private news channel and used it as a template to make the video,” a police officer said. The duo also confessed to the crime, the officer added.

The Bangalapudur police arrested them on Monday. District collector Kathiravan slapped the Goondas Act against them based on a recommendation from the SP, who also warned of severe action against people spreading fake news.

IRT Perundurai hosp to treat Covid related cases only

TNN | Mar 24, 2020, 04.12 AM IST

Erode: With two Thai nationals testing positive for Covid-19 in Erode district, the IRT Perundurai Government Medical College (IRTPGMC) has been made to treat only Covid-19 related cases. The hospital houses two positive cases, besides 11 people, including four other Thai nationals, quarantined in an isolation ward.

The move follows after health officials are monitoring people who came into contact with the two positive cases. “The health department officials are closely monitoring 694 people of 169 families in the district. They were quarantined at their houses from Sunday,” collector C Kathiravan said. The hospital has 300 beds and doctors were equipped with enough facilities to treat new cases if they arise, he added.

The collector also said patients who were treated for other aliments would be shifted to the government hospital in Erode city at the earliest.

He warned against spreading fake news on social media and threatened to slap the Goondas Act against miscreants.

Coimbatore: Summer rain brings relief to residents in lockdown times

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.26 AM IST

COIMBATORE: In what could be a relief for people who were made to quarantine themselves under the sweltering heat, the city has been experiencing brief to moderate summer rain on and off since Saturday. Though the rain may not be enough to change water levels in tanks, it seems to have brought down temperature by 1C to 2C. Farmers too say the rain will help preparing soil for summer cultivation.

TNAU’s agro climate research centre recorded 8mm of rainfall on Monday and 37mm of rainfall on Saturday. This was the first summer showers in the district after the last drizzles that were recorded in January third week. While the centre did not record rainfall on Sunday, other parts of the district, like Peelamedu, Periyanaickenpalayam and Narasimanaickenpalayam, recorded 4mm to 10mm of rainfall. “This is convectional rain. If temperature keeps increasing and more clouds keep forming, it will result in more rainfall,” said director of the centre S P Ramanathan.

After rain, maximum temperatures at various places across the district fell by a couple of degrees. According to the regional meteorological centre, the district, which recorded average temperature of 36C on Thursday and 37.6C on Friday, saw average temperature fall to 35.4C on Monday and 36C on Tuesday.

The rain and relatively moderate afternoon temperature brought cheers among housewives and people working from home. “Rather than cooped in an airconditioned room, the rain made it tolerable to spend afternoon in balcony or play in the garden,” said Aparna Ram, a housewife in R S Puram.

Farmers also welcomed the beginning of the summer rain, as it will reduce the salinity of the soil and help getting better yield of their long terms crops like banana, sugarcane, turmeric, among others. “The summer rain gives crops the much needed moisture at the point when the leaves begin to dry up without irrigation. It will also help desalinate the soil making the crops grow well,” says district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Vivasaigal Sangam P Kandasamy. “It will also help summer cultivation of millets and pulses, which is done after mid-April. This moisture will help prepare the soil for it,” he added.

Shops selling essential goods to remain open in Salem

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.41 AM IST

SALEM: Shops providing essential commodities such as vegetables, milk parlours, medical stores and grocery shops will remain open in Salem.

However, the Salem municipal corporation (SMC) officials have asked the supermarkets and commercial establishments (marriage halls, malls etc) in the city to be closed from on Tuesday onwards. Any shop with a housing capacity of more than 10 people has to remain closed.

The state government has imposed section 144 of CrPC across Tamil Nadu as a preventive measure against Covid-19. The state also directed the hotels to provide only ‘take away’ parcels and not to accommodate customers inside the hotel.

Meanwhile, the Salem district administration and the corporation officials have started inspecting the city since Tuesday evening. They shut down supermarkets and commercial complexes that were seen operating after 6 pm on Tuesday.

The corporation officials warned that, they will permanently seal the shops if owners violate government order.

Salem collector urges contacts of Covid-19 patients to approach health department

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.43 AM IST

SALEM: District collector S A Raman has urged the public to come forward for self-declaration if they had any contact with 11 Indonesians who had spent their time in the city for nearly 13 days. The collector said the Indonesian team went to five mosques in the city and attended religious meetings there.

Raman said the Indonesian Muslims came to the city on March 11 from New Delhi. They went to a mosque at Rahamath Nagar in Suramangalam police station limit on the next day.

Later, they had visited Para Market mosque in Shevapet police station limit on March 13 and stayed there for two days. “They had given religious preaching in the mosque for three days,” he said, adding that, later they had stayed from March 16 to March 18 at Sheik-Umar mosque in Ammapet police station limit, Buharia mosque between March 19 and 21 and Janadul Firdhouse mosque at Kitchipalayam on March 22.

“They went with another five people, including one person from Chennai and the rest from Salem,” the collector said, adding that all the 16 people were admitted to the quarantine ward in Salem government Mohan Kumaramangalam medical college and hospital for treatment.

He urged those who attended the sermons held by the Indonesians to reach the health department officials at the earliest. “People can contact the officials via 1077 – the toll-free number, 0427-2450022, 2450023 and 2450498 telephone numbers at the earliest,” he added.

Coimbatore: Taxi, auto drivers stare at loss of livelihood

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.24 AM IST

COIMBATORE: Taxi and auto drivers in the city said the imposition of CrPC Section 144, which would be in force until April 1 morning, would hit their earnings hard. Pointing out that they won’t be able to pay EMI on their vehicle loans, they urged the state government to help them by directing banks and other non-banking financial companies to offer them moratorium on loan repayment till the situation improved.

There are more than 3,000 taxi drivers in the city, some of who have tied up with app-based cabs. According to them, their woes started on Sunday when the entire nation shut itself down for janata curfew. Since then, the number of rides has come down by 10 times drastically, they said.

T G Sivanath, a taxi driver, said earlier he used to earn anywhere between Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,500 a day. “But since the curfew, my earnings have plunged to Rs 200 a day. There is no hope of getting any rides in the coming days as Section 144 would be in place.” The state, in its notification on Section 144, has exempted only those taxis running to and from airports, hospitals and residences. In this scenario, Sivanath said, they won’t get long rides.

P Babu, another taxi driver, said earlier he used to get 17 to 18 trips in the city in 10 hours. He had been roaming around the city idly in his vehicle for the past three days, barring occasional trips. “I usually shell out Rs 500 daily on fuel. But in the past three days I have spent only Rs 300 and that too i couldn’t recover from the trips,” he said.

The drivers said they had mailed the cab aggregator firms, which replied that they were mulling ways to help the former. They appealed to the state to take cognizance of their situation and direct banks and non-banking financial entities to give them moratorium on loan repyment until everything returned to normalcy.

Similarly, there are around 13,000 auto-rickshaws in the city and another 2,000 in rural parts. P K Sugumaran, general secretary, Coimbatore District Auto Workers’ Union, said, “Their livelihood is also at stake. It is only fair that the state announces a moratorium on loan repayment.”

HC quashes FIR against PhD holder for post on university

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.05 AM IST

Madurai: The Madras high court has quashed an FIR registered against a PhD holder for posting certain remarks on social media about the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) in Tirunelveli district, after he gave an undertaking that he will be careful and measured while using social media.

The petitioner, J Mohammed Khan who had completed PhD at MSU had posted about the irregularities in the university. Based on the complaint lodged by the registrar of the university, a case was registered against him by the Pettai police station in 2018. The petitioner moved the high court Madurai bench seeking to quash the FIR registered against him.

Hearing the plea, justice G R Swaminathan observed that the relationship between the petitioner and the university was not all that smooth. The petitioner was an active user of social media and it was a remark which had triggered the university to lodge a complaint against him.

The judge observed that a perusal of the FIR reveals that the petitioner had condemned the management of the university in caustic language. The judge noted that the petitioner who appeared before the court gave a clarification.

The judge also took cognizance of the fact that the petitioner has got a bedridden dependent mother and the petitioner is eking his livelihood as parotta master. The petitioner underwent his college education on a part time basis and he was a full time research scholar.

“A person coming from such a disadvantaged section ought not be entangled in a criminal prosecution merely because he made some offending posting in social media,” observed the judge.

Since the petitioner undertakes that he will be careful and measured in his conduct while using social media, the judge quashed the FIR which was registered against him.

Families bond over boards, cards to kill time

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.21 AM IST

Madurai: As people are being urged to stay indoors to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the demand for board and card games has gone up. Enterprising shops too have seized the opportunity to cash in on the situation by keeping ready enough stocks in the last few days.

``When we were kids, we would sit down for a game of cards after dad came back from work, mostly after dinner every day,’’ said T Kumar of Anna Nagar. But he rues that such habits had become forgotten today as children rarely find time to leave their phones and get family time.

Parents say they are thinking of ways to ensure the participation of everybody at home. Poornima of Anna Nagar said they had bought board games such as scrabble, ludo and monopoly. ``This is the first time we are actually buying games which we can play together and not just gift them to others. Besides, these games are great stress-busters,’’ she said. Many young parents have found that they did not know the rules of several of these board games as well as their parents did. Hence, these games end up as contests between children and grandparents in many homes.

Some small shops which opened on Tuesday saw people enquiring about cards such as UNO and the regular as well as ordinary cards. ``We don’t keep more than five packs at a time but they were all sold out last week,’’ said Thirupathy, a shopkeeper in K K Nagar. ``I didn’t know my grandfather could play games so well. He is a master at carrom and beat all of us on all the days we played,’’ said 16-year-old Sudhesh for whom his 80-year-old grandfather’s finger strength came as a revelation.

Class XII students relieved as exams end before curfew

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.39 AM IST

Madurai: The more than 36,000 Class XII students in Madurai district who had appeared for the state board exams this year breathed a sigh of relief as they completed their final exam on Tuesday just before Section 144 was imposed across the state.

A total of 34,869 students sit the final exam in Madurai on Tuesday. Amid the Covid-19 scare, the exams began half an hour late at 10:30 am and ended by 1:30 pm. All the 120 centres here were disinfected and students had to sanitise their hands before entering the exam hall. However, after the exams, students were seen celebrating and running out of the exam halls in groups, prompting police and teachers to discipline them.

Instead of the usual cheers and tears, all students were immediately sent home with many not even returning to their schools to say a farewell. “During our Class X board exam, the whole class celebrated in school with teachers. Today, we were just relived that exams are over instead of getting postponed,” said Sruthi R, a Class XII student of a private school.

Meanwhile, teachers and students said that the new syllabus, introduced for the first time across all subjects, was challenging but not too daunting. “The questions were asked from all chapters for all subjects. Students were quite happy since they did not feel cornered by one or two difficult topics. It may be difficult to get high scores because of everything being new but students can easily get pass marks. We are all hoping for the best,” said the headmaster of a government school.

The evaluation of Class XII board exam answer sheets, in view of the curfews imposed in the state has been tentatively postponed to April 7.

HC Madurai bench restricts functioning

TNN | Mar 25, 2020, 04.45 AM IST

Madurai: The Madurai bench of the Madras high court has begun restricting its functioning from Tuesday for three weeks as per guidelines issued by the Madras high court Chief Justice A P Sahi, in an attempt to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

A notification issued by the registrar (judicial), said that in view of the emergent situation which has arisen on account of Covid-19 pandemic, it has become imperative to adopt the guidelines issued by the Chief Justice at the principal seat, with slight modifications, for the restricted functioning of the Madurai bench. The lawyers are requested not to operate from their chambers and they are requested not to invite the litigants inside unless it is absolutely imperative either for their personal presence that may be required on orders of the court or for such personal verification as per the directions of the registry. Lawyers are requested to limit filing of cases as far as possible except only in extremely urgent matters. As per the notification, changes have been made to the sitting arrangement in Madurai bench as follows.

A division bench of justice P N Prakash and justice S S Sundar will hear urgent motions and admissions in writ petitions, writ appeals and habeas corpus petitions.After the division bench sitting, justice P N Prakash will hear urgent motions and admissions in criminal original petitions (under Section 482 of Cr.PC) and justice S S Sundar will hear all single bench appellate side matters. Justice G Jayachandran will hear criminal original petitions - bail and anticipatory bail petitions.tnn