City divided into 348 grids; e-registration must for travel

City divided into 348 grids; e-registration must for travel

No Entry From One Grid To Another Without Pass

Selvaraj.a@timesgroup.com

Chennai:19.05.2021 

In a novel initiative to contain lockdown violations by motorists, the Greater Chennai Police have divided the city into 348 grids and allowed intergrid movement only if roadusers had valid e-registration.

A press release from commissioner of police Shankar Jiwal’s office clarified that an epass or e-register is mandatory for anyone stepping out of their houses after 10am or before 6am. Those who don’t possess these valid registrations will not be allowed to enter from one grid to another.

The move, however, caught commuters by surprise, resulting in chaos and traffic pileups at key junctions and thoroughfares on Tuesday morning.

Commissioner Jiwal came out with the detailed traffic curbs shortly after chief minister M K Stalin’s review meeting for top police officers.

As per the new plan, the 138 police stations in city limits have been divided into 348 grids called sectors. Cops barricaded roads and allowed movement only on a handful of routes so as to enable police to verify and allow only those who had e-registrations or and frontline workers out on essential purposes. Commuters without valid documents to justify their movement outside their respective sectors were disallowed from proceeding any further.

Due to the strict enforcement, places like Spencer’s signal witnessed a big pile-up of vehicles disallowed from using the stretch. After making lockdown violators spend about an hour in the hot sun, police let them go with a warning. Similar scenes were witnessed in traffic junctions at Nandanam, Teynampet, Thiruvanmiyur, Adyar, near Gandhi statue on Kamarajar Salai, Saidapet, Guindy, Ashok Nagar and few more places. City traffic police inspector V Praveen said, “we stopped the bikes and cars at key intersections and allowed them to drive one after another, making a beeline, so that we can verify their credentials.”

Another traffic police officer at Teynampet said, “we formed two lanes – one for cars and the other for bikes -- at Teynampet junction. It was a little chaotic initially, but later it became smooth.” However, arguments broke out when a few doctors and journalists out on duty too were caught up in the melee. Many took to the social media slamming city police for enforcing the curbs without adequate prior intimation or publicity.

Traffic pile up on main roads led motorists to take a detour and crowd narrow streets to reach their destinations.

On Monday, meanwhile, Chennai police slapped 2,855 cases on people for flouting lockdown norms.

FOLLOW THE RULES: People travelling without e-pass and proper travel documents during lockdown were stopped at Anna Salai by police personnel on Tuesday

HC orders sacked govt employee to undergo mental evaluation

TRIED TO BRIBE CJ OF MADRAS HC

HC orders sacked govt employee to undergo mental evaluation

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:19.05.2021

A special court for corruption cases has directed a former government servant to undergo medical check-up at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Kilpauk after he claimed he was suffering from mental illness. He is facing a case of attempting to bribe high court judges.

“The expert shall examine the accused and take all necessary tests as per medical jurisprudence and submit a report whether the accused can understand court proceedings and capable of making defence. The accused shall co-operate with the medical expert, failing which adverse inference will be drawn against him,” said special judge J Omprakash.

The accused, after being terminated from service, had appealed twice before the high court and after both appeals were dismissed, he wrote to the chief justice of Madras high court seeking a job and enclosed ₹10,000 for a ‘favourable order’.

Based on a complaint from the registrar of the high court, an FIR was registered by the Central Crime Branch and he was arrested.

Police filed the final report and the special court had taken cognizance of the report on November 11, 2020.

When the case came up for trial, the accused appeared before the court and raised various grounds to discharge him from the case. He said he was suffering from mental illness between 2012 and 2014 and that he continued psychiatric treatment for the illness till date.

The court noted from his medical records which stated that the accused was suffering from recurrent depressive disorder and took treatment at Tiruvannamalai medical college from December 2020 until March 2021.

After perusing the submissions, special judge passed an interim order directing the accused to appear before the director of IMH for mental evaluation.

Doctors, journalists exempted from Chennai’s e-pass rule

Doctors, journalists exempted from Chennai’s e-pass rule

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:19.05.2021 

Police commissioner Shankar Jiwal on Tuesday exempted doctors, health workers, lawyers, journalists, essential commodities staff, state and central government employees, secretariat staff, embassy and consulate officials from carrying e-registration passes while travelling in the city.

However, they have to show their identity cards when asked.

The police are advised to have an exclusive lane for the ambulance vehicles to ply through the city without any stops, the release added.

If anyone is stopped by cops despite displaying their identity cards, they can contact public relations officer M S Baskar on his mobile 9498130011 or on the landline 04423452320.

On Tuesday morning, chaos prevailed on city roads as cops blocked roads to check e-passes.

The city police seized 4,107 vehicles from lockdown violators, and a fine amount of ₹16,57,500 was collected from them. Apart from them, the city police booked cases against 3,044 people for not wearing face masks and cases against 345 people for not maintaining social distancing.

As per a release, the health workers, doctors, journalists, essential commodities staff, state and central government staff, secretariat staff, embassy and consulate officials and lawyers have been allowed to travel in the city without availing the e registration pass

TN medicos want govt to increase stipend

TN medicos want govt to increase stipend

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:18.05.2021

Post graduate and super speciality doctors, who treat Covid-19 patients at government hospitals, have requested chief minister MK Stalin to increase their stipend.

These doctors (non-service) claim that they are paid only ₹37,000 to ₹47,000 as stipend per month, lowest in the country.

For instance, a M.D/M.S (Doctor of Medicine/Master of Surgery) postgraduate in Gujarat earns ₹84,000 to ₹87,500 and those in super speciality wards are paid up to Rs1,12,000 -- almost double of what a TN PG medico earns. Recently, many states such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Maharashtra have increased the stipend amount for PG doctors, acknowledging their service during the pandemic. But Tamil Nadu has not revised the stipend amount for over three years.

Keerthi Varman, president of Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association said, “We are working for almost 100 hours every week but we are paid a pittance.

Even final year MBBS (undergraduate) students, who were roped in by Greater Chennai Corporation for Covid-19 duty, are earning more (₹40,000 per month) compared to a PG doctor in Chennai Medical College hospitals".

Another PG student from Stanley Medical College Hospital, who tested positive for Covid last week, said they hardly get four to five hours of sleep every day and work in life-threatening conditions. Staff nurses, who work on six-seven hour shifts, get the same pay as PGs.

"We are not asking for extra. All we are requesting is something we deserve," he said, requesting anonymity.

A senior state health department official rejected the PG doctors' allegation and said that they were paid ₹75,000 to ₹90,000 per month as remuneration for Covid work at par with top central medical institutions.

The government has recently given a one-time incentive of ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 too, he said.

"Alongside this, they are provided one-week quarantine at star hotels after every 6-7 days of service in Covid wards. The government takes care of their accommodation and food expenses," he said.

Though PGs accept that they are provided quarantine facilities, they denied the health authority's claim about stipend amount. According to their bank statement, they received ₹37,000- ₹47,000 as stipend in April.

NURSING STUDENTS GET VACCINATED

NURSING STUDENTS GET VACCINATED

SAFETY FIRST: Nursing students working at the Covid-19 ward of Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai wait for their Covid vaccine doses at the Elango Corporation School on Monday

‘Be transparent about Covid toll; can’t blame the new government’

TWO MADRAS HC RULINGS GO GOVT’s WAY

18.05.2021 

‘Be transparent about Covid toll; can’t blame the new government’

Chennai: Amidst allegations of under-reporting of Covid-19 deaths in Tamil Nadu, Madras high court emphasised the need for accurate reporting of such deaths to ensure adequate supply of drugs and oxygen proportionate to the severity of the spread in the state.

“No one can blame this particular government for this (since it took charge only 10 days ago). So, therefore, this government should be particularly keen in ensuring reporting of every Covid death so that the allocation (of vaccines, drugs and oxygen) is adequate and appropriate,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said on Monday. “We are one of the leading states in the country, we are pretty educated and our health care facilities are among the best in the country, so this would be an ideal place for a case study,” the court asserted.

“We are not saying that the government is inducing it (under-reporting), maybe at the local level people feel if they under-report it would be better. Government should take steps and encourage that the reporting is accurate,” the judges said. TNN

‘Cannot interfere with the state’s lockdown decision on industries’

Chennai: In a setback to employees of automobile manufacturing and allied industries in Tamil Nadu, Madras high court has refused to interfere in the exemption granted to such units to function despite the complete lockdown implemented in the state.

“It is a decision which appears to have been taken after deliberate consideration of the present situation. It is the matter for the particular industry to look after the welfare of its employees and also to consider the prospects of the industry,” the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said on Monday.

“We can only make an appeal to the industries to ensure that the best Covid protocol is maintained, please have as little staff as possible during this period to live up to the spirit of the lock down,” the bench said.

The bench made the observations on PILs moved by employee unions of Renault Nissan and Wipro Infrastructure challenging the exemption granted to the units during the lockdown. TNN

Shanthimalar is new dean of KMC

Shanthimalar is new dean of KMC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:18.05.2021

State health department has appointed Dr R Shanthimalar as the new dean of Kilpauk Medical College after transferring Dr Vasanthamani P as the section committee secretary.

Dr Shanthimalar was working as secretary and additional director of medical education before taking over administration of the Kilpauk Medical College, one of the five state run Covid-19 hospitals. Dr Vasanthamani, one of the senior-most doctors in the state, will be incharge of medical, dental, nursing and other paramedical courses in the state.

Meanwhile, Dr J Sangumani, dean of Madurai Medical College, and Dr A Rathinavel, dean of Sivaganga Medical College, have swapped positions. Similar swaps have happened between Dr R Murugesan, dean of Government Salem Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital and Dr Valli Sathiyamoorthy, deancum special officer, Government Medical College in Tiruppur; and between Dr R Suganthy Rajakumari, dean, government Kanyakumari Medical College, Asaripallam, and Dr B Tiruvasagamani, dean cum special officer, Government Medical College, Virudhunagar.