Professionals, students travelling abroad yet to get vax certificates

Professionals, students travelling abroad yet to get vax certificates

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru: 15.06.2021

The Karnataka government’s decision to open up vaccination on priority for those seeking employment abroad rekindled hope in 38-year-old Milton (name changed), a seafarer waiting for months to report to work on a Gulf-based shipping vessel.

He rushed to a special camp at Bengaluru City University and took the second dose. That, however, has not ended his wait because he is yet to get his vaccination certificate. “If I get the certificate, I can fly out. I’m not sure when that happens.”

There are 157 other foreignbound working professionals and students whose travel plans are stuck over vaccination certificates. Covishield was administered to both categories, including those seeking a second dose after a 28-day gap.

Visa rush freezes US embassy portal

A scramble for interview slots among applicants who have to join US colleges led to glitches on the embassy portal as it resumed processing student visas on Monday. Applicants who kept refreshing looking for a slot were eventually locked out for “suspicious activity” for 72 hours. P 8

None who took 2nd dose got vaccine certificate

The government had organized a drive at the university campus to enable vaccination for students and employees heading abroad. While BBMP officials claimed the impasse is because CoWin does not recognize second doses given before the now-specified 84-day gap, a senior bureaucrat said the issue was rectified on Sunday to accommodate this category of vaccine recipients.

Under the new guidelines, the gap between two doses of Covishield is 84 days. But the state allowed students and professionals to avail the second dose within 28 days due to concerns that their travel plans could be in peril if the nations they are visiting insist on vaccination certificates.

The vaccination drive for 1,470 students and professionals was conducted between June 1 and 11. While all those who took their first dose got their certificates, none of the 158 persons who received their second dose has got it.

“The second certificate will be issued by registering on CoWin with a different phone number (belonging to the person or any family member) and not the one used earlier for the registration. We’ve collected and verified their data to ensure there are no errors. We will share details with BBMP,” said Lingaraju Gandhi, vice-chancellor, Bengaluru City University.

BBMP officials admitted to the issue. “The CoWin glitch was explained to the beneficiaries before the drive. Some became panicky, have been repeatedly asking about the certificate. The issue is being sorted out,” said an officer.

“Registering with a different mobile number could show a different date of vaccination than from the actual. The certificate may show the day of second registration as that of vaccination,” said a source. A BBMP officer said a similar problem could be faced by those who have taken the first dose in the drive.

Scramble for student visas freezes US embassy portal

Scramble for student visas freezes US embassy portal

Saurabh Sinha & Hemali Chhapia TNN

New Delhi/Mumbai

15.06.2021

A scramble for interview slots among applicants who have to join US colleges this fall led to glitches on the embassy portal as it resumed processing student visas in India on Monday.

“We are aware of the high demand for student visa appointments. Please remember, do not refresh too often, as you may be locked out of your account. Appointments remain available at all posts, and we will continue to add appointments as conditions allow,” the US Embassy said in a tweet on Monday after it resumed the process of facilitating travel for those who have to join colleges in July and August.

Students who kept refreshing in the hope of booking a slot were eventually locked out for “suspicious activity” for 72 hours. By afternoon, the site had a message that said: “We are down for maintenance”.

The embassy’s tweet warning students not to refresh too often drew scores of replies. “My account got locked without a prior warning. Many others are facing this issue too. Request you to unlock the accounts, at least this time,” said one. The consulate had held a webinar on June10 to hand out information on visas interviews and pre-boarding requirements. Officials had assured candidates that everyone would get a slot once the process opened. “Student visas remain a top priority for the US Mission to India and we are making every attempt to facilitate student travel in time for the fall semester,” the embassy had said.

However, an aspirant who is flying out for a post-doctoral programme said, “There was no clarity on the time when the embassy would open appointment slots. Many logged in a little after midnight. When we realized the site was not accepting bookings, we slept for a bit and logged in again early in the morning.” Another candidate said slots did open initially for Delhi and Kolkata, but as demand surged and applicants kept refreshing, they were locked out.

Study abroad counsellor Pratibha Jain said, “This is the first time the consulate website has crashed. I am surprised they did not anticipate the rush. Nobody was able to open the site. Going by the previous numbers about 80,000 to1 lakh students must have logged in at the same time; it is like opening a two-by-two door for entry into a large stadium; there is going to be a stampede.” Another counsellor added: “Ideally, the process should have been staggered.” Students who have been locked out have requested the embassy to unblock their accounts. One applicant’s father tweeted asking for locked accounts to be reopened: “Please empathise and let not our kids go through more stress.” Another said: “The site kept crashing leaving us with no choice but to log in multiple times and now we’ve been blocked for 72 hours.”

Students who kept refreshing in the hope of booking a slot were eventually locked out for “suspicious activity” for 72 hours

Doctors from govt colleges hold protest demanding stipend hike

Doctors from govt colleges hold protest demanding stipend hike

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:15.06.2021

Around 300 resident doctors from major government medical colleges in Chennai gathered at Stanley Medical College Hospital on Monday and staged a black-badge demonstration as their stipend hike demand goes unanswered.

These postgraduate doctors, who have been treating covid patients since the onset of the pandemic, claimed that their monthly stipend remained unchanged for years now.

A non-service PG in Tamil Nadu receives ₹37,000 to ₹47,000 as monthly stipend from the government. This was the lowest in the country, claim Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors’ Association (TNRDA), which met Chief Minister MK Stalin, Health Minister Ma Subramanian and other health authorities recently to present their demand.

Their counterparts at Gujarat earn double of what they earn now. PGs in other states like Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh resorted to statewide protests boycotting work. Subsequently, these state governments were forced to revise the pay.

R Vignesh from TNRDA said, “We don’t want to disturb services or treatment offered to patients in any way. That is why we organised a demonstration in which only doctors,who were off-duty or in their resting hours, participated”.

Once covid cases started to reduce, there is a huge backlog of non-covid cases and surgeries to be done. So PG doctors and Compulsory Rotatory Residential Interns (CRRIs) will once again start to work 18 hours a day. So the government should soon provide us with a respectable increase in stipend, he added.

TNRDA wanted the state to increase the stipend annually by 10% so that their juniors will not face the same issue a few years down the line. Though TN ministers have not said no to their demand and agreed to make a proposal, there is nothing official yet.

A senior health official in response said that they were provided with a one-time incentive of ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 and their food, quarantine expenses at star hotelsweretaken careof by the government. Their current demand about stipend is also under discussion, he said.

UP IN ARMS: Resident doctors of city government hospitals during a black-badge protest at Stanley Medical College and Hospital on Monday

No income, Snake Park staring at closure

No income, Snake Park staring at closure

Oppili.P@timesgroup.com

Chennai:15.06.2021 

The city’s iconic snake park, a pioneer in educating people on reptiles, is staring at closure. Since March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, collection from visitors, the main source of revenue, has dwindled and the authorities are struggling to pay salaries to workers.

In normal times, executive chairman S Paulraj said, the annual revenue through visitor entry tickets was around ₹75 lakh (₹6.5 lakh-₹7 lakh per month). Of this, nearly ₹4 lakh a month was spent on salaries for the 20-plus workers and another ₹2 lakh for feeding the reptiles.

Now, with the park locked down and reserve funds fast depleting, it is crisis time, he said. Last year, the park managed the salaries and feed expenses, thanks to some generous donations, Paulraj said.

Despite the tremendous difficulties in getting funds, the park at the height of the pandemic managed to successfully breed Gangetic Ghariyals and pythons in captivity. “This is considered an important achievement with regard to conservation, but it has added to the financial stress of the park,” he said.

The park now houses about 300 reptiles comprising 20 species of snakes, three species of crocodiles, lizards and turtles.

In an effort to tide over the crisis, it has been proposed to run the park with a reduced staff strength and with a 50% pay for the next couple of months.

The Trust that runs the park, being a non-profit organization, has not retained the excess revenue of the past years and has appealed to both the state governor and chief minister to provide funds for running the park and to overcome the financial conditions, he added.

CITY LANDMARK: Indian rock python hatchlings hatched successfully at the snake park in July 2020, at the height of the pandemic

Footfalls at rly stns, airport up as many return to city following relaxations

Footfalls at rly stns, airport up as many return to city following relaxations

Trains From South TN Full; Most Have To Return To Work

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:15.06.2021 

People who left the city before the lockdown was imposed have started returning since more relaxations kicked in on Monday. Tambaram and Egmore railway stations saw a good crowd that arrived by early morning trains in the past two days.

The number of flights and passengers arriving at Chennai airport outnumbered departures in the past two days. On June 13, there were 53 flight arrivals and 50 departures, with 4,744 reaching the city while only 3,898 left. An airport official said there has been a marginal increase in passenger arrivals in the past few days and airlines are increasing services to Chennai.

Sleeper class coaches in trains that arrived from southern towns were full on Monday. Most of the people were returning from their hometowns to the city for work. As crowds swelled, physical distancing norms and mask compliance were not followed at the railway stations.

Bhagavat Kumar, who travelled from Kanyakumari by KanyaKumari Express, said, “The reserved coaches were full. Many tickets were available a few days ago for travel on Sunday. But they sold out fast soon after the government announced new relaxations later in the week. Tatkal bookings were quick on Saturday for travel by Sunday evening train.” Kumar decided to return to Chennai as he needed to report to office for work. “Most of the people in my coach were returning to the city to join work,” he added.

Many passengers arrived early in the morning and waited for autos and cabs outside the Tambaram station. It took some time for the crowd to clear out as there weren’t enough vehicles available for hire.

A railway official said more people arrived by Sunday morning trains at Egmore and Tambaram railway stations. “Egmore alone saw around 8,000 passengers arriving on Sunday. The number was marginally low on Monday morning as many had reached the city a day early to report to work,” he added.

As rail traffic has increased on inter-state trains to major metros, railways will resume the bi-weekly Rajdhani special to Nizamuddin from June 18 and have already started a special on Yesvantpur-Howrah via Katpadi route.

Similarly, railways have increased frequency of Hatia-Yesvantpur-Hatia special passing via Katpadi, Jolarpet from weekly on June 6. An additional sleeper class coach and an AC III tier coach will be added to Nagercoil – Gandhidham-Nagercoil special from June 22.

BACK TO THE CAPITAL: People who arrived by trains early in the morning had to wait outside Tambaram railway station as enough autos, cabs were not available

Air travel to resume for those who are vaccinated

Air travel to resume for those who are vaccinated

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:15.06.2021 

After a lull, international travel is set to resume for travellers who have been vaccinated.

Notifications by Spain, Netherlands, France, Mauritius, Russia and Croatia to allow vaccinated travellers with or without negative RT-PCR reports in the coming weeks has brought cheer for travellers and the travel industry.

Those who have taken the vaccine and carry a negative report will be exempted from the 14 days quarantine, a stumbling block that stopped people from travelling.

Travel and tour operators say the easing of curbs will help people in the city who are waiting to travel for education, work and for leisure and expect to improve confidence among the travellers. Slots for US visas is also recording a high demand.

However, the hesitancy shown by Singapore and Malaysia is considered a drawback because these two destinations were once quite popular among travellers for leisure, education and work, tour operators said.

Subhash Goyal, chairman, Stic Travel Group, said that it was a positive sign that countries have begun opening up and have also started to issue visas for travel.

“This is the time for the government to start resuming scheduled international flights at least from mid-July. It can be done first to countries with which we have an 'air bubble' agreement because flights are being operated on these routes already," he said.

He also said that the government should take part in IATA travel passes.

Countries that have stopped travel have been issuing visas. This will boost the revival of international travel.

Basheer Ahmed of Chennai Metro Travels said that "The rules and need for documentation vary from one country to another but all the countries have decided to allow travellers to enter. Those who have got their vaccines can avoid expensive quarantines in foreign countries."

France and the US are not allowing leisure travellers. The initial traffic will be students and those who travel for work.

Sandeep Todi, who is planning to travel to the US for work, said that the easing down of the situation has raised the hope of all including students.

The travel and tour operators are also advising customers to follow precautions.

E-registration must for travel within city

E-registration must for travel within city

I have to travel from Royapuram to Purasaiwalkam to a bank with my mother, Since I will be travelling by a cab, do I need an epass? What option should I select as the reason for travel? — Veena

The government has permitted travel within the city only with e-registration. There is no separate category for travel for banking purposes. You may have to wait till the lockdown is over.

‘Other industries’ in Chennai are allowed to work with 33% workforce from 14 June under the new relaxation. What are the time restrictions? — Vinod Patel

There is no time restriction mentioned by the government.

Can I travel to colleges regarding admission for my son? — Soumiya Sree

Colleges have moved admissions online to avoid parents and students coming to the campus during lockdown.

I am a caretaker for an old age home in the outskirts of Tambaram. I live in Chennai city limits. There is no provision for inter-district travel for this category. Can I travel? — Soundararajan K

There is no provision to allow people to travel inter-district under the caretaker category. You may have to make alternative arrangements.

The government has allowed educational institutions to open for admission purposes. However, some colleges have asked all staff to report to college. Is this allowed? Need more clarity on the guideline. — Bala

The government has permitted colleges and schools to carry out admission related administrative work at the campus. Staff needed for this work can be told to come for work.

I need to go to Guduvancherry from Chennai to look after my aged parents. Do I need to take e-pass? if yes, in which category? — Prasanna R

You may have to apply for an eregistration under medical emergency to travel for the purpose.

FOR COVID-19 RELATED QUERIES AND EMERGENCIES

Helpline: 108/ 104 or 044-4612 2300/ 044 2538 4520 For bed availability, visit: https://stopcorona.tn.gov.in/beds.php