NRI seeks action against ‘him testing positive’ rumour

A 35-year-old NRI from Vedaranyam has petitioned the Collector and demanded legal action against those who spread a rumour he got tested and was found with coronavirus.

Published: 18th March 2020 05:43 AM | 

By Express News Service

NAGAPATTINAM: A 35-year-old NRI from Vedaranyam has petitioned the Collector and demanded legal action against those who spread a rumour he got tested and was found with coronavirus. M Ibrahimsha returned from Saudi Arabia earlier this month and alleged harassment and mental anguish caused by the false news he had contracted coronavirus. EN

Six under observation at Erode med college hosp

The Health Department officials on Tuesday sent six persons, including five Thailand natives, to the Government IRT Perundurai Medical College Hospital to check for the novel Coronavirus infection.

Published: 18th March 2020 05:47 AM |

Thailand nationals with government officials in Erode | Express

By Express News Service

ERODE: The Health Department officials on Tuesday sent six persons, including five Thailand natives, to the Government IRT Perundurai Medical College Hospital to check for the novel Coronavirus infection. 

The health officials said that of the seven persons, who came from Thailand recently and were staying at the Kollampalayam Housing Unit in the district, two were suffering from fever. The duo was sent to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for treatment.

However, as the remaining five persons had not quarantined themselves for 14 days, Deputy Director of Health Dr Soundammal, Erode RDO Dr P Murugesan and police officials visited their house and sent them to the medical college hospital in an ambulance, said Erode Tahsildar Parimaladevi. Similarly, a person who returned from Kerala recently and had no symptom of the pandemic disease was also sent to the hospital. All six persons would be closely monitored for a fortnight, the tahsildar added.

Railway station disinfected

Erode DRO S Kavitha visited Erode Railway Station on Tuesday morning to inspect the disinfection works. Sources said most of the passengers were seen wearing face masks and the railway officials informed them about the anti-COVID-19 measures being taken on the station premises. “On an average, 70-80 trains visit the station daily. So, the railway officials have geared up measures to keep the virus at bay,” sources added.

Meets cancelled

With lockdowns being imposed across the State at all public places in the wake of increasing coronavirus cases, Collector C Kathiravan cancelled all public and farmers grievance day meetings, mass contact programmes and pensioners Adalat among others until March 31 in the district. He appealed to the people to avoid gathering at thoroughfares for the next 15 days.

Have you tasted the new ‘Anti-Corona omelette’ in town?

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” they said. This may help a struggling juice shop owner (sincere apologies for the pun). 

Published: 18th March 2020 05:48 AM 

S Daniel of Madurai, who runs a restaurant, has put up posters announcing ‘Anti-coronavirus Food Festival’. He sells egg and chicken food items at discounted prices since their sales have dropped following COVID-19 outbreak | Express

By Shobana Radhakrishnan

Express News Service

MADURAI: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” they said. This may help a struggling juice shop owner (sincere apologies for the pun). But, nobody has ever told a restauranteur what they should do when life gives them unsold grill chickens and omelettes? Apparently, a local restauranteur cracked it. All he had to do was to prefix the dish names with the term ‘Anti-Corona’; slash the rates and pepper the offer with free immunity-boosting rasam. 

Guess what! Now he has successfully hatched himself out of the chicken and egg situation. S Daniel, runs a restaurant here and has put up posters announcing, “Anti-coronavirus Food Festival”. Speaking to TNIE, Daniel said his attempt was to counter the rumours that eating chicken and egg would cause COVID-19. “The rumours took a toll on our business. The wholesale price of one kg chicken has slumped to Rs46 from Rs146. Similarly, the wholesale price of 30 eggs dropped from Rs145 to Rs100.”

“We understood that playing defense won’t work anymore; hence we switched to an aggressive pricing model,” he added. His strategy of not chickening out of the rumours proved right. “We are getting impressive reception for the offers; we will continue the offers till the end of March,” Daniel says with a grill, oops! grin. 

The offers go like this: Buy Rs200-worth anti-corona chicken grill, get 10 parottas free; buy Rs20-worth anti-corona omelette and Rs500-worth bucket biriyani, get 10 eggs free. You may think that the renaming is just a come-on. Think not, because Daniel offers free immunity-boosting rasam aka Indian soup to every customer. Akin to Daniel, a butcher in Vandiyur is offering one kg chicken free in purchase of one kg meat.

Dip in passenger ratio as apprehension rises

18/03/2020, STAFF REPORTER

With the closure of schools and colleges across the State and fear of coronavirus gripping residents, there has been a significant dip in the occupancy ratio in buses operated by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation in Madurai.

There has been at least a 30% decline in occupancy ratio of city buses, according to officials.

On Tuesday, a considerable number of students vacated college hostels and boarded mofussil buses to neighbouring districts. However, the occupancy ratio is expected to decline further n the coming days.

Most of the city buses are plying with vacant seats, says a TNSTC time keeper. “Buses going towards Tirumangalam are usually crowded. However, only 50% of seats were filled on Tuesday.”

The occupancy ratio of buses plying towards Alanganallur, Vadipatti, Kuruvithurai, Chekkanoorani and Kariapatti has reduced by around 30%, he adds.

S. Mani, who runs a shop near Periyar bus stand, points to increasing awareness among residents of COVID- 19, which is why they may wish to steer clear of public transport. “Also, some businesses are insisting that their employees travel in their own vehicle or use private transport. This can also be a reason for fall in number of passengers,” he says.

When it comes to mofussil buses, a large number of students vacating college hostels boarded buses going to nearby districts including Tiruchi, Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram and Chennai. “Barring the college students, the number of passengers has shrunk over the past few days. Also, at M.G.R. bus stand in Mattuthavani, only buses proceeding towards Paramakudi boasted of full capacity,” says Murugan, Assistant Engineer, M.G.R. Bus Stand.

According to a senior official, a decision has been to reduce around 50 buses plying through main routes from Wednesday. “Once the passenger ratio increases, we will increase the deployment.”

R. Divya, a final-year university student who reached Madurai on Tuesday, says she is apprehensive over whether precautionary measures have been implemented. “We have no option other than to take the bus,” she feels

TNSTC officials, however, have started spraying disinfectants inside and other parts of each and every bus, points out Mr. Murugan.

“The exercise is carried out at the respective depots. Also, we have instructed bus drivers and conductors to wash their hands regularly,” the official adds.

Court dismisses Nirbhaya convict Mukesh’s petition

He said he was not in Delhi that day

18/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,NEW  DELHI/PATNA

A Delhi court on Tuesday rejected the plea of Mukesh Singh, one of the four death row convicts in the December 16, 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, seeking to quash his death penalty claiming that he was not in Delhi on the day of the incident.

In his plea, Mukesh said he was arrested from Rajasthan and brought to Delhi on December 17, 2012, and was not present in the city on December 16, when the crime took place.

The plea also alleged that Mukesh was tortured in Tihar jail.

The public prosecutor told Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana that Mukesh’s plea was frivolous and a tactic to delay the hanging on March 20.

The judge asked the Bar Council of India to give appropriate sensitisation exercise to Mukesh’s counsel M.L. Sharma.

On March 5, a trial court issued fresh warrants, with March 20 at 5.30 a.m., as the date for the execution of Mukesh Singh, 32, Pawan Gupta, 25, Vinay Sharma, 26, and Akshay Kumar Singh, 31.

In another development, the National Human Rights Commission dismissed a plea by the mother of Mukesh Singh seeking its intervention to prevent the death sentence being carried out.

Meanwhile, Akshay’s wife filed a divorce petition in a court in Aurangabad district in northeastern Bihar.

Platform tickets turn dearer in some zones

18/03/2020,NEW DELHI

In a bid to discourage gathering of crowds, some zonal railways have hiked the platform ticket charges from ₹10 to ₹50, officials said. Mumbai, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Ratlam, Rajkot and Bhavnagar in Western zone, Chennai in Southern zone, and Mumbai (CST), Bhusawal, Nagpur, Solapur and Pune in Central zone have witnessed the price rise. PTI

Over 80 trains put on hold over COVID-19

18/03/2020

Over 80 trains have been put on hold across the country citing low occupancy amid outbreak of the COVID-19, even as the Ministry of Railways on Tuesday constituted a “COVID response” team.

“Across Indian Railways, the cancellation percentage has gone up by about 80%,” a statement from the East Coast Railway (ECoR) said. The statement said if required more trains could be cancelled.

The South Central Railway will be cancelling 29 trains. Central Railway has cancelled 23 trains while Western Railways has cancelled ten trains. The number of trains cancelled in the ECoR and the Northern Railways stands at five.