Can’t ignore proof because witness is victim’s relative, observes high court

DISMISSES PLEA

Can’t ignore proof because witness is victim’s relative, observes high court

K.Kaushik@timesgroup.com

Madurai:

Dismissing a man’s revision petition challenging his conviction in an accident case, Madras high court has observed that merely because the witnesses are related to the victim or complainant, their evidence cannot be ignored.

The prosecution case is that a person named Ramar took his daughter Munidurgadevi to Malli Bazaar at Srivilliputhur on April 18, 2009. When they were waiting to cross the road, a van driven by petitioner Balamurugan ran over Munidurgadevi killing her on the spot. Malli police registered a case against Balamurugan.

Srivilliputhur JM II court in 2010 convicted and sentenced the petitioner to oneyear simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 3,000. Balamurugan appealed against the verdict in Virudhunagar district and sessions court which dismissed it and confirmed the JM’s order. He filed the present petition, challenging the trial and appellate court orders.

Justice K Murali Shankar said that it is the contention of the petitioner that the two witnesses in the case are relatives of first witness Ramar, father of the deceased. "It is settled law that the evidence of witnesses cannot be discarded merely on the ground that he is a relative or interested witness. A witness may be called ‘interested’ only when he derives some benefits from the result of a litigations or in seeing the accused person punished and a witness cannot be said to be an ‘interested’ witness merely by virtue of being a relative of the victim," observed the judge.

The judge further said that if the evidence of the relative witnesses are cogent, credible and trustworthy, the same can be relied on. In this case, both the witnesses have deposed the manner in which the accident occurred by reiterating the witness of Ramar.

The judge said that all the witnesses had stated that the van was driven at high speed by the petitioner in a rash and negligent manner. The appellate court has re-assessed the entire evidence and given its finding concurring with the JM court. The courts have rightly appreciated the evidence and arrived at correct findings. Hence, the judge dismissed the revision petition.

Supriya Sahu is forests secy in major reshuffle

Supriya Sahu is forests secy in major reshuffle

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:26.05.2021 

In a major reshuffle in the bureaucracy, the state government on Tuesday posted Supriya Sahu as principal secretary of environment and forests department. She was principal secretary/chief executive officer of Tamil Nadu small tea growers’ industrial cooperative tea factories’ federation limited (Indcoserve).

TN industrial development corporation chairperson and managing director Kakarla Usha has been posted as secretary in school education department, while Dheeraj Kumar has become principal secretary in higher education department.

Sandeep Saxeena has been posted as additional chief secretary in the public works department and additional chief secretary Dayanand Kataria in transport department. Kumar Jayant is principal secretary of revenue and disaster management and K Gopal is principal secretary of rural development and panchayat raj department.

Hitesh Kumar S Makwana has been posted as principal secretary of housing and urban development vice D Karthikeyan, who has been posted as principal secretary, highways and minor ports.

B Chandra Mohan has been posted as principal secretary, tourism, culture and religious endowments department. Transport secretary C Samayamoorthy has been shifted as agricultural production commissioner and secretary, agriculture and farmers’ welfare department.

Selvi Apoorva has been posted as principal secretary, handlooms, handicrafts, textiles and khadi department.

K Manivasan has been posted as principal secretary of adi-dravidar and tribal welfare department. A Karthik is principal secretary, backward classes, most backward classes and minorities welfare department. Shambhu Kallolikar is the new principal secretary of social welfare and nutritious meal programme.

Lab technician mowed down by SUV was to get married next year

Lab technician mowed down by SUV was to get married next year

Sindhu.Kannan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:26.05.2021

Twenty-one-yearold lab technician A Yamuna, who was mowed down by a car driven by a drunk man near KMCH on May 21, was all set to get married in January 2022, with a software engineer based in Saudi Arabia.

The family was happily preparing for her wedding after her engagement in April and it was the last wedding in the family. After finishing her lab technician course, Yamuna was working in the Corona ward in KMCH. She asked her family members to schedule the wedding in January next year as she said cases might come down then.

Though this was Yamuna’s first job she was never scared treating Covid patients. She was in fact one among those who raised their voice demanding safety for staff in the Corona ward and staged a protest a couple of months ago.

On May 21, Yamuna was unwell and had requested for leave when she was asked to come for a while to attend a few patients. While returning home on her scooty a SUV driven by Abdul Qayyum under the influence of alcohol mowed her down.

Yamuna was the youngest daughter of Arumugham and Uma Rani. The family is shattered as they lost the sole breadwinner. His father Arumugham who has a small cycle repair shop is now jobless due to the lockdown. Yamuna was not only meeting her family expenses but also taking care of her elderly parents as her brother and two sisters are married and settled elsewhere.

“She was specific that the engagement shouldn’t be a grand one as people are dying of Covid 19. But she had dreams of her own for her wedding,” said Kamalesh, Yamuna’s uncle. "Nothing can bring her back. Drunken driving is something which has to be dealt with seriously," says Kamalesh.

Uma Rani who remained inconsolable, has been hospitalized twice as her health condition deteriorated. The groom who is yet to recover from the shock of losing his fiancée is shattered as he was unable to land in India for her funeral.

‘Professional Courses May Start Only In November’

UG admissions may be pushed to Sept

‘Professional Courses May Start Only In November’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:26.05.2021 

If Class XII board exams are held in July-end or in August, depending on the pandemic situation, career consultants say admissions to undergraduate courses will be pushed to September like last year.

Admissions to professional courses such as MBBS and BE, BTech are likely only by October as the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET) scheduled for August 1 is likely to be postponed.

The school education department held a meeting with officials on conducting Class XII board exams and entrance exams on Tuesday. "We have drafted suggestions on conducting Class XII board exams. After discussing with the chief minister M K Stalin, we will forward it to the Centre," school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi told reporters after the meeting.

Asked if there would be changes to the board exam pattern in view of the pandemic, the minister said no state governments wanted any changes.

Career consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi said professional courses may start only in November. “Conducting board exams online is ruled out. If board exams are conducted in August, then the NEET exam will be postponed to September. The admission process will take place in October and academic year will start only in November for professional courses," he said. As a result, there may not be a gap between two semesters, which may impact students learning additional skills and going for internship, he added.

.For arts and science courses, the classes for UG students will only start in September, said Thomas Amirtham, principal of Loyola College. "We may need to have a separate academic calendar for first year students. Colleges may have to extend the academic year and scrap the summer holidays," he added.

Consultants said delay in starting the academic year also would affect the students planning to go abroad for higher studies.

"Foreign universities have only one intake in September or October for medicine. If NEET is delayed, the counselling process may go on till January next year. Last year, many students have to change their plans to go abroad after delay in medical counselling," said R Sureshkumar, managing director, Truematics Overseas Education Consultancy in Chennai.

A majority of students travel abroad to study engineering, management and arts courses only at the postgraduate level. Since the universities are planning to wind up the online exams by July, there will not be a problem for these students, he added.

The school education department held a meeting with officials on conducting Class XII board exams and entrance exams on Tuesday.

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Delhi High Court Restrains WhatsApp & Telegram From Illegally Circulating Copies Of Times Of India, Navbharat Times E-Newspapers

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Madurai mid-air wedding: SpiceJet initiates action against passengers for flouting COVID norms; DGCA off-rosters crew

Madurai mid-air wedding: SpiceJet initiates action against passengers for flouting COVID norms; DGCA off-rosters crew

India's aviation watchdog, DGCA has already initiated an investigation over reports of mid-air marriage ceremony and has ordered taking the crew off duty.

Published: 24th May 2021 04:34 PM 

A picture that went viral on social media, of the couple tieing the knot in the chartered aircraft.

By PTI

NEW DELHI: The DGCA has off-rostered the crew of a SpiceJet flight in which a mid-air wedding took place in Madurai in Tamil Nadu amid many guests and relatives in alleged violation of COVID-19 norms on Sunday, with the district administration launching a probe into the matter.

The chartered flight left the Madurai airport and remained airborne for approximately two hours yesterday morning before returning there, sources said on Monday.

A senior official of aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the flight crew has been off-rostered for not enforcing the social distancing norms onboard.

Madurai Collector Dr Aneesh Sekhar said a preliminary enquiry has been initiated into the matter based on the video footage being circulated in the social media.

"Appropriate action would be taken if there was any COVID-19 violation," Sekhar told PTI.

Meanwhile, the DGCA official said SpiceJet has been directed to lodge a complaint with the relevant authorities against those people who did not follow the COVID-19 norms inside the flight.

He also said that the DGCA "will take strict action" after it completes its probe into this matter.

Images and videos of the mid-air wedding were circulated on social media on Monday, purportedly showing people standing extremely close to each other as the couple tied the knot.

Responding to the matter, an airline spokesperson said, "A SpiceJet Boeing 737 was chartered by a travel agent in Madurai on May 23, 2021 for a group of passengers for a joy ride post their wedding."

"The client was clearly briefed on Covid guidelines to be followed and denied permission for any activity to be performed on board. The approval for this flight was taken as a joy ride for the wedding group," he said.

The spokesperson added the agent and guest passengers were briefed in detail, both in writing as well as verbally, on social distancing and safety norms to be followed according to the Covid guidelines, both at the airport and onboard the aircraft throughout the journey.

"The group was repeatedly briefed on the safety norms to be followed by the operating cabin crew and advised to follow the protocols laid down by the DGCA, including restrictions on photography and videography."

"Despite repeated requests and reminders, the passengers did not follow the guidelines and the airline is taking appropriate action as per rules," he said.

Meanwhile, the Madurai Collector also warned of action if any violations were found.

"At present we are sourcing evidence to ascertain if violations had occurred. Appropriate action would be taken depending upon the confirmation," Sekhar said.

Asked if there was any specific complaint of violation, he said the administration was acting based on the marriage video.

India has been badly hit by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic during the last few weeks.

On Monday, the country reported 2,22,315 new covid cases, the lowest in 38 days, pushing the total positives to 2,67,52,447.

As many as 3,03,720 persons have succumbed to the virus so far, including 4,454 today.

On Sunday, Tamil Nadu, one of the high prevalent states, added 35,483 new infections, with the state's active covid cases being 2,94,143.

Madurai reported 1,139 patients on May 23 while its active cases stood at 13,091.

Complete lockdown bitter medicine but people have to take it, says TN CM

Complete lockdown bitter medicine but people have to take it, says TN CM

"Please adhere to the guidelines issued for preventing Corona. I make this appeal not only as a Chief Minister but also as your brother," Stalin said in a video message.

Published: 24th May 2021 06:47 PM 

Police check for the e-pass due to the complete lockdown in Coimbatore City on Monday. (Photo | U Rakesh Kumar, EPS)

By T Muruganandham

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday renewed his appeal to the people to adhere to government guidelines to help contain the spread of Covid on a day when the weeklong intensive lockdown began in Tamil Nadu from 4 am on Monday.

"People's unnecessary movement is the only reason for the present situation. Due to the complete lockdown with concessions, the infection had come down a little bit but did not come under control. So, lockdown without concessions can alone contain this infection completely.

"This is the only way for everyone in the state and the people should understand this. Please don't come out except for medical needs. The complete lockdown is a bitter medicine but people have to take it. Please adhere to the guidelines issued for preventing Corona. I make this appeal not only as a Chief Minister but also as your brother," Stalin said in a video message.

The CM pointed out that the intensified lockdown is only being enforced to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission since many had loitered around using the concessions granted earlier for getting essential requirements.

"Corona is not spreading on its own but through humans. So, all of you have to take a vow not to spread this infection or to infect others," he added.

Elaborating further, the Chief Minister said the number of people being affected by this infection has reached alarming proportions. The daily new cases have exceeded 35000 at a time when states smaller than Tamil Nadu that had touched 50000 new cases per day are now seeing a fall, he noted.

The Chief Minister said within two weeks of assuming office, the DMK government had begun implementing numerous welfare schemes for the people of the State - Rs 4000 each for rice cardholders, free bus travel for women, reduction of Aavin milk price by Rs 3, payment of compensation for the families of those killed in the police firing against anti-Sterlite protestors, implementation of the scheme for resolving public grievances within 100 days of assuming office and above all, numerous Corona prevention measures being implemented on a war-footing.

He also cited the appeal to the President to release the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case as a significant move.

Centre’s allocation of Covid vaccines is ‘somewhat disappointing’: Madras HC

Centre’s allocation of Covid vaccines is ‘somewhat disappointing’: Madras HC

During the hearing, a section of advocates told the court that the vaccination drive should be extended to other professions, classifying them as frontline workers.

Published: 25th May 2021 04:31 AM 

People waiting for their turn to get vaccinated at a special camp at Triplicane, in Chennai on Monday | R Satish Babu

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Central government on Monday informed the Madras High Court that about 216 crore vaccines will be available by the end of the year for every Indian to get inoculated. However, the court observed in its order that the planned allocation of Covid vaccines by the Central government to the State appears “somewhat disappointing”.

“Though the Centre maintains that the allocation is based on the population of a State, positivity rate prevailing in such State and other objective factors, the allocation to Tamil Nadu, as indicated in the Centre’s affidavit, may require to be revisited,” observed the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy.

Additional Solicitor General R Shankaranarayanan submitted that as per the Centre’s plan, 216 crore doses of the vaccine should be available by the end of the year for every Indian to be fully vaccinated. The bench recorded the submission and said, “There have been cases of mucormycosis in the State and the required drugs are in short supply. The Centre has indicated that measures have been put in place to manufacture the drugs immediately and in bulk upon reducing the quantum of production of other medicines for the moment.”

However, there is hope that vaccines would be available in greater numbers upon the various manufacturing units augmenting their production facilities, the court added. The court was also assured that the possible disruption due to Cyclone Yaas has been taken into consideration by the Centre considering the oxygen supply. During the hearing, a section of advocates told the court that the vaccination drive should be extended to other professions, classifying them as frontline workers.

The court then said, “Suggestions have been made that personnel involved in delivering food, the remaining police personnel, healthcare workers, and even advocates and judges who come in contact with litigants, should be earmarked for prioritised vaccination. It will be open to the State to take a considered decision in such regard.”

Villagers jump into river to evade shots

Villagers jump into river to evade shots

Arshad Afzaal Khan TNN

Ayodhya:25.05.2021

Even as people in many states are scrambling to get vaccinated, residents of a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district fled their homes and jumped into the river Saryu when a team of health officials reached there to carry out a vaccination campaign on Saturday evening .

Residents of Sisauda village later said they jumped into the river as a rumour had spread in the village that it was not a vaccine but a poisonous injection.

Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Rajiv Shukla said, “We reached the village with a medical team to vaccinate villagers. However, as soon as they saw us approaching, many of them ran away. When we tried to stop them, they jumped into the river.”

“We tried to sensitise them about the importance of the vaccine but they did not relent. We tried hard to allay their apprehensions, but only 14 people got themselves inoculated,” he said.

Residents of Sisauda village in Uttar Pradesh said they jumped into the river as a rumour had spread that it was not a vaccine but a poisonous injection. Officials tried to convince the villagers, but only 14 people got inoculated

Horse’s funeral gets K’taka village sealed

Horse’s funeral gets K’taka village sealed

Shreyas HS & Basavaraj Meeshi TNN

Belagavi:25.05.2021 

An entire village in Gokak taluk here has been sealed for 14 days after hundreds of people participated in the funeral of a horse belonging to a mutt and believed to be the local “guardian deity” against Covid-19. The 24-year-old horse died on Sunday, three days after it was let loose to roam the village “to ward off the ongoing second wave of Covid-19” and “future scourges too”.

The district police have registered a case as villagers thronged the funeral in violation of masking and distancing norms, and videos of the procession went viral. Taluk health officer Muttanna Koppad said directives have been issued to conduct 450 tests. So far, 25 villagers have undergone rapid antigen tests and all tested negative. RT-PCR tests will be conducted only on those showing Covidlike symptoms, he added.

On May 19, the horse was brought to Maradi village from the mutt on the request of residents who believe its presence will ward off all evil and plagues, including Covid. During the first wave too, the horse was made to wander in Maradi and villagers said not one person was infected in a population of about 1,200.

The horse was let loose from the mutt on the intervening night of May 19-20 after a puja and it returned around 3pm on Thursday after roaming the village. It was found dead in its shed on Sunday. Mutt authorities said the horse may have died of old age.

As news of the horse’s death spread, villagers began to gather at the mutt. They told police that the death of the “guardian deity” has come as a shock and last rites must be performed as per tradition to pacify the gods. An FIR has been filed under sections of disaster management act and Karnataka Epidemic Act among others, SP Laxman Nimbargi told TOI.

Clarification

Clarification

25.05.2021

New Delhi 

The headline ‘Flu shots to kids before monsoon will curb Covid cases: Maha panel’ carried in some TOI editions on Monday was erroneous. The report does not suggest it. It focused on the Indian Academy of Paediatrics’s recommendation to give seasonal flu shots to children below 5 years and those with co-morbidities so that cases of children getting seriously sick or hospitalised with influenza would reduce. This would, in turn, help decongest hospitals, reduce the demand for RT-PCR tests and free up beds should Covid cases see a rise. Influenza and Covid are caused by different viruses and there is no evidence to suggest that flu vaccine offers direct protection against Covid.

2 days to go but Twitter, FB, WA yet to comply with govt norms

2 days to go but Twitter, FB, WA yet to comply with govt norms

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:25.05.2021

The stage is set for another showdown between the government and social media giants over compliance with the new norms for platforms that have over 50 lakh users in the country.

With just two days to go to comply with the new norms for significant social media intermediaries, barring Koo, none of players including Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram have complied with the new regulations that require them to appoint a resident grievance officer, a chief compliance officer and a nodal contact person. The government had given the firms three months to comply fulfil the requirements with the deadline set to expire on Wednesday.

Although some of the platforms had sought six months, the government currently does not appear in any mood to relent. Their failure to comply with the norms opens the global giants to lose their status and protections as intermediaries and also makes them liable for criminal action, sources said. While Twitter declined to comment, Facebook did not respond to a query from TOI.

Sources argued the failure to comply with the notified rules is detrimental to the interests of those who suffer abuse on social media but do not know whom to approach for grievance redressal. The stipulations require the social media entities to furnish monthly reports on the complaints received and those that have been settled.

Nothing wrong in Delhi govt order putting all docs in one category:HC

Nothing wrong in Delhi govt order putting all docs in one category:HC

New Delhi:25.05.2021

Delhi High Court on Monday said there was nothing wrong in the decision of Delhi government directing all doctors and medical staff to function in a single category, irrespective of the differences in their seniority and specialisation, in treatment of Covid patients, saying there should not be any “ego issue”.

Justice Rekha Palli said that “prima facie” there was nothing wrong with the May 16 notification, which appeared to be dealing only with Covid management duties of doctors and they should not come to court with such pleas.

“What is the problem with this? What is your ego issue in this? I don’t see anything wrong in this. I am sorry a doctor is coming to court like this. Prima facie I see nothing wrong with the order. It is only with regard to Covid management,” Justice Palli said at the start of the hearing of the petition, which challenged the notification contending that it was arbitrary and issued without the approval of the LG.

The petitioner-doctor, represented by advocate Payal Bahl, was aggrieved by the notification as it put allopathic and non-allopathic doctors as well as junior and senior residents in one category for treating Covid patients, claiming that this could put patients’ lives at risk.

Delhi government, represented by additional standing counsel Anuj Aggarwal said he needs time to get proper clarification and the court listed the matter for hearing on May 27. PTI

Virtual counselling for speciality medical vacancies

Virtual counselling for speciality medical vacancies

25/05/2021

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI

Service Post Graduates (PG) will be posted to speciality vacancies in the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) and Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) institutions through virtual counselling. Both the authorities have published the vacancy list prior to counselling after several years, a move that a section of doctors say will go a long way in ensuring transparency in postings.

“This is the first time we will be holding a virtual counselling for posting service PGs. A total of 550 doctors will be appearing for the three-day counselling to be held from May 25. There are 1,200 posts,” R. Narayana Babu, DME, said.

30% calls made to Covid helpline 104 are irrelevant

30% calls made to Covid helpline 104 are irrelevant

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:25.05.2021

At least three out of 10 calls that reach the 104 hotline were irrelevant calls that clogged the line and could have kept a person in need of oxygen or ICU bed waiting. The 108 hotline for ambulances has also been facing similar problems, officials say.

The health department’s unified control room, or the war room, has received nearly 41,000 requests for beds between April 30 and May 22. Analysis of the telephonic triaging by doctors and paramedical staff show that only 35% of the callers required beds. “An equal number of people were advised home quarantine because they had good levels of oxygen saturation. They also had mild or no symptoms,” said health secretary J Radhakrishnan. But what has upset officials is that nearly 30% of the calls the hotline received until April 21 – about 12,396 – were irrelevant calls. “Some of these calls can be a menace when health staff are fighting to identify beds in high occupancy districts,” he said.

Staff at the control room say they receive calls for non-emergency reasons such as to verify RTPCR test results, seek information about health insurance schemes or complain to them about bad health policies, hospital infrastructure. Callers are directed to call other helplines so the hotline can remain free for patients in need.

Officials say some callers insist on discussing current affairs or civic problems, some others remain silent on the call. Similar calls land in the state’s 108 ambulance hotline. “Silent calls are very scary because we don’t know if the caller is silent because he is sick or if he or she is playing a prank,” said state head of operations M Selvakumar. The staff, he says, are trained to find out. They quickly disconnect the line after telling callers not to call the hotline or to use other helplines for nonemergency services. “If there is a call repeatedly from one number, we block the number for some time,” he said.

(For need other than O2/ ICU beds call – O44-29510400, 044-29510500/944-434-0496/ 875-444-8477)

Middlemen at cemeteries, crematoriums under check

Middlemen at cemeteries, crematoriums under check

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:25.05.2021

Greater Chennai Corporation officials at the zonal level are now wary of brokers who pose as family members of deceased and book a slot at crematoriums and burial grounds for free while charging ₹15,000-₹20,000 from families.

Civic body staff now ask personal details of the deceased like the names of immediate family members, date of death and the hospital the person died at, to ensure that brokers are weeded out. In addition, zonal officials also have started spreading word among residents that there is no fee for last rites, including transporting the dead to the crematorium or burial ground.

A sanitary inspector told TOI that recently they came across cases where brokers called and tried to book slots. In some cases, they found that the person had died many days ago; in other cases, they found that brokers hung up as soon as they were asked questions about the deceased’s immediate family members.

“We have all details of the deceased in our system. So nobody can cheat us,” the sanitary inspector said. In addition, officials have also started getting testimonials from family members that cremations were done for free at GCC run centres.

Corporation deputy commissioner (works) Meghanath Reddy said vigilance officials are also being asked to conduct regular checks at these centres to ensure those collecting bribes are nabbed. “All crematorium staff will be given a blue uniform with tags and also identity cards for public to differentiate them from brokers,” Reddy said. Another development, especially in central and south Chennai, has been that sanitary inspectors have been asked to bury or cremate only those who lived in that ward or zone.

For instance, the crematorium at Triplicane was overburdened till a fortnight ago with more than 20 bodies turning up at their gates everyday. “This was because government hospitals were sending it to use as we were the closest,” an official at the crematorium said.

After intervention by senior corporation officials and local MLAs to allow last rites of only local residents, the number has dropped to 10, the official added.

UNDER WATCH: A burial ground in the city

Restaurants in crisis as grocery stores, veggie shops shut

Restaurants in crisis as grocery stores, veggie shops shut

Yogesh.Kabirdoss@timesgroup.com

Chennai:25.05.2021

The closure of grocery and vegetable shops from Monday has put eateries and restaurants in a fix. Several eateries may run out of essential commodities in the coming days leading to a shutdown later this week and this could impact those depending on food from restaurants, particularly those under home quarantine.

Unlike leading restaurant chains and star hotels with facilities such as cold storage, most standalone restaurants buy commodities on a daily basis. Though many of them have bought a significant quantity of vegetables ahead of the full lockdown, some last a maximum of three days. Besides, the absence of adequate manpower could adversely hit the supply chain from kitchen to delivery of food.

Of the 8,500 eateries and restaurants in and around Chennai, less than 40% are operating now. A chunk of nonvegetarian eateries are unlikely to operate from Tuesday due to the non-availability of meat and fish. With grocery and vegetable shops closed, owners of small time eateries are worried about sourcing essential commodities.

Muthulakshmi, who runs an eatery at Tambaram, said vegetables were available for the next two days. “Later, we have to depend on those sold through mobile mini trucks. If vegetables cannot be sourced, we may have to close down briefly,” she said. The eatery offering breakfast and dinner serves 70-80 parcels daily.

M Ravi, president of The Chennai Hotels Association, said the absence of neighbourhood grocery shops will hit eateries hard. “How can you cook if oil is not available? Moreover, several workers in the hospitality sector have left the city to their hometowns,” he added. Such factors will lead to more number of eateries closing later this week, he said.

On Sunday, eateries and hotels made significant purchases of vegetables at the Koyambedu market where, from Monday, entry for all customers including hoteliers, retail and wholesale traders has been banned.

Villagers in Erode district bar entry for all outsiders

Villagers in Erode district bar entry for all outsiders

Senthil.Kumaran@timesgroup.com

Erode:25.05.2021 

Residents have closed the entry to Sathumugai and Chenni Moopanpudur villages near Sathyamangalam to remain free of Covid-19. It isn’t easy for even the local residents returning from other places to enter in. They will be first screened for symptoms of infection.

S Kishore, a resident of Sathumuga, said they had taken the measures in consultation with the village heads in view of the steady rise in the daily caseload in the district.

Both the villages house 300-400 families each and according to residents they haven’t reported any Covid-19 cases so far. “We are maintaining the government’s guidelines, including social distancing, very strictly. Health department officials had conducted fever camps. They did not find any positive cases,” Kishore said.

The residents have closed the entry to the villages with wood and bamboo logs. In addition, they take turns to guard the entries to prevent outsiders from sneaking in. “We don’t even allow others to pass through our village,” said T Muthuramalingam, a resident of Chenni Moopanpudur. Local residents returning from other states and districts would be allowed in only with an RT-PCR negative certificate. “

NO ENTRY: A notice outside a village near Salem asking outsiders not to step ahead

TN health experts on tenterhooks as vaccination drive slows down

TN health experts on tenterhooks as vaccination drive slows down

Don’t Have Vaccines; Have Written To Centre: TN

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:25.05.2021

The pace of vaccination against Covid-19 has slowed down drastically across the state over the last 15 days, worrying public health experts as a large population including those in the vulnerable category remain exposed. On Sunday, less than 30,000 people took the jab, compared to 99,529 on May 6. The highest ever single-day vaccinations were recorded on April 15 when more than 2.1 lakh people got it.

Between May 17 and 23, the average number of people receiving the vaccine daily came down to 48,566 compared to nearly 70,000 on May 15 and 69,574 on May 16. “We don’t have a choice,” said health minister Ma Subramanian. “We don’t have the vaccines. The vaccine centres allotted covers around 6.4% of our population (8.3 crore). We have written to the Centre seeking more vaccines. A preferential allocation was given to other states. Gujarat received vaccines to cover 16.4% of its 6.3 crore population,” he said.

Since January, Tamil Nadu received 80.3 lakh doses of Covaxin and Covishield from the Centre as part of the national wide drive to vaccinate healthcare providers, frontline workers, senior citizens and people above 45 years. “Of this, we received 1.9 lakh doses on Monday morning. So, of the 78.4 lakh doses we used 72.4 lakh doses until Sunday. We had around 1 lakh doses in regional and district vaccine stores when we rolled out the programme on Sunday morning after discounting wastage of close to 5 lakh doses in the first wave for various reasons.”

With increase in demand, vaccine wastage has dropped from nearly 13% in February to less than 5% now, he said. Ironically, when people came to the centres, there were no vaccines. As a result, the health department reduced vaccine sessions from around 3,000 earlier this month to 2,500 this week.

At a recent medical expert committee meeting, public health experts including WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan asked the state to ramp up vaccination.

On Monday, the 1.9 lakh doses of Covishield received were disbursed to the district and regional vaccine centres. “We don’t stock vaccines at warehouses. They are distributed to the field so we can vaccinate as many people as possible quickly,” said joint director (immunisation) Dr K Vinay Kumar.

On Monday, many vaccine centres continued to offer Covaxin only as a second dose. Many who came for vaccinations in districts by late afternoon were turned back due to shortage. On Monday, the state vaccinated 92,614 people including 55,623 people in the 18 to 44 age group. On Sunday, around 8532 people in the same age group took their vaccines.

Mid-air wedding over Madurai: SpiceJet crew taken off roster

Mid-air wedding over Madurai: SpiceJet crew taken off roster

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi/Madurai:25.05.2021

A mid-air wedding — with close to 130 wedding guests on board, most of whom not following Covid protocol — has invited regulatory wrath.

The SpiceJet charter flight had taken off from Madurai on Sunday morning. The couple, Meenakshi Rajesh and Dhikshana, got married while the aircraft was airborne for about two hours. They completed the rituals as the plane circled over the Meenakshi Amman temple, before returning to Madurai.

However, the violation of Covid protocol has cost the airline and the wedding guests dear. A senior official of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said: “The pilots and cabin crew who operated this flight have been off-rostered (taken off duty). The airline has been directed to lodge complaints against those not following Covid-appropriate behaviour with relevant authorities. We have sought all details from the airline and will conduct a detailed inquiry. Action will be taken based on the outcome of the probe.”

NUPTIAL TURBULENCE: Meenakshi Rajesh and Dhikshana performed the rituals as the aircraft circled over the Meenakshi Amman temple

All guests briefed on Covid norms: SpiceJet

SpiceJet says its Boeing 737 was booked by a travel agent for a “post-wedding joy ride” and that all guests were briefed on the norms to be followed in these times both at the airport and onboard, and no permission was given for any activity on board. It said the group was advised to follow the protocols laid down by DGCA including restrictions on photography and videography. “Despite repeated requests and reminders, the passengers did not follow Covid guidelines and the airline is taking appropriate action as per rules,” said a SpiceJet spokesman.

Sources say the airline/ airport staff should have been able to sense the onboard wedding as people boarded the plane with garlands (varmala), with the bride and groom dressed in their trousseau. “On seeing all this, the wedding party should have been warned beforehand to follow all Covid protocol onboard. The violations could have been avoided,” said sources.

Madurai district administration has also served a notice to the airline and the family which hired the plane, seeking an explanation.

Full report on www.toi.in

JEE (M) April-May rounds may be held in July-August

JEE (M) April-May rounds may be held in July-August

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:25.05.2021

In the event of CBSE conducting Class XII board exams in 19 “major subjects” from August 1-20, which is being considered as one of the options amid the pandemic, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is likely to conduct the deferred April and May rounds of JEE (Main) in end of July and August. The agency is also looking at holding NEET-UG for admission to medical courses in pen-paper mode in September, for which registration may start from July 1, NTA sources said.

Sources said the decision to roll out the Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET) will depend on the fate of the Class XII board exams.

Various states are likely to submit their suggestions on conduct of Class XII board and other entrance exams on Tuesday to the ministry of education, and CBSE is likely to review the situation on June 1.

A government source said, “Everything rests on when the Class XII board exams are conducted and in what format. NTA is working on a number of combinations depending on different situations that may arise.”

In case CBSE goes for the second option to hold board exams in two phases, the deferred April round of JEE (Main) is either likely to be held in the second week of July (as the first phase of CBSE exam is likely to commence from July 15 or in the first week of August. “In that case, the May-round of the engineering entrance test may even be pushed to first or second week of September,” the source said.

Full report on www.toi.in

WhatsApp won’t withdraw privacy update

WhatsApp won’t withdraw privacy update

Pankaj.Doval@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:25.05.2021

Under pressure from the government to withdraw its privacy update in India, WhatsApp refused to comply, but issued a face saver, saying it will “not limit the functionality” of users at least till the country gets a data protection law.

The company has been under pressure from the government, fairplay regulator Competition Commission and the courts over its privacy update which it implemented from May

15. WhatsApp says if a user does not want to update to the new norms, the person’s app will not lose any functionality, though the user will surely be sent reminders to step up. “We will not limit the functionality of how WhatsApp works in the coming weeks… We will maintain this approach until at least the forthcoming personal data protection law comes into effect,” a company spokesperson said.

Vaccination of 18-44 years age group in Madurai from today

FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS

Vaccination of 18-44 years age group in Madurai from today

Devanathan.Veerappan@timesgroup.com

Madurai:25.05.2021

The Madurai Corporation is planning to vaccinate people in the 18-44 age group category from essential services sector and volunteers, who are considered to be a high risk group, on Tuesday onwards.

A health official from Madurai district said that vaccination for the high risk group will be carried out through camps. They have been talking with representatives from various sectors such as banking, insurance, TNSTC, medical shop employees and Chamber of Commerce to cover workers in essential industries, railways and vegetable and fruit markets. “We have received 57,000 doses purchased by the state exclusively for people above

18. These will not be given at the regular vaccinations centres since it will get mixed up with the vaccinations given by the centre for the 45 and above category people. Out of the 57,000 doses, 50,000 is Covishield while the rest is Covaxin,” he said.

Special camps for auto rickshaw drivers will be considered after providing jabs for people from other sectors as auto rickshaw operation is banned during the lockdown period, he added.

“We have not got any communication on vaccination for above 18 people from the state government. It might take off after the lockdown period as crowd control amid complete lockdown will be difficult if vaccination is started for them now,” the official added.

Some of the private hospitals in the city resumed vaccination for above 18 people on Monday. Although people were asked to visit the centre after prior booking, there was a huge crowd in hospitals like Apollo in Madurai. Youths stood in line for a long time before their turn. A large number of vehicles were found parked on both sides of the Lake View Road, where the hospital is located.

Stalin urges people to follow all lockdown norms strictly

Stalin urges people to follow all lockdown norms strictly

‘Stringent Lockdown Necessary’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:25.05.2021

Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin on Monday appealed to the people to comply with the stringent lockdown norms to break the chain of transmission of Corona virus and help the state return to normalcy.

Stalin called the intense lockdown, which came into effect on Monday, a “bitter medicine” and said people should take it in the best interest of the state.

The daily cases have crossed 35,000 and it remains scary. States smaller than Tamil Nadu witnessed more than 50,000 Covid cases per day, but the curve was flattening there, he said. Tamil Nadu is inching towards that, said Stalin in a video message. He emphasised the importance of complying with strict lockdown norms, taking vaccine and taking precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. People should not venture out of their houses except for medical emergencies, he said.

Reacting to criticisms that his government was not acting, Stalin said his government, despite being just two-weeks old, had implemented many welfare schemes and taken efforts to bail out the state from the grip of the pandemic.

He justified the decision to go for complete lockdown without relaxations and said a large section of people misused the lockdown that was enforced from May 10 to May 24 early morning.

“The lockdown with relaxations has resulted in a marginal dip in the number of fresh cases, but the pandemic is not under control. Hence, stringent lockdown is necessary,” he said and noted that if the lockdown norms are adhered to, the state can get back to normalcy and ensure industrial growth and development of infrastructure.

The lockdown with relaxations has resulted in a marginal dip in the number of fresh cases, but the pandemic is not under control. Hence, stringent lockdown is necessary

M K Stalin | CHIEF MINISTER