Kollywood mourns for Paravai Muniyamma

Team CT

30.03.2020

The ever-popular Madurai Veeran Dhaane not only introduced Vikram’s Arumugam to the villains in Dhool, but also Paravai Muniyamma to Kollywood buffs. The popular folk artiste debuted in the Tamil film industry with the movie, both as a singer and an actor, and continued to impress audiences with her performance. She not only aced the roles of a forthright grandmother who had a modern view of the world in many of her films, but also of a wily ganglord in the spoof-comedy Tamizh Padam. Apart from Kollywood, she also tried her hand at a couple of Malayalam films, and hosted her own cooking show that focused on graamathu samayal. A highly energetic person, as described by many in the fraternity, she was forced to take a break when she fell ill four years ago. And in the early hours of Sunday, she breathed her last. A versatile musician who took pride in being part of the folk culture of Tamil Nadu, her work reflects her love for all thing Tamizh. We speak to celebrities who had closely associated with her in the industry...

‘SHE SAID SHE NEEDED WATER, BUT PASSED AWAY SOON’

I am yet to come to terms with her demise. I spoke to her on Sunday morning too, at around 2am. She told me about feeling uneasy and that she needed water to drink. But in a few seconds, she passed away. I first met her last year when I came across news that she was not keeping well. She became close to me when we met for the second time. She often used to tell me that I’m her grandson and that she would find a suitable girl for me. I can’t forget how she stood by me when I was going through problems in my personal life. She used to tell me not to get affected and that she would always be with me.

- ABI SARAVANAN, actor

PARAVAI MUNIYAMMA

1937-2020

Paravai Muniyamma was a very instinctive performer: Directors

‘HER INNOCENCE TURNED THE SHOOT OF DHOOL INTO A FUN EXPERIENCE’

In the script of Dhool,the hero and heroine come to the city from a village. Generally, in villages, they don’t let a young woman go along with a man, so I had written this heroine’s grandmother character, who would accompany them. I wanted this character to be that of a folk singer. Through my contacts in the music circle, I came to know of Paravai Muniyamma. I listened to her songs and they were very good. So, we called her in for a screen test. She was quite cool and relaxed during the screen test. So, we roped her in.

During the puja,we shot at a Murugan temple and then asked her to sing some song. When she sang, there was so much of positive vibration on the spot. I knew at the moment that she was the actress I was looking for to play that paati character,and that she would be a major draw in the film next to Vikram and Jyotika. She had done stage shows previously, so she was comfortable performing in front of a crowd. In fact, on the second day of the shoot, she was telling Jyotika to stand on the mark when she was standing a few feet away. She had intuitively grasped the process in just a day. There was a cuteness about her. And for her age, she never showed any fatigue. There was no problem with her on the set. Her innocence turned the shoot into a fun experience.

One of the lessons that I have learned from her is to do our job and let the results follow on their own. We generally expect instant results, but she did what she was good at for many years without complaining and earned the fruits of that labour when she was 65! I have been thinking about this from the moment I heard of her unfortunate demise.

The last time I met her was seven years ago, at a show for a TV channel. She couldn’t recognise me. Age had caught up with her. But after I told her that we had worked together in Dhool,she was able to recollect. She was a great person, and it’s a huge loss.

– DHARANI, director

‘SHE HAD AMAZING KNOWLEDGE IN FOLK MUSIC’

We first worked together in Dhool which went on to become a big hit. Our combination scenes in Kadhal Sadugudu and other films were also quite popular. As a professional folk singer, she had amazing knowledge in folk music. Later, she fell ill and was staying at her native village. One day, she asked for my help. Once, while I was traveling to a place near Kovilpatti, I went in search of her home. I called her up, but I was told by someone that she had gone to Madurai. So, I couldn’t meet her. Now, we are coming across the news of her demise. Time flies so fast. While talking about some films, people generally say that first half was good, but second half wasn’t. I think, in her life, the second half was better, with many good memories and experiences.

– VIVEKH, actor

‘FOR HER AGE AND UPBRINGING, SHE GOT THE NUANCES OF A SPOOF FILM’

She was one of those people who you cannot get to act. You have to let them be themselves on screen, which is a very original, natural and instinctive performance. While we were OK with that for most parts of the film (Tamizh Padam),we needed her to wear a coat, a hat and actually become a villain in the final moments. That was completely out of her comfort zone, for she had never done anything like that.

Even her lines were unlike what she would usually say. While she struggled initially, she was very adamant that she would do it. ‘Konjam time kudunga thambi, naan pannirren,’ she said, and took the trouble to do it. She understood the nuances of a spoof film for her age and upbringing, and that was amazing.

– CS AMUDHAN, director

— Lakshmi.V@timesgroup.com,Suganth.M@timesgroup.com & Thinkal.Menon@timesgroup.com

Nurse writes to virus: You are in the wrong place

Kottayam:30.03.2020

“My dear friend, you don’t know. This is Kerala. Within one week I will overpower you and leave this room,” writes the nurse at Government Medical College Hospital who was tested positive for Covid-19, reports Jaikrishnan Nair.

Her message posted in a WhatsApp group is addressed to the coronavirus.

The nurse, in her post titled “Uninvited friend who came”, ‘sympathises’ with the virus over its destined defeat in Kerala, which boasts of a resilient and robust healthcare system.

“You don’t know about the people of Kerala and the health workers here. You have come to the wrong place,” she says.

The nurse’s colleagues said she is cheerful and in good spirits. All the 20 nurses who had come into contact with her have been placed under observation.

Full report on www.toi.in

Kolkata docs given raincoats as protective wear, protest

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata:30.03.2020

Desperate times call for desperate innovations. Woefully short of personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors and other healthcare workers, Bengal health department has started arming them with raincoats at some places, including the Medical College Hospital and the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kolkata, which are in the forefront of the Covid-19 fight.

A section of frontline healthcare workers have resented this. “If even one of us is infected, it will be a blow to the morale of the healthcare fraternity. Most of the PPE components are available and garments manufacturing units can produce them, like they did in China,” said a doctor.

However, virologist Amitabha Nandy said, “There is no harm in using plastic raincoats since the material is good and offers sound protection against viral contamination. But raincoats must be tailored to ensure that they cover the neck and upper portion of the shoulders that tend to remain exposed in the conventional ones,” he added.

“Given the scenario, we can improvise. Though not ideal, raincoats will provide some protection,” said Bhaskar Narayan Chaudhury, a microbiologist at Peerless Hospital.

Others, like Narayana Health medic Kaushik Chaki, felt using raincoats violated the WHO guidelines on PPE and put doctors at great risk. “You can’t ask doctors to wear raincoats while treating Covid-19 patients. If we get infected, the virus could be transmitted to hundreds of other patients across hospitals,” he said.

Full report on www.toi.in

TAKING NO CHANCES: A municipal worker wearing a protective suit sprays a disinfectant solution in a grave before the burial of a woman who died of Covid-19 in Ahmedabad

10,000 govt staff screen 10L people in 1 1 TN districts

8 New Cases Take Total +ve Count To 50

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:30.03.2020

The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday scaled up efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 10,000 health officials and government employees screening 10 lakh people across 11 districts for symptoms. As the state’s Covid-19 positive count touched 50 with eight new cases — one of whom was a 10-month-old boy — the government braced itself for a possible surge in infections by placing orders for 1,500 more ventilators, 30,000 testing kits and 20 lakh N-95 masks.

By 7am, district and civic authorities had demarcated a 5km radius containment zone around houses of people who tested positive and a further 3km radius buffer zone. In Chennai, more than 1.5 lakh people were screened by 5,000 Greater Chennai Corporation domestic breeding checkers (DBCs) and anganwadi staff, 750 health nurses and 1,500 school teachers. More than 700 workers from Tirupur and Salem screened close to a lakh people. Officials at the state covid-19 control room were still tabulating numbers on the people with flu-like symptoms.

“The aim is to bring the curve down and delay the peak with this containment plan,” said director of public health Dr K Kolandasamy. Health workers have been told to take details including travel history of people who had symptoms of fever and cold, he said.

TN has drawn around 1,700 respiratory infection samples

They ask them several questions, sometimes even talk to neighbours before writing down that the patient has no travel history,” he said. “This is a serious task done to identify and isolate people with symptoms.” In Chennai, people with exposure to positive patients or those with a travel history were asked to wear a mask even inside the house.

While we have initiated the containment plan, we have not stopped planning for the epidemic surge, said health minister C Vijayabaskar. “We have about 15,000 beds in the government sector and private hospitals have come forward to give 25% of their beds. In addition, many private medical college hospitals have offered up to 500 beds each,” he said.

Besides the 550 bed exclusive hospital in Omandurar Medical College Hospital, the state is getting 200-bed facility in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, 250-beds in Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital and 300-beds in Stanley Medical College Hospital. “Every district hospital will also have an exclusive block for treating Covid-19 patients,” he said.

Health workers also created a line list of high-risk patients, including the elderly and those with chronic ailments such as heart and renal conditions. Those requiring medical attention were referred to doctors.

As of now the state has no empirical evidence to show whether there is community transmission. Senior public health expert T Sundararaman, who was the former dean of School of Health Systems Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, said testing should be based on clinical differential diagnosis. “Even if the symptoms are mild and attending physician deems that Covid-19 is one of the differential diagnoses, test should be done. What is the point in offering biosafety to doctors when you allow patients with mild symptoms to go around freely,” he said.

So far, the state has drawn around 1700 acute respiratory infection samples. “We have ordered another 30,000 testing kits. Of this 10,000 will reach us Tuesday and remaining will be available by mid-April,” said Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation managing director Dr P Umanath. The state will then ramp up testing for more people, he said.

In addition, the state has also ordered 1,500 more ventilators from China, Israel and Europe. “All of them will be available in four to six weeks. Government hospitals will then have 4,000 invasive ventilators,” he said.

In addition, to instill confidence in the medical fraternity, the corporation was releasing 1 lakh surgical masks to doctors and staff at various government hospitals every day. Orders have also been placed for 20 lakh N-95 masks.

The eight patients, including the ten-month-old boy, who tested positive on Sunday were linked to the two Thai nationals, who are still undergoing treatment at IRT Perundurai Medical College Hospital in Erode, health secretary Beela Rajesh said.

No penalty for non-payment of bills till April 14

Sivakumar.B@timesgroup.com

Chennai:30.03.2020

Tamil Nadu electricity minister P Thangamani on Sunday said that no power connection would be disconnected till April 14 for non-payment of power bills. The minister said all officials concerned had been instructed not to disrupt any power connection - domestic, commercial and industrial – till the lockdown ended. Tangedco, a week ago, had asked consumers, whose bimonthly bills had to be generated between March 22 and 30, to pay bills as per the previous bimonthly readings as the discom staff are not able to visit households to take meter readings.

With regard to some industrial associations seeking three months grace time to pay their February bills, the minister said only chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami could take a call on that.

He said some power connections in Tiruvannamalai district, which were disconnected a few days ago for nonpayment of bills, had been restored based on instruction from senior officials.

“Nearly 80% of Tangedco employees are either attending office or working from home. Braving the virus outbreak, Tangedo employees have attended to complaints of power cuts across the state,” said Thangamani.

There was no power shortage in the state and the discom was committed to providing uninterrupted power supply to help people lead normal life, he said. Much of the demand at present is from domestic sector as most people are working from homes, he said.

Once normalcy returns, the assessors will visit each consumer and record the meter readings.

The balance amount to be paid by the consumers, if any, will be intimated to them once the readings are taken. In case of excess payment by anyone – for those who pay bills based on previous billing cycle – the utility would adjust the excess payment against future bills, Tangedco has clarified.

Help starts arriving for migrant workers in TN

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Madurai/Coimbatore/Trichy:30.03.2020

The lockdown has left thousands of migrant labourers from other states stranded in Tamil Nadu and vice versa. While some are getting help from their employers, local authorities and philanthropists for survival the rest are getting help after staging protests or highlighting their plight on social media.

Around 1,500 to 2,000 migrant workers from Tamil Nadu who are stranded in Kochi have got help from the police and resident associations in the city. These migrant labourers are among the nearly 12,000 migrant labourers from Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and Assam who are jobless due to the lockdown and are stuck without food and money and unable to return to their home towns.

Over 50 migrant labourers of Vaisali in Bihar stranded at KVR Nagar in Karuvampalayam, Tirupur, got food following the intervention of chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. Former Bihar health minister Tej Pratap Yadav raised the issue on twitter, tagging the CM, who instructed Tirupur collector K Vijayakarthikeyan to do the needful at the earliest.

Hundred-and-thirty migrant labourers working at an export firm in Coimbatore district gathered in front of the company on Sunday and staged a protest. They complained that their employer provided them variety rice thrice a day and demanded meals and roti, instead.

Twenty-four youths working in a tool manufacturing company in Pandharpur town, Solapur district, Maharashtra are stranded in three rooms at their workplace. They sought intervention of the Tamil Nadu government to relocate them to a safer shelter. Talking to TOI over phone they said that they are staying in three congested rooms and fear contracting Covid-19 as it is impossible to practise social distancing.

Police pacify protesting migrant workers stranded in Coimbatore

Govt must help migrants: PMK

Chennai:

PMK leader S Ramadoss on Sunday urged the Centre and state governments to look into the welfare of the migrant labourers, who were stranded following the lockdown. “Nearly 150 fishermen from Rishivandiyam constituency had gone to Goa for their livelihood. They were struggling after the lockdown was enforced. Similarly, 400 people from TN were stranded in Kannur and Kasaragod in Kerala following the clampdown. The government should help them,” Ramadoss said. TNN

TN govt tells employers to take care of their workers or face legal action

Medical Care, Food, Housing Included

Shanmughasundaram.J@timesgroup.com

Chennai:30.03.2020

With hundreds of migrant labourers stranded in several parts of the state without food and basic amenities, the state’s labour and employment department has directed employers to take care of their employees’ welfare.

The authorities, in a communication, have instructed employers of building and other construction works (BOCW) establishments to adhere to provisions of BOCW Act 1996 and Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Act1979. According to the provisions of the law, the employers should take care of food, accommodation and medical needs of the employees and their family members during the period of pandemic. “Legal action will be taken against the violators of the act,” additional principal secretary of labour and employment Mohammed Nasimuddin told TOI.

Since the construction industry accounts for around 12% of the migrant labourers, the authorities of directorate of industrial safety and health have asked the Chennai chapter of the confederation of real estate developers’ association of India (CREDAI) to provide food and accommodation to their workforce, particularly migrant labourers.

The employers, according to the legal provisions, are responsible for medical care for the labourers and their family members during his/her employment in their establishment or to meet any preventive measures against epidemic or any virus infections. “The entire cost on treatment, hospital charges and the travel expenses from hospital to resident shall be borne by the contractor,” said the authorities in the circular citing the provision in the act.

Meanwhile, CREDAI has asked 120 of its members (builders) to provide food and other essentials to the migrant labourers. “A couple of days ahead of the complete lockdown, the construction activities crippled. But we ensured the labourers in the worksites are taken care of,” said S Sridharan of CREDAI’s Chennai Chapter. They have also asked its fellow members in Coimbatore, Trichy, Tiruppur, Erode, Dindugal and other parts of the state to adhere to the law to ensure the welfare of the workforce in the testing time of Covid 19 pandemic.

The confederation has also urged the government to release Cess paid by the industries to facilitate them to take good care of the labourers. According to Cess Act, the construction industry should pay 1% of the total cost of their project for the welfare of the labourers.

Social distancing norms thrown to the wind as people crowd markets

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

30.03.2020

Caution was thrown to the wind and social distancing norms were flouted at will as hundreds thronged meat shops and vegetable markets across the state on Sunday.

Encouraged by the government’s decision to open more shops and markets, people stepped out on to the streets in numbers. Huge crowds gathered at the meat shops of Nelpettai market in Madurai, while the Ukkadam fish market in Coimbatore saw hundreds of shoppers on Sunday. The Sivaganga bus stand, which was converted into a market, also saw a huge crowd.

Efforts of the police to bring in order failed as people ignored the white lines drawn in front of the shops and competed with each other to buy fish and meat. The decision to convert bus stands into vegetable markets did not serve the purpose due to the apathy of the public. “Early in the morning, people were following social distancing and stood in lines. But as the day progressed and a huge crowd gathered, people began flouting the norms. Since there were women as well, we didn’t wanted to act harsh,” said a police officer in Coimbatore. Traders at Ukkadam fish market too picked up a microphone and appealed to the public to maintain order, which again went unheeded. The only solace was that most people wore masks or handkerchiefs on their faces.

A woman health officer made a fervent plea through a public address system at Sivaganga, but to no avail. The narrow road leading to a government boys’ high school in Tiurvannamalai, which was turned into temporary vegetable market, was so crowded that police had a tough time regulating vehicles.

The complacency among public was evident at Southgate Fish market and vegetable market in South Marret Street, Thayir Market and the fruit market at Simmakkal in Madurai. As the warnings of police to maintain social distance went unheeded, cops were forced to close the road for traffic on South Marret Street. Still, commuters used alternative roads to reach the shops.

Madurai collector T G Vinay and corporation commissioner S Visakan inspected the markets later in the evening. Corporation commissioner said that efforts are underway to decongest the market by spreading out shops to various areas.

SAFETY LAST: Shoppers gather in large number

Univs, college faculty urged to contribute to PM relief fund

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.03.2020

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Saturday appealed to all educational institutions and universities to urge their faculty members and nonteaching staff to contribute to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

In a letter to all vice-chancellors, D P Singh, chairman of UGC, said, “Our country and the world as a whole are passing through unprecedented times due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“We, the educational fraternity, have a great responsibility of not only making people aware of preventive and precautionary measures to check the spread of the virus but to also contribute financially to strengthen the efforts of government to combat coronavirus,” he said in the circular.

“We, at UGC, have decided to make a humble contribution of one day’s salary to the PM’s National Relief Fund. I appeal to the vice-chancellors of the universities and principals/ directors of institutes and colleges to urge the teaching, non-teaching staff to come forward and contribute for this noble cause,” he said. The contribution will go a long way in serving humanity during crisis, he said.

HIT BY LOCKDOWN

With no way out of city, parcels pile up

Why Keep Post Offices Open When We Cannot Deliver, Ask 40K Employees Working Across TN

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:30.03.2020

There are mounds of parcels waiting to be shipped off, but there are no means to dispatch them. This is the situation in Chennai Central and the city’s postal head office on Anna Salai. Despite the nationwide lockdown to fight Covid-19, 40,000-odd employees in 12,000 post offices in the state are being forced to show up at work and man deserted counters.

The employees continue to use biometric attendance to punch in despite an advisory against it from the Centre, and those delivering posts door-to-door in the city haven’t been given masks, gloves or sanitisers.

Every day, post offices in TN deliver an average of one lakh posts to every nook and corner of the state. Since the lockdown began on Tuesday last, thousands of parcels including important legal notices, financial statements and registered posts, lie undispatched. With limited number of mail vans, a majority of the posts were dispatched to concerned states/ districts through trains and buses. Now that road transportation and rail services are cut off, what’s the point of making their lives miserable by keeping post offices open, ask employees. They have requested the chief postmaster general for complete closure of the facilities fearing this could endanger their lives.

Even before the national lockdown was formally announced, private couriers had cut back on services and stopped accepting bookings, leaving post offices as the last resort for the public.

On Tuesday (March 24), all bookings in Chennai were stocked and sent to the major Rail Mail Service (RMS) points — Chennai Central and Egmore railway stations. With no trains leaving, that night, parcels at Egmore were moved to Ekkatuthangal post office so they can be dispatched to the southern districts through the last truck leaving. But on Sunday, the parcels at Central were yet to be cleared.

After a week’s wait, around 2,000 consignments were likely to be dispatched through special trains to Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi sectors on Monday morning, said a postal department source. These are mostly magazines, invitations, pamphlets and in other words ‘not-so-urgent’ items, said the source.

“But the 7,000 items at Anna Road head office in Chennai were registered posts which contained legal notices, financial statements, personal communications and other important items that couldn’t be dispatched. It’s bad that the post offices are still open despite this,” the source added.

How can it be ‘essential’ services when the needs aren’t fulfilled, ask employees. “What is the benefit in providing such facilities in the name of essential services when booked articles have no further disposal except for lying idle, either in the post office or hubs gathering dust,” asked N J Uthayakumaran, Chennai circle secretary of National Association of Postal Employees (Nape). Such hoarding can lead to important parcels like medicines and equipment getting buried in the mounds as employees will not know what’s inside them, he added.

“For cash withdrawals, there are ATMs in every street corner and in all post offices. So there is no need for employees to be physically present in the offices,” Uthayakumaran said in his letter to the chief postmaster general, urging for the post offices to be shut.

NEWS DIGEST

Madras Univ staff to donate one day's salary

The University of Madras has decided to contribute one day's salary of its staff members towards the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. "The government is doing its best to safeguard the lives of our people. Our university always extends a helping hand when there is a disaster. On our part, we will extend our help by providing at least one day’s salary towards the Chief Minister's Relief Fund," a circular said.

Former V-C Chittibabu passes away: Eminent academician and former vice-chancellor of Annamalai University and Madurai Kamaraj University S V Chittibabu ,100, passed away here on Sunday. He is survived by two sons and two daughters. He also held various posts including vice-chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education and director of school education. He played a key role in revising the syllabus in the 1990s and headed a committee that fixed minimum land requirement for private schools.

Police exchange lathis for turmeric water to clear roads

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.03.2020

Facing widespread criticism for baton-charging those violating curfew norms, policemen in Uthukottai in Tiruvallur district have taken to splashing turmeric water on those unnecessarily venturing out of their homes.

A video on Sunday showed police in Uthukottai splashing turmeric water on people who were found violating the lockdown. Police said their move will at least force people o go back home to change their dresses. Barrels of turmeric water mixed with neem leaves, believed to have disinfectant properties, were kept ready in the district, police said.

“We will first stop them and enquire the reason for them stepping out of their homes. If they come up with a valid reason, we will let them off. If not, they would be drenched with turmeric water,” said a police officer.

A screengrab of a video from Uthukottai where police are splashing turmeric water to dissaude people from coming out of their homes

Across TN, police seize 11,565 vehicles

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.03.2020

Continuing its crackdown on those violating prohibitory orders across the state, police have so far registered 14,815 cases and arrested 17,668 people in the first four days of the lockdown. A penalty of ₹4.8 lakh was also collected during this period.

Police have also seized 11,565 vehicles across the state during the curfew.

On Sunday, the fifth day of the lockdown , many motorists poured on to the streets in large numbers, in total defiance of the prohibitory orders.

In Chennai alone, from 6am to 6 pm on Sunday, police booked 307 cases and seized 218 vehicles including two autorickshaws and a car, for violating prohibitory orders under CrPC Section 144.

In the same time, they registered 493 cases for traffic violations and challaned 664 people riding without helmet.

Five vehicles were impounded from traffic violators in the city. “We stop them to advise them for a few minutes, but they do not have the patience to listen to us.. they are not worried about cases being booked,” said a police officer.

Police personnel advising road users to not venture out of their homes due to the imposition of Section 144

Corpn shuts traffic on Marina Loop Road after overcrowding at fish market during lockdown

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.03.2020

The Corporation has asked Chennai police to barricade both the entrances to the Loop Road near Marina beach to prevent overcrowding. Officials said that a large number of people thronging the fish market without heeding the warnings forced them to take the step.

Corporation Commissioner G Prakash said that Loop Road will remain closed from both ends till further orders.

The 2.5 km stretch extends from Light house near Marina till Foreshore Estate and houses tenements of the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) and fishing hamlets.

On Sunday, the congregation of people to fish stalls along the road went beyond control. “It was as if the Covid-19 (novel coronavirus) scare does not exist,” a corporation official said. As many as 400 stalls function along the stretch of the road, including those of fishermen from other areas.

While similar ruckus was witnessed at other markets in the city too, the civic body decided to close the stretch for traffic. Public from several neighbourhoods came to the loop road stalls to buy fresh fish, inspite of the lockdown.

According to officials, residents from Triplicane, Mylapore, Mandaveli, Santhome, Adyar and Egmore regularly come to the market near the Loop Road every Sunday, leading to a massive crowd.

Later in the day, after the stalls shut for business and the crowds dispersed, the corporation staff used drones to disinfect the stretch.

“Though the crowd was more owing to the weekend, we have decided to shut traffic until the end of the lockdown. This will not restrict movement of residents. It is only to prevent those from other neighbourhoods from using the stretch,” an official with Zone 9 (Teynampet) said.

The Marina loop road is under the watch of the Madras high court, which has suggested the corporation extend the road up to Besant Nagar, to reduce the traffic burden on the beach road.

Workers of Chennai corporation disinfecting the Marina loop road with the help of a drone on Sunday

At zoo, animals in safe hands

Oppili.P@timesgroup.com

Chennai:30.03.2020

All steps are being taken to ensure staff at the Vandalur zoo stick to the safety protocol during the ongoing lockdown and beyond. Animal feed is carefully checked and vets carefully observe the animals and birds for any unusual behaviour.

Precautions for the staff members are according to the protocol prescribed. When K Chelliah, an animal keeper, walks on to the premises at the start of his work period, he is welcomed by a colleague holding a mask and sanitizer. After cleaning his hands and putting on the mask Chelliah walks to the white tiger enclosure and gets down to work.

All the 129 other permanent employees, who are involved in cleaning, animal keeping and night duty, are similarly protected, said S Yuvaraj, Chief Wildlife Warden, Tamil Nadu.

On Friday last, Yuvaraj made an inspection and stressed the need for maintaining social distance among zoo keepers. He advised them to dispose of used gloves or tissue papers in bins exclusively placed for the purpose and not to dump them with other waste material.

The 200kg of beef procured daily for carnivores such as lions, tigers, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs and jackals from the Greater Chennai Corporation designated slaughter house in Perambur is checked by veterinarians before the animals are fed, he said.

Animal keepers are advised to alert veterinarians in case they notice any unusual behaviour in their charges. All animal enclosures are sprayed with disinfectants periodically and the premises cleaned thoroughly twice a day.

The zoo, spread over nearly 1,500 acres, is a top tourist attraction in the state.

All animal enclosures are sprayed with disinfectants periodically and the premises cleaned thoroughly twice a day

Boys on bikes are back for work

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.03.2020

Black, orange and red t-shirts returned to the empty streets of Chennai after food delivery apps were given the go-ahead to resume their operations from Sunday.

Food delivery agents had been rendered jobless for the past four days by the countrywide lockdown since Tuesday evening.

With their safety masks on, the food soldiers ferried cooked dishes from eateries to the doorsteps of hungry residents. D Siva, a delivery boy, said he facilitated 10 orders on Sunday. “I deliver 30 orders on Sundays, but it dropped to 10. Still, it was a good day as the number of hours for delivering food has been restricted,” he said.

The delivery boys were stopped at the gates of most apartment complex, where customers came to receive their orders. Some food delivery apps offered masks and reimbursements on hand sanitiser receipts to their agents. A food delivery app also allowed customers to pay tips to its delivery agents ranging from ₹20 to ₹50 and above, which was added to the food bill.

A delivery agent picks up an order at Pallavaram on Sunday. Most delivery agents working with food aggregators had been rendered jobless by the lockdown

Relief as home deliveries resume

Rules Eased Four Days Into Lockdown

Yogesh Kabirdoss & Aditi R TNN

Chennai:30.03.2020

It was a sigh of relief for many as food aggregators began accepting orders on Sunday after the state government allowed app-driven e-commerce firms to function.

Residents were able to get food, groceries and meat delivered at their doorsteps four days after the shutdown kicked in.

A couple of apps selling fresh meat and fish also opened up, but with limited number of people to deliver.

Shiva, a cashier of a leading chain of restaurants at Anna Nagar, said five orders were delivered for breakfast and lunch through apps on Sunday. “Though our restaurant is associated with two apps, delivery agents from one app arrived to collect orders,” he said.

Last week, the state government had suspended operations of app-based food delivery aggregators including Swiggy, Zomato and Uber as part of the lockdown to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

Saravanan, a food delivery agent, said police personnel were allowing his colleagues to deliver food but only during the fixed timings. “I may join duty from Monday. My friends on Sunday told me that police were questioning the agents if they were found on roads beyond the permitted time,” he said. Deliveries are available from 7am to 9.30am, noon to 2.30pm and 6pm to 9pm.

A few restaurants also used their existing staff to deliver food to people. “But that too was very few,” said Sandesh Reddy, chef, and restaurateur. “Most of our employees have gone on leave but we sent our existing staff to deliver food, but that too senior citizens or the ones in need,” he said.

Now that food delivery applications have resumed services, restaurants are hopeful that business would get better. “The cost of keeping the restaurant open at this time is going to be more expensive. But we are just rolling with the punches,” said Sandesh.

Provision delivery services like Big Basket began delivering goods to its customers who had placed orders before the curfew began.

(with inputs from C Suresh Kumar)

App-based food delivery services are permitted

Cop issues three travel ‘passes’, is shunted out

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.03.2020

An assistant commissioner of police from Vadapalani has been transferred to the vacancy reserve for allegedly issuing letters permitting people to travel outside the city.

Prakash, the officer, was pulled up after three people showed letters signed by him to policemen who stopped them at checkposts for venturing out.

An order was passed instructing policemen that they are not authorised to issue any such letters. Only designated officers have the authority. The Chennai police have set up a special control room to provide passes for people who have to attend family functions or emergencies.

Deputy commissioner of police, crime against women and children, H Jayalakshmi has been assigned to monitor the coronavirus control room. Those in need of passes can contact the department at 7530001100 or send a mail to gcpcorona2020@gmail.com.

A probe was ordered into the issue involving Prakash.

Anna University researchers develop reusable mask

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:30.03.2020

To protect themselves from coronavirus, common people are wearing single-use masks which are not biodegradable and may pose a risk of infection. Now, a team from Anna University has come out with reusable masks with better filtration efficiency and at affordable prices.

While pharmacies are charging up to ₹30 and for single-use masks, the reusable mask will be available at ₹25 or ₹30 and can be washed and reused up to 20 times.

“The efficiency of the mask is higher than the pure spun bonded non-woven mask. An in-house particle count-based measurement showed 30% filtration efficiency at 0.3 micron level and 80% efficiency above 2 microns,” said professor S Subramanian from the department of textile technology, Alagappa College of Technology, Anna University.

His team chose polyester pile fabric after testing more than 300 materials for filtering efficiency after multiple washes. “This material balances both filtration efficiency and breathability,” he said. The fabric is soft and will remain dry.

“In case if there is sweat, the cotton will absorb and retain moisture, whereas in polyester the moisture will evaporate,” he said.

However, the reusable mask is thicker than the single-use mask available in the market. “Though it is thicker, it allows air to pass through the material while filtering. It was chosen after air permeability tests,” he said.

The mask can be washed with any soap and dried in sunlight.

“The university has delivered the first batch of reusable masks to the health department. The university does not have large manufacturing capacity and we have to tie up with outside people. We are willing to collaborate with any agency if they want reusable masks in large numbers,” said M K Surappa, vice-chancellor, Anna University.

The university is planning to improve the mask by reducing the thickness and increasing its filtering efficiency.

IN THE MAKING: Prototypes of the masks developed by Anna University

LET’S NOT DROP OUR GUARD

Lockdown Norms, Social Distancing Go For A Toss As Thousands Crowd Markets

Team TOI

Chennai:30.03.2020

“There are no rules here,” Sundaresan, a tomato seller at the Koyambedu wholesale market, told us when we asked why he had placed baskets on the white circles meant to keep customers at safe distance from one another.

Sundaresan, who was busy convincing his customers that he sold the best tomatoes in town, knew that the need of the hour was to use masks and maintain social distance, but why should he bother when thousands descended on markets across the city, throwing Covid-cautions to the wind?

Sundaresan’s “no rules here” applied everywhere as Chennai, on the fifth day of the lockdown, came out in numbers to haggle at the weekend markets and take home whatever they could – fresh or stale. From Koyambedu to Kasimedu, and from Madipakkam to MGR Nagar, people either did not care or thought that they have had enough of the lockdown.

Outnumbered, the police looked on helplessly. On the first day of the shutdown, they had copped criticism for letting the lathi talk, they came back with creative solutions, but none worked today. The cane came out and a policeman was seen chasing away people at Kasimedu.

The state government had announced that only one from a family should step out for essentials and emergencies. But on Sunday, the exemption had become a free pass to throng wholesale markets.

At the Koyambedu market, a policeman did check for masks, but those who did not have one were told to tie a kerchief or a pallu or a dupatta before being let off. He also sprayed sanitizer from a bottle of a household cleaning agent. But once inside after buying the entry coupon, the Covid-curbs were off, it was like any other Sunday, albeit with many shops shut. For men like Sundaresan that was an opportunity, but there were some, like K Vetrivel, a potato seller, who asked customers to wear masks. “It is for our own safety,” he told them.

But what’s a plea amid a pandemonium?

Around 3pm, deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam visited the market for inspection. S Govindarajan, chief administrative officer of the market management committee, diligently pointed out that they had taken all precautions. But by then all the shops were shut.

Only if the leader could read the pulse of his people… and the mind of his officials.

At the Kothaval Chavadi market, social distancing had taken a new meaning. A few metres away, a new market with 20 shops had been created on a college ground, with neat white circles defining the Laskhman rekha. The police kept pleading, urging people to move to the new market. But Kothaval Chavadi has had its rules for decades and the Sunday would be no different.

By the Bay of Bengal, Kasimedu did what it always does – attract a sea of people. Those who have been to that northern tip of the city would know what the hum of that fish market is -- a contrast to the silence that is around us now. In the morning, warnings the police shouted were lost in the white noise, probably adding to it. A few constables deployed the cane, but the people returned in numbers.

A policeman said people came out with families and most of them were defiant. “I do not know how to pick and choose fish, so I brought my wife. The child wanted to come along so we all are here,” a buyer told TOI.

“We are criticized for using the lathi, but they don’t listen to us,” said a sub-inspector on duty. “They just pick quarrels and start recording. They don’t seem to understand, the rules are in place for their good.”

But didn’t Sundaresan told us, “there are no rules here”?

A FREE RUN: On the fifth day of the nationwide lockdown, main markets in the city were buzzing with activity on Sunday as people turned up in numbers, some with their families, to steal a deal. Outnumbered by shoppers, police could do little to keep the crowds at away

Hundreds visit top cop’s office for travel passes

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.03.2020

Hundreds of people lined up in front of the office of the police commissioner a day after the city police set up a control room to provide passes to people who have to travel out of the city to attend family functions and medical emergencies.

A police officer said people who wish to travel to other districts for weddings and other unavoidable programmes may have to apply in advance as the applicants need to be verified with village administrative officers.

“Passes will not be issued to people attending weddings of close friends or distant relatives. Only blood relatives will be allowed. The application will be sent to the village administrative officer to confirm that there is such a wedding and the applicant is related to the bride or groom,” said a police officer.

For those who wish to move within the city for work, they will have to obtain a pass from the corporation. The officials have begun work to issue the passes.

Chinks in their armour: Doctors fume over lack of protective gear

Team TOI

30.03.2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the fore that all is not well with the country’s medical staff. A dozen doctors in five states have contracted the highly contagious virus — mainly due to lack of masks, gloves and personal protection equipment (PPE) — and there are many resident doctors and interns who feel they, as the frontline medical soldiers who handle patients every hour, are “sitting ducks”.

In Kolkata, young doctors are upset as they have to run fever clinics wearing plastic raincoats. “We know there is a scarcity of PPEs. But if one of us is infected, it will be a blow to the morale of the fraternity,” said a doctor who is part of the Covid-19 team at the Medical College Hospital in Kolkata. (Experts say plastic raincoats offer protection against viruses, but should be customised and discarded every 4-5 hours).

“Do you send soldiers on the warfront without guns? Then why are you sending doctors to fight this war without proper kits,” said Dr Ravi Ranjan Kumar Raman of Nalanda Medical College and Hospital in Patna.

“My parents and sister cry every day when I leave for work. They ask me not to go to the hospital but I can’t skip my responsibilities. Somewhere in my heart, I know that even if I die, it won’t affect the system,” said Dr Raman.

Junior doctors at Nalanda believe they are sent to the front line “while senior and experienced doctors are on the back foot”. In Chennai’s private hospitals, resident doctors are “absconding” from work saying their parents don’t want them to report for duty.

This nurse has to make do with a plastic raincoat at Government Doon Medical College

TN may extend MBBS internship by a month to tackle corona crisis

The central health ministry and state governments had a two-month notice about Covid-19 in the form of the goings-on in China’s Wuhan province where over 3,000 died in three months. Yet, the task of gathering PPEs, special N95 masks and gloves has been sluggish in all states. A central health ministry drew up a wish-list just 10 days ago, stating the country needs 7.25 lakh body overalls, 60 lakh N95 masks and one crore three-ply facemasks.

The fear of contracting the virus is so high that NMCH Junior Doctors’ Association wrote to the Bihar principal secretary (health) on March 25, asking senior doctors from other government medical colleges and private hospitals be put on duty while junior doctors be kept as “reserved manpower”. Bihar has 11 COVID-19 patients at present.

They alleged their principal had quarantined himself in his home and has ignored their demands. “All Covid-19 positive people are in NMCH, still we do not have hazmat suit and mask. Instead, we have been given normal gown worn in operation theatre. Our principal has also stopped coming now for his safety and has left us to die,” said another junior doctor.

The PPE shortage is compounded by the shortage of manpower, again resulting in student doctors being forced to put in extra hours. Holidays have been cancelled for all doctors, including residents who are required to work 24-hour shifts once or twice a week.

In Tamil Nadu, the directorate of medical education has asked deans of medical colleges to extend the oneyear internship of MBBS students by another month so that they can help out in tackling the Covid-19 crisis.

Makers of protective equipment lock horns with Centre

Indian makers of personal protective equip ment have asked the government to change certain guidelines for manufacturing of PPE, including allowing them to “self-attest” their products instead of getting them tested at a lab, claiming time could be saved in the race to protect healthcare workers fighting Covid-19.

Textiles minister Smriti Irani, however, told TOI that no norms would be relaxed as utmost precaution needs to be taken. The letter to the government from two health-sector associati- ons has demanded that the requirement for ma- ndatory testing of protective gear at the SITRA lab in Coimbatore be lifted to avoid delays. TNN

Modi apologises for hardships, says there was no other option

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:30.03.2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he was sorry for the hardships caused by the national lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19, but underlined that there was no other option in a “war like” situation to combat the highly infectious disease.

The PM said, “I ask forgiveness from all citizens. And my ‘atma’ says you will definitely forgive me. Some decisions have had to be taken because of which you have to face many types of difficulties. Particularly when I see my poor brothers and sisters and I feel they must be thinking what sort of a Prime Minister (is he) for putting us in these troubles. I ask for their forgiveness in particular. It is possible many people are upset with me… I understand your problems. But India with its 130 crore population has no choice but to take the steps that have been taken. The fight with corona is a fight between life and death and we have to win this battle. That is why these tough steps were necessary. After seeing the rest of the world, it seemed there is no other way to keep you and your families safe.”

Assuring people during his monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’ that India would win this war against coronavirus, Modi, however, stressed the need for utmost cooperation in strict adherence to the lockdown guidelines as this was the only way to save people and their family members.

Asks survivors to spread awareness

In his Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi interacted with two Covid-19 survivors from Agra and Hyderabad and urged them to spread awareness about the disease. “You can tell them (people) about the plight of your family and how they can prevent that by following rules,” he told Ashok Kapoor, whose whole family was infected, but now has recovered. The PM also spoke to two doctors who shared their experiences in fighting the pandemic.

Modi dedicates entire 36-minute address to the global pandemic

The PM, in his address, where he dedicated the entire 36 minutes to the global pandemic, said,“Stay at home with your family, be careful and safe, we need to win this battle. And, we will win.”

In context of the current lockdown, he rued that some people overstepped the law and broke rules wilfully as they were not “trying to understand the gravity of the matter”.

“I will say to them that if they don’t comply with the lockdown rules, it will be difficult to save ourselves from the scourge of coronavirus. The world over, many people nursed this delusion… all of them are regretting now,” he said.

Taking full responsibility for the unprecedented decision, he proceeded to justify the countrywide shutdown, the first of its kind in modern history, by quoting Charak, the father of Ayurveda, who had said that prevention could nip a disease which, if not taken head on early, could become uncontrollable.

Full report on www.toi.in

‘No stigma attached to Covid-19’

Hyderabad: In his latest episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to two Covid-19 survivors, including Ram Gampa Teja, an IT professional from Hyderabad, who told the PM that quarantine was not a punishment and there was no stigma attached to the disease.

Teja told PM Modi he was scared after he tested positive for coronavirus but felt reassured because of the doctors and hospital staff. “Although I was scared in the beginning, the doctors and nurses at Gandhi Hospital took good care of me and gave me the strength and assurance to overcome the situation,” said Teja. TNN Full report on www.toi.in