EWS quota: Govt tried ‘edu handicap’ plea to push age concession for upper castes

Subodh.Ghildiyal@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:04.04.2020

As the government has a rethink on the proposal to relax the eligibility age in employment for upper castes under the 10% quota, it now emerges that social justice ministry tried to overcome the hurdle of the economically weaker sections’ “competitiveness” by arguing that the poor suffer from an educational handicap and should be provided relief.

Age relaxation and increase in number of attempts for job examinations for poor upper castes is a contentious issue. The social justice ministry (MSJ), as reported by TOI, has withdrawn the Cabinet proposal it had circulated this February.

When MSJ’s proposal was first red-flagged in August 2019, the DoPT said that age relaxation could only be given after observing if a particular quota was being filled or not. It even cited the time lag between the implementation of SC/ST/ OBC quota and the provision of age-attempt relaxation to these categories.

“A candidate because of his poor financial background would not be able to access and afford better education and complete the qualifying degree within the normal limit of age as mandated by the government at present. He/she would be able to complete education and obtain qualifying degree only after taking additional number of years. It is, therefore, felt that he/she would be able to get the true intended benefit of EWS reservation only if the age relaxation of 3 years as available to OBCs is provided in direct recruitment to Central government jobs,” argued the Cabinet note, seen by the TOI. As it appears, the reasoning tried to undercut the argument about the EWS’s competitiveness.

PM’s call to light lamps is to boost morale of nation: BJP

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:04.04.2020

BJP on Friday dubbed the opposition’s criticism of PM Narendra Modi’s call to people to light lamps on Sunday an “anti-national” outlook which cannot see the government’s decision to help the poor and boost the morale of the nation as it fights the coronavirus.

Speaking to party leaders from Uttar Pradesh, including MPs, MLAs and the state president, BJP president J P Nadda said when the nation is united under PM Modi in its efforts to combat the pandemic, Congress and other parties are showing their “ideological bankruptcy”.

“To talk such nonsensical things even during this hour of crisis highlight their conspiracy to divide the country,” he said as the nationwide lockdown entered the 10th day.

As BJP welcomed the PM’s announcement, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said, “PM Narendra Modi has made an appeal to all of us to ... illuminate our surroundings by lighting candles, diyas, torches or flashlights standing on balcony or at door step while maintaining social distance. We welcome this unique step of PM, which will boost the morale of the people.” he said. “Let’s awaken the spirit of togetherness in the fight against coronavirus,” he said.

BJP’s national media chief and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni said, “Congress first family is full of negativity and has been giving irresponsible statements. The impact is bound to reflect down the line and it also reflects their mean mindset. I urge Congress leaders to behave sensibly and help combat the crisis. There will be enough time to do politics in future,” Baluni said.

India’s first luxury hotel hosts doctors, nurses on Covid-19 duty

Reeba Zachariah & Sumitra Debroy TNN

04.04.2020

Mumbai: Barely months back, the iconic Taj Mahal Palace, the country’s first luxury hotel situated along the Gateway of India, was throbbing with guests who had flown in from all over the world for the holiday season. Now, its ornate interiors are hosting a series of call rooms for physicians.

With guests emptying out following a travel ban and government looking to expand facilities to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the management has opened the doors of the swank property to house medical staff and ease the pressure on the overburdened public health machinery. Hospital workers in south Mumbai will now be provided accommodation in the hotel’s well-appointed rooms so they can cut down on commute time, rest close to their place of work, and not fear spreading the contagion among family members.

It is not the first time that the Taj Mahal Palace, owned by Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), has provided back-up for healthcare.

During World War I, it was used as a hospital, providing 600 beds. Built in 1903, the Palace, with 285 rooms and nine restaurants, is India’s first luxury hotel. An architectural gem, its design is an amalgamation of Greco-Roman, Islamic and Gothic styles topped by a red-tiled Florentine dome, sitting 240 feet above street level. In addition to the Palace, IHCL has kept its other four hotels in the city at the disposal of doctors and nurses on Covid-19 duty. An IHCL executive said a wing of the Ginger hotel in Andheri East has also been offered as a quarantine centre for Covid-19 suspects. The staff of KB Bhabha Hospital in Bandra has checked in at the nearby Taj Lands End. n Dr Mohan Joshi, who is managing the Sevenhills Hospital in Marol which has a 400-bed isolation facility, said doctors have been allocated rooms in the Taj hotels since Tuesday. “Many of the staffers used to come from far off suburbs such as Kalyan and Virar. The commute itself was taking over 2-3 hours.” A nurse told TOI that for the 7am shift, she had to leave her house in Vasai around 4-4.30am and walk for at least two kilometres to reach the designated pick-up point. A BEST bus would drop her to KEM Hospital, Parel. “It’s not only the walk. The bus gets overcrowded and there is no way to practice social distancing,” she said. Doctors working in designated Covid-19 screening or isolation centres have also been facing resistance from their families or housing societies.

WAH TAJ!

‘Courts can resume work via video-conferencing’

Pradeep.Thakur@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:04.04.2020

With video-conference facilities, courts can reopen and resume functioning in the midst of the lockdown due to Covid-19 spread, former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan Lokur has said.

Speaking to TOI, Justice Lokur, who spearheaded the project for countrywide computerisation of courts as the judge-incharge of the e-committee of the apex court, said, “Under the e-courts project, all district courts were made video-conference compatible many years ago. Many district courts utilised the facility for routine remand and other related activities. Family courts used it for hearings, including in cases where a party was abroad and couldn’t come to India for financial reasons.”

It’s not very difficult for the Supreme Court and high courts in the country to start full court operations, learning from the “valuable experience” of district courts where video-conferencing has been used somewhat extensively, Justice Lokur said.

“The SC must strengthen the base for the average district court litigant if it wants to make a difference and must learn lessons from the use of technology by these courts,” he said. Cosmetic and knee-jerk methods and photo-ops will attract attention for a few weeks and then die down, he noted, adding that the solution lies in courts recognising that before further ad hoc experimentation.

Under the present circumstances, the SC can curb rising pendency of cases by maximising operation of courts across India. Almost all of the 18,000 subordinate and district courts, HCs and the SC have been computerised and judges have been connected to the National Judicial Data Grid with availability of other facilities such as electronic filing of cases and examining of witnesses through video-conferencing.

Full report on www.toi.in

Centre releases ₹17K cr to states to combat crisis

04.04.2020

New Delhi: The Centre on Friday released ₹17,287 crore to different states to augment their financial resources to combat the coronavirus crisis.

While the home ministry approved advance release of ₹11,092 crore to all states under the state disaster risk management fund (SDRMF), in line with the assurance given by PM Narendra Modi to chief ministers on Thursday, the finance ministry said ₹6,195 crore was transferred on account of “revenue deficit grants”, which were part of the 15th Finance Commission recommendations for 14 states, including Andhra, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.

“The central government released in advance its share of first instalment of SDRMF for the year 2020-21, amounting to ₹11,092 crore, with a view to augment funds available with the state governments,” the home ministry said in a release. TNN

Air India ‘temporarily suspends’ contracts of 61 senior pilots

Saurabh Sinha@timesgroup.com

04.04.2020

New Delhi: As part of costsaving measures to minimise the impact of the coronavirus pandemic that brutally hit the country’s aviation sector, Air India earlier this week “temporarily suspended” the post-retirement contracts of 61 senior pilots. The retirement age in Air India is 58, but many pilots beyond that age are re-hired on contract. Pilots can operate commercial flights till they turn 65.

The 61 pilots include Sharan Devi, who had operated the Indian Airlines’ flight IC 814 in December 1999 that was hijacked from Kathmandu in Nepal on its way to New Delhi. Even Captain S H Reza, one of the four pilots who operated the first of the two special jumbo jets sent to Wuhan on January 31 and February 1 to fly out stranded Indians from the coronavirus hotspot in China. He also received a formal appreciation letter from the government for this.

Two years ago, AI retained on contract the IC 814 commander, who for the past eight years has been flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Sharan refused to comment on the issue as he is “not authorised to speak to the media.”

A senior pilot who has flown with him said: “At 60, we have five years of flying left. Hopefully things will get resolved and there will be a full recovery that will see us back in the flight deck.”

A large number of airlines are on the verge of closure with their fleets grounded. All airlines are taking similar steps to cut costs and somehow survive the Covid-19 crisis.

Other pilots on AI’s list of 61re-hired-on-retirement, too, are understandably upset.

COST-CUTTING: The retirement age in Air India is 58, but many pilots beyond that age are re-hired on contract. Pilots can operate commercial flights till they turn 65

Govt launches mega cash transfer to fight Covid-19

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

04.04.2020

New Delhi/ Mumbai: The government on Friday launched one of the largestever cash transfer schemes, including the deposit of over ₹30,000 crore into the account of woman Jan Dhan account holders as well as ₹5,000 crore into the linked accounts of eight crore poor households with LPG connections provided under ‘Ujjwala’.

On Day One of the PM Jan Dhan transfer scheme ₹500 was deposited into the accounts of four crore women, with the government ordering banks to ensure that the dormant accounts were reactivated to ensure that no beneficiary was left out. The mega exercise, which will see deposits based on the last digit of the account number, saw several thousand account holders visit their bank branches and nearest ATMs, although business correspondents have been pressed into service to ensure door-step delivery of benefits. All accounts are to get the funds by April 9.

While banks said that they had made all the arrangements for orderly withdrawal, there were instances of overcrowding. Some branches also faced pressure because it coincided with pensioners coming to collect their monthly pension.

Similarly, the transfer of funds for purchase of three free cooking gas cylinders for April has begun. Staterun fuel retailers will transfer funds by the fourth of May and June as advance so that beneficiaries can buy LPG cylinders under a ₹1.7 lakhcrore relief package for the poor, which includes free cooking gas cylinder for three months. The Ujjwala consumers will have the option of getting three regular refills of 14.2kg or up to eight cylinders of 5kg, commonly known as ‘Chhotua’.

Full report on www.toi.in

GOVT AID: The mega exercise, which will see deposits based on the last digit of the account number, saw thousands of account holders visit their bank branches and nearest ATMs

College students help people suffering from loneliness

Shanmughasundaram.J@timesgroup.com

Chennai:04.04.2020

A group of students pursuing social work course in Ambedkar Arts College has launched counselling service to people in need of help.

Confinement to homes during the lockdown period is causing psychological problems to many. With every passing day, the severity of the situation is sinking in and both government and non-state agencies are stepping up efforts to mitigate stress of the lockdown on people in distress. Denial of freedom to move around and socialise with friends, and in some cases complete isolation from even the rest of the family members, are posing social tensions for many. For alcoholics, denial of their daily dose of liquor is posing problems. Tamil Nadu has already had instances of people under house quarantine showing suicidal symptoms. In one case, a youth under house quarantine ran out to the street naked and killed an elderly person by biting her on neck. In another case, a woman killed her alcoholic husband when he threw tantrums owing to nonavailability of liquor.

Sensing a need to provide counselling to many people on the verge of nervous breakdown, four final-year students have decided to reach out to them said Rajesh, one of them. It would also prove to be a new learning experience, they feel.

Many would drift into past unpleasant memories, caused by a range of reasons like failed relationship and poor academic performance. They would face depression, stress and anxiety once they experience loneliness. Such people need immediate counselling, said Ajith Kumar, one of the students.

Govt staff told to contribute voluntarily

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:04.04.2020

Tamil Nadu government on Thursday issued an order seeking voluntary contributions of one day salary, or more in the case of whoever is willing to do so, from its employees and teachers towards chief minister’s public relief fund for fighting Covid-19 outbreak.

The order, issued by chief secretary K Shanmugam, said, money would be deducted from the salary of those who give their willingness to the salary disbursing officers concerned. It would be deducted from the salary for April and May.

The contributions would get 100% tax exemption under 80 (G) of the Income Tax Act. Those who make separate contributions to the relief fund – other than salary deduction – would be given separate receipts to avail of tax exemption, the order said.

The order is applicable to all employees of local bodies, universities, boards and corporations, aided educational institutions and other institutions receiving grants from the government and to the employees drawing consolidated pay from the government.

Shanmugam said the contributions would be purely voluntary in nature. The order was issued based on a request from various government employees’ and teachers’ associations to facilitate contributions to the relief fund.

In another order to secretaries to government, the chief secretary said all officials should carry identity cards with them to produce before police at check posts, put up to strictly enforce prohibitory orders.

The heads of departments have been instructed to authorise services of skeleton staff for Covid-19 related duty, through duty roaster.

They would be issued authorisation to travel.

The chief secretary also said all officials should carry identity cards with them to produce before police at check posts

Doctor shows symptoms, tests still inconclusive

Pratiksha.Ramkumar@timesgroup.com

Coimbatore:04.04.2020

The public health department had a scare on Thursday after another doctor developed symptoms of Covid-19. The Mettupalayam based doctor, who is pursuing masters in pediatrics and practising in Chidambaram, had returned during the lockdown.

After she developed symptoms, the doctor was isolated in a private hospital and tested for the virus. Her results from the lab in the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital was inconclusive, prompting officials to send a fresh sample to the Covid testing centre in Theni. “We heard that her sample tested negative in Theni. But we are awaiting an official declaration,” said deputy director of public health Dr G Ramesh Kumar.

The department is now working on to find out where she could have been exposed. “She was seeing patients in Chidambaram till she returned to the district five days ago. Here, she had no exposure to anybody in the Tablighi Jamaat group,” said Coimbatore collector K Rajamani. “So, we believe that exposure could have occurred while she was in Chidambaram. We are awaiting her final result,” he said.

The department is also awaiting the results of 25 people from the district, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat meet and also their close contacts. “This includes people from the corporation limits and Annur,” said Rajamani. “We have begun tracing their contacts before waiting for their results. Even if they test negative, they will not be discharged and allowed to go home. They will be moved to their quarantine location.”

Two private hospitals have submitted four samples for testing.

Seven people got admitted into ESI showing symptoms of the virus on Friday, taking the total number of admitted people to 109. The spurt in cases and fears of exposure has led to the calls to the 108 ambulance spiking from 17,000 a day to more than 21,000. Despite the district administration allocating six ambulances just to ferry symptomatic patients from homes to hospitals and in between hospitals, a group of four migrant labourers from Kerala who developed symptoms of the virus could not get an ambulance to reach the ESI hospital for four hours on Friday.

Section 144 will be strictly enforced from now on, says chief minister

₹1,000 At Doorstep, No Salary Cut

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:04.04.2020

Upset over a few sections of people not taking prohibitory orders seriously – despite the state recording 102 fresh cases in a day, taking the tally to 411 -- Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has warned that the government will enforce it more stringently from now on, as it is left with no choice.

He also said the state government will deliver the Covid-19 cash dole of ₹1,000 to beneficiaries at their doorsteps, along with the tokens for free ration goods. Palaniswami also clarified that the government will not resort to salary cuts for its staff.

The chief minister said the government had allowed the movement of essential commodities despite lockdown orders, but people set out to purchase the goods daily instead of weekly. “It is the responsibility of the people to abide by the orders. No matter how much you say, a few don’t listen at all. Law will take its course from now on. The state has extended as much cooperation as possible, but if the people fail to utilise it, there is no choice but to enforce the order stringently,” the chief minister told reporters here.

Despite his instructions in a video conference with the district collectors on March 26 to deliver the cash at doorstep, it remains unclear as to why the authorities allowed crowding near PDS outlets when the distribution began on Wednesday.

The Union home ministry has directed states to take strong action against violators of prohibitory orders.

Palaniswami said the government had been patient, and added that the order was not to harass people but to protect everyone. “It is a deadly infectious disease. A few people playfully move on two-wheelers and cars unaware of the impact of the disease. Doctors say there is no vaccine for the virus infection,” he said, seeking the support of people for lockdown measures against the spread of Covid-19. The government has filed 45,000 cases of violations so far. At least 50,393 people were arrested and let out on bail, and 37,760 vehicles were seized. Police registered 92 cases for spreading rumours on coronavirus and arrested

95. “Even as majority of the commercial and industrial establishments are under closure due to lockdown, affecting the GST collection severely, the state government would not resort to salary cuts of its staff for now,” the CM said. He announced ₹3,000 cash support for accredited journalists.

It is the responsibility of the people to abide by the orders. No matter how much you say, a few don’t listen at all. Law will take its course from now on. There is no choice but to enforce the order

Edappadi K Palaniswami | CM

‘Door delivery of relief not possible’

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government told Madras high court that door-to-door distribution of Covid-19 relief materials to ration card holders in the state is practically impossible as electronic machines which store such records cannot be moved from place to place. However, measures to maintain social distancing at the time of distribution of such essential items are being followed by opening sufficient number of distribution centres, additional advocate-general PH Arvindh Pandian said. The government made the submission on the PIL moved by advocate G Rajesh seeking door-to-door distribution such materials to avoid crowding in PDS shops in view of Covid-19 outbreak. Recording the submissions, the bench directed the state to file a detailed counter affidavit and adjourned the hearing to April 9. TNN

9K CARD HOLDERS

PDS shops denying, ration, promised dole: Perumbakkam locals

Ramesh.R@timesgroup.com

Chennai:04.04.2020

Chaos prevailed at the tenements of the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) in Perumbakkam on Friday after fair price shops in the locality refused to provide the entitled free ration for family card holders.

K Malar, a resident, said the fair price shop failed to distribute 5kg of wheat. “We received only 15kg of rice but wheat was not provided on Friday. However, we got a SMS stating that all the ration, including wheat, was issued to our family card,” she said. The homemaker said the ration was essential as her husband, a mason by profession, couldn’t take up jobs due to the lockdown to fight Covid-19. This is, however, not the first time such an issue has cropped up, Malar said. “This has been the case at this particular fair price shop for several months now. We cannot understand why the employees refuse us the promised ration when the government has ensured adequate stock, especially during such crisis.”

The civil supplies and consumer protection department kick-started the distribution of free ration — 15kg of rice, 5kg of wheat, 2kg of sugar, 1kg of tur dal, 1L of palmolein oil for April, besides a dole of ₹1,000 for every family card holder, as assistance during the lockdown. The TNSCB blocks at Perumbakkam has six fair price shops with each shop accounting for about 1,500 family card holders.

Muthukrishnan, another resident of Perumbakkam, complained that employees of fair price shops are compelling cardholders to buy things such as soap and tea packets, costing anywhere between ₹60 and ₹100, while distributing the dole of ₹1,000. Only if the commodities are bought are the cardholders given the dole, Muthukrishnan added — a complaint made by many residents of the tenement.

When contacted, official sources with Sholinganallur zone of civil supplies and consumer protection department said staff have been directed to distribute the entire free ration to beneficiaries. “We have not received any complaint but we will follow it up,” an official said.

Asymptomatic TJ cluster spurs research on virus strain in TN

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:04.04.2020

Curious over why more than 80% of the participants of the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Delhi who tested positive show no symptoms, the Tamil Nadu health department has asked virologists to study the strain and its virulence.

“We have isolated and tested almost all those who participated in the conference. Many who tested positive show no signs of having the virus,” said health minister C Vijayabaskar. “And others have only mild symptoms. We see this outside the cluster as well. So far, we have had one death. They respond to antiviral drugs; didn’t require ventilators,” he said.

Experiences shared by experts from other states with Tamil Nadu differed considerably. “We don’t know why Maharashtra had more than 40 deaths and Kerala had more than 30,” he said Scientists from health and veterinary sciences departments will study if the virus had mutated to be less virulent in the region. Researchers will collect data from samples from infected patients and their families and neighbours. “It can give us important information in our fight and help us prevent the spread,” said Vijayabaskar, a doctor himself. Experts from across the globe are sequencing the virus’s genome to monitor changes.

Too early to study strain as cases yet to peak, says expert

The Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium has been given £20 million for the project. Scientists in the US, Spain and Italy have also been working on the genetics of the virus.

“All viruses mutate over time, some faster than others,” said Dr V Ramasubramanian, infectious disease consultant at Apollo Hospitals. “Covid-19 is a very young one on the list. There is no evidence to show the strain we see here is different,” he said. Nevertheless, as a practicing physician, he no longer sees fever, a dry cough and fatigue as tell-tale symptoms of the infection. “I see patients with no cough having a bad congestion. Some of them even tolerate low oxygen saturation,” he said.

The matter of asymptomatic Covid-19 patients was discussed at the task force meeting chaired by chief secretary K Shanmugam on Friday. “It is important to study if there is a reattachment or modification in the virus we see among the clusters here,” said former city health officer Dr P Kuganandham, a member of the task force.

Asymptomatic transmission isn’t new. “While it is good to study, it may be too early to celebrate. We are not yet at the beginning of the peak we are going to see,” said a senior virologist at Christian Medical College in Vellore. Predictions done by the health department using mathematical models estimate we may have up to 1lakh hospitalisations during the peak period.

WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said while children in several Chinese households remained asymptomatic transmitters, some can be presymptomatic. These are people who unwittingly spread the virus before they have symptoms. Scientists in Japan pointed out that this presymptomatic transmission is happening at a more rapid rate now than it did during SARS.

Health secretary Beela Rajesh said the department is taking no chances. All people in quarantine will remain there for 14 days, she said. “We are working out containment plans, tracking epidemiological graphs and studying the virus. Our doctors, beds, ICUs and ventilators are on standby. We just hope we don’t have to use them,” she said.

Civic body to close meat stalls if social distancing rules broken

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:04.04.2020

Want to eat meat? Maintain social distancing. That’s the message the city corporation wants to send out to Chennaiites.

Following reports of overcrowding at meat and fish stalls, Greater Chennai Corporation commissioner G Prakash said shopkeepers would be held responsible for customers crowding or breaking social distancing norms. “If meat stalls or fish stalls function without any social distancing, they will be sealed instantly,” he said. On Monday, such stalls will remain closed owing to Mahavir Jayanthi.

The Commissioner said it had come to his notice that some stalls were selling mutton and beef without the official slaughterhouse seal of GCC. Such stalls will be sealed and criminal action taken, the commissioner said.

Last weekend, officials were concerned over the number of people who crowded to buy meat and fish across the city. “Social distancing went for a toss at several places, forcing us to announce that Marina Loop road fish market will remain closed until lockdown,” said an official. Similar announcements were expected at some major markets too, but the civic body chose to not take the step. “But if norms are again violated, we will have no option,” said the official.

Some municipalities have announced closure of meat shops till the end of the lockdown period. While the Avadi corporation shut down a fish market last week, Thiruverkadu municipality announced that all meat and fish stalls within its limits will have to remain closed until April 14.

“While social distancing was followed at vegetable markets, the same was not followed at meat stalls. We could not station an official at each stall through out the working hours. So we asked that all stalls be shut till the end of the lockdown. The shops were allowed to home-deliver for customers, if needed,” said Avadi municipal commissioner S Senthil Kumaran.

Corpn begins enforcement of stricter norms to check spread at micro level

Steps Include Barricading 20 Streets With 600 Houses

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:04.04.2020

As part of its micro-containment plan, Greater Chennai Corporation has started enforcing stricter lockdown regulations in areas where clusters of Covid-19 positive cases have been found, senior officials said on Friday.

These include barricading around 20 streets with some 600 houses and going door-to-door to exhort people not to come out. Some of these areas include Pudupet in North Chennai, Saidapet in Central Chennai and Madipakkam in South Chennai. In one area in North Chennai, a senior official said, three members of a family had tested positive.

In Teynampet zone, a civic body official used a public address system to appeal to people to stay put in their homes, said C R Balaji, a resident of the neighbourhood.

In places like Pudupet, policemen were deployed at the entrance of barricaded streets to keep a check on those venturing outside. They were making continuous announcements using drones asking residents to stay indoors. Officials used autorickshaws fitted with public address systems to go around the area asking residents to cooperate. Police also had a list of people residing in each house to ensure they stayed indoors. People were not allowed to gather outside their houses.

“This doesn’t mean people will not be allowed to come out. They can go out for buying essential commodities, but as such movement of other people through that area will be stopped,” an official said. This is being done to avoid the spread of infection, if any, he added.

These regulations are in force in 12-14 localities across the city. The civic body had last week started a containment plan wherein homes of Covid-19 positive patients would be marked as epicentres and 2,500 houses around them would be taken as a focus area. Every such house would be inspected on a daily basis to track fever cases.

In some parts of the city this containment drive has yielded only a few ‘flu’ cases and some other cases of cases. “In case they show symptoms, we refer them to the nearest health centre for a check-up with the doctor,” an official said.

(With inputs from Sindhu Kannan)

People outside a ration shop in Chinthdripet to collect dole of ₹1,000 and ration items

Curfew violation: Police register 876 cases in 24 hours

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:04.04.2020

The city police impounded at least 687 vehicles for violating the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC and not following traffic rules in the 12 hours from 6am on Thursday.

Police slapped 876 cases against violators in the last 24-hour period from 6am on April 2 to 6am on April 3. Police impounded at least 358 vehicles including 337 bikes, nine cars and 11 autorickshaws in the city during the same period.

The Chennai police registered 1,262 cases of traffic violation against people roaming on the city roads for the same period. Police booked at least 698 cases for riding bikes without wearing helmet. Police impounded 462 bikes, five cars and 14 autorickshaws from the traffic violators in the 24-hour period.

Across the state so far, police booked 55,427 people and arrested about 54,817 and impounded 40,903 vehicles for violating the lockdown measures. They have collected more than ₹17 lakh fine from violators.

STRICT MEASURE: Police impounded at least 687 vehicles for violating prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC and not following traffic rules from 6am to 6pm on Thursday

In the state so far, police have collected more than ₹17 lakh fine from violators

Tankers tweaked in Tambaram to spray disinfectant

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:04.04.2020

Without waiting for special machinery to spray disinfectants, officials of Tambaram municipality have found an ingenious way to cover more area in their jurisdiction with limited resources.

A brainchild of commissioner—in-charge M Karuppiah Raja, who is an engineer, the system works by attaching pipes to a motor fitted to the power take-off (PTO) system of tanker lorries to spray the disinfectant from the rear of the vehicle. PTO is a means for taking power from a power source, such as a running engine, and transmitting it to another machine; it is usually found in trucks and tractors.

“We began using two tankers filled with disinfectant liquid to spray onto the roads and walls of houses. The operations began on Wednesday and we covered 70 % of the municipality that day,” said M Karuppiah Raja, commissioner-in-charge. A tanker each was used for the western and eastern neighbourhoods of the municipality.

Raja said the tankers could cover up to 20km a day. “We sprayed around 80,000 litres of disinfectant in a day. Our initial focus is on covering neighbourhoods where people were asked to be on compulsory home quarantine. We will move to other areas soon,” Raja said.

For the roads where a tanker lorry could not pass through, load autorickshaws are used. For now, two tankers have been fitted with these makeshift contraptions and more such tankers will be hired and modified if necessary, said another official.

Municipal workers are also using hand-held sprayers to frequently disinfect public places and residences.

NOVEL APPROACH: The system works by attaching pipes to a motor fitted to the power take-off (PTO) system of tanker lorries to spray the disinfectant from the rear of the vehicle

Hosps warned over closing of services

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

04.04.2020

After receiving complaints that many hospitals were closing essential services or refusing treatment to patients from Covid-19 containment zones in Tamil Nadu, the Directorate of Medical Services issued orders threatening to cancel registration of the hospitals that do not offer essential medical care.

A notification issued by director of medical and rural health services Dr Gurunathan said the authorities had received complaints that hospitals in Tirunevelveli and Dindigul were not offering maternal and child welfare services, dialysis, chemotherapy and other neurological supportive care. The orders were issued after people living within the containment zone went to hospitals for treatment.

“Many people called our state helpline seeking certificates that they are free of Covid-19. Dialysis is a lifesaving treatment and any delay could cause serious complications including death in patients with renal failure,” he said.

Taking April 15 flight out of city? Be ready to pay more

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

04.04.2020

Those planning to fly after the lockdown ends will have to spend a lot as one-way airfares from Chennai to major cities have increased on April 15.

Expecting a good demand, airlines have jacked up the fares on popular routes. The tickets are expensive than the usual fare quoted by airlines for 10 days’ advance booking.

Fares have increased because of demand on Chennai-Kolkata and Mumbai routes. Airlines have fixed the starting fare at a higher slab on Chennai-Kochi and Chennai-Bengaluru route.

The one-way fare to Bengaluru is Rs 2,400 and to Kochi is Rs 2,800 for all flights. The starting fare to Kolkata is Rs 6,900.

The ticket price has increased by around Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 on some of the routes in a day.

The fares are stable for 10 days’ advance booking as it used to be before shutdown on Chennai-Delhi route because the route has 20 flights on April 15.

Basheer Ahmed of Metro Travels said: “The airlines expect a lot of people who are stuck in different cities to fly on April 15. This is the reason for the fare to remain high on April 15.”

An airport official said there would be an initial rush but there is likely to be a lull in demand after that because it may take time for the people to gain confidence to travel by air. “The screening of arriving and departing passengers may continue if flights resume after the shutdown. All this may make people hesitant to fly unless the number of Covid-19 cases comes down considerably,” he said.

IndiGo has started a promo on its twitter page asking people to tell where they want to fly after the shutdown is over. However, it has not gone down well with irate passengers who have not got their refunds for tickets of cancelled flights. People have responded demanding the airline to issue refunds and that it is the prerogative of customers to decide when to travel.

Airlines have changed ticket cancellation and refund policy and have retained the money in a ‘credit shell’ instead of refunding them so that passengers can reclaim them at a later date if they decide to fly the same route.

100 more +ve cases take TJ cluster count in state to 364

Attendees’ Kin In Containment Zones Across TN

Jaya.Menon@timesgroup.com

Chennai:04.04.2020

As the authorities stepped up their outreach to members of the Tablighi Jamaat on Friday, 100 more from Tamil Nadu tested Covid-19 positive among those who attended a congregation of the group in Delhi last month. With this, 364 people have tested positive in the TJ cluster in the state.

Two people outside the cluster too tested positive on Friday taking the total number of cases in Tamil Nadu to 411. The two – a 52-year-old man who had a travel history to the US and a 60-year-old woman who has an autoimmune disorder – are residents of Chennai. “She was already vulnerable. As of now, we don’t know where she contracted the infection,” said a senior public health officer.

Tamil Nadu chief secretary K Shanmugam met 15 community and religious leaders on Friday and sought their help to reach out to TJ members and their families to contain the virus spread. Many of the TJ members have been isolated in hospitals and quarantined, and their families across Tamil Nadu retained within containment zones. At least 1,500 TJ members from Tamil Nadu had participated in the Delhi conference. Around 400 remained in Delhi while the rest returned home.

GO FULL THROTTLE: Disinfectants being sprayed in Chennai on Friday

Spike in cases because of isolation, testing of TJ cluster, says health secy

Health secretary Beela Rajesh said, “The number of cases has gone up because we have been able to isolate and test people in the cluster (TJ),” said health secretary Beela Rajesh. “In the last few hours, 200 more people have come. We are drawing samples from them for testing,” she said.

The state tested 376 people with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), admitted to various hospitals. “Three of them tested positive. All of them had a contact history,” said Beela Rajesh. Health minister C Vijayabaskar said the state had screened 2,10,538 passengers and 1,580 people were admitted to isolation wards.

As many as 364 people from the Delhi group tested positive while 303 others from the group tested negative. “This does not mean that they are all safe. Since the incubation period is 14 days, they still carry the risk of turning positive... Which is why we insist they remain in quarantine,” the health secretary said. Those who test positive would be moved to hospital quarantine even if they are asymptomatic.

The focus of the health department now is to extend the containment area so that the disease does not spread to the community. Door-to-door screening with a list of fever cases for intense monitoring is helping contain the disease.

Of the 102 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu on Friday, 38 are from the southern districts. This takes the total number of infected persons in the south to 147. A doctor from Kayalpattinam municipality who attended the TJ meet in Delhi has also tested positive.

Salem collector S A Raman said of the six Covid-19 patients, including five Indonesian TJ missionaries, under treatment in the district, three had recovered and tested negative on Friday. They will be discharged from hospital after getting the state government’s nod.

FULL COVERAGE: PAGES 2-9

At 9pm Sunday, switch off lights, light diyas, urges PM

Asks People Not To Breach Social Distancing Rule

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:04.04.2020

About halfway through the 21-day national lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a nine-minute blackout at 9pm on Sunday and urged people to use candles, diyas and mobile torchlights to demonstrate solidarity and reiterate a collective resolve to beat back the challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister’s brief video message telecast on Friday morning aimed to keep public morale up with Modi emphasising collective action and urging people to stay the course. Reaching out to people chaffing at confinement and monotony, he said, “We are confined to our own homes, and may be getting assailed by doubts as to how one can win this fight... But none of us is alone. The collective strength of 130 crore Indians is with each one of us.” He added that lighting of lamps on Sunday will help rearm the resolve to prevail against coronavirus. The Prime Minister underlined the need to assure people, particularly the poor, that their travails will end.

Address real issues, says opposition

Expressing deep disappointment with the Prime Minister’s message, opposition parties said he did not address the “real issues” of livelihood that citizens are concerned about and measures to quell worries regarding the spread of Covid-19. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted, “Just a feel-good moment curated by India’s Photo-Op PM.” Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra tweeted, “Get real Mr Modi.” P 7

Act of solidarity should not mean crowding: PM

Modi said, “Amidst the darkness spread by the corona pandemic, we must continuously progress towards light and hope. We must continuously strive to take those of us most affected, our poor brothers and sisters, from despair to hope and from uncertainty to certainty. We must defeat the deep darkness of the crisis.” In the “we-arein-this-together” video message recorded on the ninth day of the lockdown, the PM focused on the importance of the power of the collective as well as the need to demonstrate it for the battle against the pandemic. Referring to the massive response to his call for solidarity for doctors, paramedics and others on the frontline, he said, “On March 22, the country realised that we are united in this fight. It is important that in this long fight, we continue to feel and experience the power of the collective in its colossal splendour. It renews the spirit, sketches out the objective and lights up the path to achieve it.”

“And that is why, this Sunday, on April 5, we must all together, challenge the darkness spread by the corona crisis, introducing it to the power of light. On this April 5, we must awaken the superpower of 130 crore Indians. We must take the super resolve of 130 crore Indians to even greater heights,” he said. Like in his previous addresses on the coronavirus situation, the PM underlined the need for social distancing and being at home, saying it was the only “Ram baan (Ram’s arrow)” to defeat the spread of the disease. He stressed that halting the pandemic was everyone’s fight and would need continued adherence to the lockdown norms. “You don’t have to come out on roads and in streets. Social distancing norms are to be observed under all circumstances as it is our only option, the perfect option, against against the virus,” he said.

He urged people to turn off all the lights in homes and stand in balconies or at the doors with candles, diyas or mobile flashlights to illuminate the common purpose of the fight against the pandemic. “Turn off all the lights in your homes, stand at your doors or in you balconies, and light candles or diyas, torches or mobile flashlights for 9 minutes,” Modi exhorted. The PM’s address was, however, criticised by opposition leaders, who alleged too many overlaps of the 9 numeral was inspired by Hindu astrology and that his remarks lacked any substantial assurances. But the PM said the exercise would make all realise that no one was alone and 130 crore Indians were linked by common resolve.

He added that the act of solidarity should not mean crowding. “However, I have one more prayer in this regard, that no one must assemble or gather anywhere while participating in this programme. Please do not go out on to roads, lanes or your localities, do it at the doorstep or balconies of your own homes,” Modi said.

Users struggle to buy, repair mobile, laptop

Pankaj.Doval@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:04.04.2020

D Vinayak, a senior professional with a media company in the Delhi-NCR region, is extremely worried over the last two days. His laptop — the only way he gets connected to his office and manages to carry out his assignments from home — has crashed.

On contacting the manufacturer, the staff at the helpline tried to sort out his problem over phone, but it turned out to be an issue with a specific part that needs replacement. “But movement of our repair staff is not allowed at residential societies. So, we cannot do anything,” he was told.

Worried that he may not be able to contribute to his office, he tried buying a new laptop. “Sorry, but there are no deliveries happening now, and our retail stores are also closed,” he got the answer, leaving him completely cut-off from his professional commitments.

RESTRICTED MOVEMENT

Hospitals, govt offices find it difficult to repair and replenish

I have a smartphone, but it is not sufficient for my work that requires a bigger screen and preparation of presentations, and other important stuff.” Vinayak is not alone. Neelima Sharma, a home-maker in Chennai, has been at odds after her refrigerator stopped working. All the food and other grocery essentials that she had stored are going waste — a big worry during the Covid-19 lockdown when people are conserving every bit of consumables that they have.

With no chance of a repair, a desperate Sharma has now posted an appeal in the WhatsApp group of her apartment, requesting anyone with “even a small spare refrigerator to lend/lease” it to her for some days.

With work from home (WFH) becoming the norm in the era of social distancing, many services that were broadly seen as “non-essential” till some time back, are now defining the new-age work culture. Repairs of laptops, printers, refrigerators, ACs, smartphones and even televisions are an absolute necessity when you are confined to your house under emergency conditions.

And it’s not just residential areas, even hospitals and government offices are also finding it difficult to repairs or replenish stuff. It’s near impossible to carry out any repair work swiftly without an emergency pass.

“Provision of these services is an absolute essential in such times. People are literally under house arrest and the only way we can drive productivity is through work-from-home. But if the repairs cannot be carried out, you not only end up wasting crucial man hours, but it’s also a loss for the country’s GDP,” Nitin Kunkolienker, president of IT hardware industry body MAIT, said.

Kunkolienker said that having the freedom to work from remote locations — home in the case of Covid-19 — serves the purpose of creating social distancing. However, he rues that enforcement agencies are not open to issuing even the bareminimum passes easily for the movement and passage of the support staff and essentials to carry out repairs. “Many states think that it is a favour that we are seeking… it’s not a favour, rather a necessity.”

LG Electronics has major AC deployments across hospitals, but is finding it difficult to get curfew passes. “We have not been able to carry out service in a big way. For important calls, we are guiding through phone. We are facing a difficult task, and are now raising it up with our industry association as well as concerned state governments,” Vijay Babu, vice-president for home appliances and ACs at LG India, said.

Such is the scale of the problem that a senior employee at Samsung India has been unable to replace the faulty laptop charging cable of his family member. “How do I get it done? I have no answer,” he said, requesting anonymity.

An official with a top MNC computer maker said that their “service staff was beaten up by policemen” in the early days of the lockdown. “What do we do now? We can’t risk the safety and security of our support staff.”

Manish Sharma, president of Panasonic India, said that his company has sought curfew passes for certain number of service staff to cater to critical installation such as in hospitals. “We are still not sure how it will be given, but are working on it.”

மது கிடைக்காத குடி நோயாளிகள்.. குடும்பத்தினருக்கு எச்சரிக்கை!

டாக்டர் எஸ்.மோகன வெங்கடாசலபதி

2.4.2020

இரு தினங்களுக்கு முன்பு சென்னையில் குடிநோயாளி ஒருவர் மது கிடைக்காததால் தனது கழுத்தை பிளேடால் கீறிக் கொண்டு உயிரை மாய்த்துக்கொண்டார் என்றொரு செய்தி. இவர் மது கிடைக்காத விரக்தியில் தற்கொலை செய்துகொண்டார் என நாம் நினைத்தாலும், குடியில் இருந்து மீண்டு வரும்போது ஏற்படும் வித்ட்ராயல் அறிகுறிகளின் விளைவாகக் கூடஅவரது தற்கொலை அமைந்திருக்கலாம்.

குடியில் இருந்து மீண்டு வரும்போது ஏற்படும் தொல்லைகளை ‘ஆல்கஹால் வித்ட்ராயல் சிண்ட்ரோம்’ என்போம். இன்றைய ஊரடங்கு நாட்களில் குடிநோயாளிகள் எதிர்கொள்ளும் தீவிரமான பிரச்சினை இது.மனித மூளையில் ‘ரிவார்டு சென்டர்’ என்றொரு பகுதியில் ஏற்படும் வேதிப்பொருட்களின் மாற்றமே ஒருவன் குடிக்கு அடிமையாக காரணம். இவர்களால் குடிக்காமல் இருக்க முடியாது. முழு நேரமும் உடலும் மனமும் மதுவையே சார்ந்திருக்கும் குடிநோயாளிகளாக இருப்பார்கள்.

இப்படி மதுவுக்கு அடிமைப்பட்ட குடிநோயாளி மது கிடைக்காத இந்நாட்களில் எப்படி இருப்பார்?

குடி பழக்கம் உள்ள அனைவரையும் குடிநோயாளிகள் எனச் சொல்லிவிடமுடியாது. அதேபோல் மிதமாகக் குடிக்கிற, ஆரோக்கியமான இடைவெளி விட்டுக் குடிக்கிற, கல்லீரல் போன்ற உறுப்புகள் பாதிப்படையாத நிலையில் நல்ல சத்துள்ள உணவுகளை உட்கொள்ளும் குடி பழக்கம் உள்ளவர்களுக்கு மிக தீவிரமாக வித்ட்ராவல் அறிகுறிகள் இருப்பதில்லை.

தீவிர குடிநோயாளிகளுக்கு குடியை நிறுத்தி 6-லிருந்து 8 மணி நேரத்துக்குள்ளாக கைவிரல்களில் நடுக்கம் இருக்கும். சிலருக்கு வியர்க்கும். குமட்டல், லேசான வயிற்றுப்போக்கு, நெஞ்சு படபடப்புபோன்ற அறிகுறிகள் இருக்கலாம்.

அதையடுத்து 8 மணி நேரம் முதல் 12 மணி நேரத்துக்குள்ளாக மனப்பிறழ் உணர்வு தொந்தரவுகள் ஏற்படலாம். யாரும் பேசாமல் காதில்மாயக் குரல்கள் கேட்கலாம். மிரட்டுவது போலவும் பயமுறுத்துவது போலவும் அக்குரல்கள் இருக்கும்.

இதற்கும் அடுத்த கட்டம் வலிப்புவரும் நிலை (ரம் ஃபிட்ஸ்) . இது மதுவை நிறுத்தி 12 மணி நேரம் முதல் 24 மணிநேரத்தில் வரும்பாதிப்பு. அப்படி வலிப்பு வரும்நேரத்தில் குடும்ப உறுப்பினர்கள் எச்சரிக்கையாக இருந்து நோயாளிக்கு முதலுதவி அளிப்பதுடன், மருத்துவரிடம் அழைத்து செல்வது நல்லது.டாக்டர் எஸ்.மோகன வெங்கடாசலபதி

ஆபத்தான நிலை இதுதான்

இதற்கு அடுத்த நிலை ஆபத்தானது. குடியை நிறுத்திய 3 நாட்களில் இருந்து இந்த ‘ரிஸ்க்’ ஆரம்பிக்கும். குடி நோயாளி ஒரு விதகுழப்ப நிலைக்கு செல்வார். தானாகப் பேசுவார். கடும் எரிச்சலுடன் காணப்படுவார். குடி நோயாளியின் இந்நிலையை ’டெலிரியம் ட்ரெமென்ஸ்’ என்று சொல்வோம். இந்நிலை ஒரு மருத்துவ அவசர நிலையாகும். அவரை உடனடியாக மருத்துவமனையில் சேர்த்து தீவிர சிகிச்சை அளித்தால் ஒரு சில நாட்களில் நிலைமை சற்றே சீரடையும்.

குடிநோயாளிகள் அனைவருக்கும் ‘டெலிரியம் ட்ரெமென்ஸ்’ வரும் என புரிந்துகொள்ளக் கூடாது.அளவுக்கு அதிகமான குடி, உணவே சாப்பிடாமல் குடித்து அனைத்து சத்துப் பொருட்களையும் இழந்த குடி நோயாளிதான் இப்படி பாதிப்படைவர்.

கரோனா தாக்கியவர்களில் மிகச் சொற்பமான சதவிகிதத்தினரே உயிரிழக்க நேரிடும். அது போன்று மிகச் சொற்பமானவர்களுக்கு வரும் இந்நிலை குறித்து, குடிநோயாளிகளின் குடும்பத்தினரும் நண்பர்களும் சில எச்சரிக்கைகளை அறிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும். காரணம், தற்போதைய அசாதரணமான சூழலில் குடி நோயாளிகள் ஆபத்துகளை சந்திக்காமல் இருக்க, உடனே மருத்துவ உதவியை நாடினால் பல சேதாரங்களைத் தவிர்க்கலாம்.

குடி நோயாளிகள் எப்படி மீள்வது?

குடி நோயாளிகள் இந்த ‘வித்ட்ராவல்’ அறிகுறிகளை வீட்டிலேயே சரி செய்துகொள்ள முடியும். கை கால் நடுக்கம், தலைவலி, தூக்கமின்மை, பசியின்மை, படபடப்பு, வாந்தி போன்றவை தானாகவே சரியாகிவிடும். நல்ல ஊட்டச்சத்து மிகுந்த உணவுகளை உட்கொள்ள வேண்டும். காலை சூரிய வெளிச்சத்தில் உலாவ வேண்டும். குடும்பத்தினரின் அன்பு, அரவணைப்பு மற்றும் அருகில் இருத்தல் குடி நோயாளிக்கு இந்நேரத்தில் மிக அவசியம். இந்த சந்தர்ப்பத்தை நேர்மறையாக எதிர்கொண்டு மதுவில் இருந்து மீண்டு வந்துவிட முடியும் என்கிற உந்துதலை குடிநோயாளிக்கு குடும்பத்தினர் கொடுக்க வேண்டும்.

நான்கைந்து நாட்கள் சமாளித்துவிட்டால் உடலில் இருக்கும் விஷம் கொஞ்சம் கொஞ்சமாக இறங்கி (detoxification) தனது உண்மையான ஆரோக்கியத்தை அவரே உணர ஆரம்பிப்பார். உடலும் மனமும் புத்துணர்ச்சிஅடையும். இத்தருணத்தில், தொடர்ந்த ஆலோசனைகள் மூலம் அவரை குடி பழக்கத்தில் இருந்து மீட்டெடுத்து விட முடியும்.

யாருக்கு கவனம் தேவை?

தீவிர அறிகுறிகளான வலிப்பு மற்றும் ‘டெலிரியம்’ என்ற குழப்ப நிலையில் இருந்தால் மருத்துவ உதவியை நாடியே ஆக வேண்டும்.

இந்த அறிகுறிகள் குடி பழக்கத்துக்கு அடிமையான நபரிடம் தென்பட்டால், குடும்பத்தினர் உடனே மருத்துவமனைக்குச் சென்றால் குடி நோயாளியை மீட்டெடுக்க முடியும்.

இது போன்ற அசாதாரண சூழலில் அரசும் பிற மருத்துவ அமைப்புகளும் குடிநோயாளிகளுக்கும் அவர்தம் குடும்பத்தினருக்கும் இது குறித்த விழிப்புணர்வை ஏற்படுத்த வேண்டும்.

110 new cases from Delhi event emerge in T.N

02/04/2020

“After we made a fervent appeal asking persons who had attended the conference to come forward and report to officials, this number has increased to 1,103 persons. We have admitted them to isolation wards in hospitals, and we have lifted samples from 658 of them so far. We will test samples from the remaining persons in the next 24 hours,” the Health Secretary said.

The department had earlier mentioned that 1,500 persons had travelled to Nizamuddin from TN and it was a “dynamic figure”. It appeared that around 300 to 400 persons are still in Delhi, and many of them have tested positive after laboratory testing. But the exact numbers were not clear, she said.