Covid cases rise in Kerala, Centre sends team

Covid cases rise in Kerala, Centre sends team

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:30.07.2021

In the wake of a sharp and persistent increase in daily new cases of Covid-19 in Kerala, the Centre has sent a high -evel team to the southern state to support in the effective public health interventions in order to contain the infection spread.

Kerala recorded on Thursday more than 22,000 new Covid-19 cases for the second consecutive day. The state with an active case load of 1.54 lakh is contributing 37.1% of the total active cases, with a growth rate of 1.41 (percent/ nos??) in the last seven days. The state is also reporting a high positivity of 12.93%, while six of its districts have more than 10% weekly positivity.

Central sources said Kerala, in mid-May 2021 was reporting a high of more than 43,000 new cases a day and this began to decline there on to the first week of June. But from June third week to date, daily new cases are rising in a gradual and consistent manner with Kerala recently reporting more than 22,000 new cases in a day. This is more than 50% of the peak witnessed by Kerala in mid-May.

The health ministry is concerned that since June first week, Kerala is also reporting a high number of daily Covid deaths. In the first week, daily new Covid deaths were 227 and remain more than 150 deaths a day. Of the 4,00,000-odd active cases in India, 1.5 lakh are in Kerala alone. There is a 13% increase In average daily new cases in the last eight weeks. There is also concern over a dip in testing in the July 22-28 week.

The Centre has also warned the state of rising number of cases and advised stringent containment measures along with compliance to physical distancing and other Covid-appropriate norms, an official said.

The team sent to the state is headed by Dr S K Singh, director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), one of the country's top experts in monitoring public health.

“The team shall work closely with the state health departments, take stock of the on ground situation and recommend necessary public health interventions to contain the large number of cases being reported,” the health ministry said.

The Centre is also concerned as the latest national sero-prevalence survey shows only 44% of Kerala’s population above the age of six years had so far been infected by Covid-19. This implies that majority of the population is susceptible to the infection and in the absence of effective containment measure, the spread can be wider.

Student rush: AI doubling flights to US from Aug 7

Student rush: AI doubling flights to US from Aug 7

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:30.07.2021

Air India is doubling its non-stop flights to the US from August 7 as a large number of Indians head to universities there this fall.

It had reduced the number of weekly flights from about 40 to under 10 when the catastrophic second wave of Covid-19 here saw the US imposing restrictions on travellers from India starting May 4.

Now the airline will operate at least 21 flights per week to the US, with the maximum increase in flights to New York (JFK and Newark or EWR), followed by those to Chicago and San Francisco, say people in the know. United, the only other airline with nonstops between the two countries, is not altering India flight frequencies for now.

“Flights to the US had to be curtailed after the US presidential proclamation restricting air traffic from India. Flights were combined and rescheduled, affecting travel itineraries for some. Frequency to US has now been enhanced from August and all-out efforts to accommodate passengers are on,” Air India said on social media.

Before May 4, the air bubble requirement for a majority of travellers between India and the US to fly direct saw AI operating almost as many flights to America as it did in pre-pandemic times. The May 4 restrictions meant there were very few eligible to fly from here to the US and the reduced demand led to AI slashing flights.

Centre sanctions new Karaikal-Peralam line part of ₹177cr project

Centre sanctions new Karaikal-Peralam line part of ₹177cr project

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

30.07.2021

The Union railway ministry has sanctioned a 23km-long line to provide direct connectivity from Karaikal to Peralam as a part of the Trichy-Thanjavur-Nagore-Karaikal gauge conversion project at ₹177.69 crore, said Union railwaysminister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Karaikal is Puducherry’s enclave 150km south of its headquarters while Peralam is in Tiruvarur district.

In a written response to queries raised by Puducherry Lok Sabha MP V Vaithilingam in Parliament on Wednesday, Vaishnaw said the ministry submitted land acquisition proposals for 3.2 hectares to the Tamil Nadu government in September 2019 for the project.

He added that the ministry requested the government to expedite land acquisition and work is underway on available land.

To a query on expected time of completion of the project, the minister maintained that it cannot be ascertained at this stage of the project.

“Completion of a railway project depends on various factors like expeditious land acquisition by the state government, shifting of infringing utilities, statutory clearances from various authorities, geological and topographical conditions of area, law and order situation in the area of project site, number of working months in a year for a particular project etc. and all these factors affect the completion time of project. As such, confirm completion time of the project cannot be ascertained at this stage,” the Vaishnaw said.

The Union railway ministry submitted land acquisition proposals for 3.2 hectares to the TN government in September 2019 for the project

Eminent doctor honoured

Eminent doctor honoured

30.07.2021  Times of India 

30.07.2021

Dr T S Chandrasekar, founder chairman and chief interventional gastroenterologist, MedIndia Hospitals, was appointed as honorarydistinguished professor of The Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University in recognition of his contribution to medical education. TNN

‘TN can reopen colleges for vaccinated kids’

‘TN can reopen colleges for vaccinated kids’

Online Classes Ineffective, Say Educationists

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:30.07.2021

Saying online classes were ineffective, educationists and academicians urged the state to consider reopening colleges for vaccinated students. They sought staggered reopening of colleges, vaccinating students and reopening schools for higher classes.

This follows higher education minister Ponmudi’s announcement on Wednesday that online classes for engineering, arts and science students, except for first year students, would commence on August 9.

Anna University former vice-chancellor E Balagurusamy said no learning takes place in online classes. “A majority of rural students cannot attend online classes as they have connectivity issues. Those who attend cannot fully understand the classes and use mobiles for other purposes. While the state government opened everything including Tasmac, hotels, markets and malls, why not colleges? Colleges should be allowed to conduct face-to-face classes from August while following all safety protocols,” he said.

Madras University former vice-chancellor S P Thyagarajan said a survey conducted across 30 countries found a 40% gap in learning in online mode. “The quality of material used also contributed to the deficit in learning. It is good to allow students 18 years and above to come to colleges. On campus vaccination camps should be allowed and classes can resume by following guidelines,” he said.

He added that students were facing psychological issues due to the pandemic and the institutions need to make them feel comfortable. "Parents also need counselling so they will not get in the way of children’s education,” he said.

Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers Association (TNGCTA) president T Veeramani said the decision should be based on scientific data. “There is a question of who will take responsibility if a Covid cluster emerge after reopening. If the government is ready to take that responsibility, they can reopen,” he said.

Dr P Kuganantham, former city health officer, said, vaccinated students should be allowed to attend classes. “Colleges can follow a shift system to maintain physical distance. The seropositivity rate is 84% for the city and 64% for the state. If we vaccinate more people by September, we can be hopeful for herd immunity for third wave,” he said.

6 months after N Chennai metro line opened, Theradi stn not ready

6 months after N Chennai metro line opened, Theradi stn not ready

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.07.2021

It has been nearly six months since seven of the eight metro stations commenced service in north Chennai, but Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is yet to ready Thiruvottiyur Theradi, a station that is expected to boost footfalls.

The elevated station links the bazaar area in Thiruvottiyur and an ancient temple frequented by people from many of the city and the suburbs.

The station was initially expected to be ready in June and later by August, but on Thursday, workers were still busy on the platform level as both the interior and the exterior of the station looked unfinished. The station is one of the eight stations on the 9km Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar line. The station connects the road directly to the platform level through a staircase and does not have a concourse or ticketing level.

“Most likely, the station will be ready by the end of this year,” a worker at the site said. “By the time we get to the finishing work and the exterior, monsoon might start. That may affect our work,” the worker added. At present, metro trains skip past the station.

Officials said the delay in acquiring land for the station, change in alignment of the elevated corridor and back-to-back pandemic induced lockdowns resulted in the failure to meet the deadline.

The elevated viaduct leading to the station is at its highest level on the 9km phase-1 extension corridor at 17m from the road level. The elevation was made to allow movement of the temple chariot during the annual festival of a Pallava period temple in the area.

In June and July, the average footfalls in the seven north Chennai stations were 9,177, which is 21% of the average daily ridership of 44,852 across all 39 stations. When Theradi station opens, commuters said it could significantly boost the patronage.

Metro work near Porur slows traffic to crawl in peak hours

Metro work near Porur slows traffic to crawl in peak hours

Barricades in Middle Of The Road Create Bottleneck

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:30.07.2021

Traffic on the Mount-Poonamallee Road has slowed to a crawl as work has begun on the Poonamallee-Porur elevated corridor of the Chennai Metro’s phase-2.

Barricades have come up in the middle of the road at various points causing a traffic jam during the morning and evening peak hours. At least 1.75 lakh vehicles use the Mount-Poonamallee road every day.

Even vehicles going to places such as Maduravoyal, Red Hills, and Ambattur take this stretch. And with the road width being reduced for Metro piling work, traffic flow is hit. The worst stretch is between Porur and Iyyappanthangal.

“The Porur flyover brought some respite to the traffic woes and people were travelling hassle free for a couple of months. The traffic jam is worse between Porur junction and Kattupakkam during peak hours. Immediate measures have to be implemented to streamline the traffic,” said K Baskar, Tiruvallur resident-activist.

“Luckily many IT companies are still working from home and schools remain closed. The situation will not remain the same. The traffic congestion will turn worse when more vehicles start to flow in. Now I think the work will take at least five years to get completed,” says Palani, an employee of a private hospital in Iyyappanthangal.

“We will try to make it hassle-free for the public as much as possible. We are holding talks with the officials concerned. As of now there are no diversion plans as it is a wide road between Porur and Poonamallee. We will also get feedback from the public and bring in changes,” said a traffic police officer.

The Chennai Metro’s 118.9km phase 2 has three corridors and is expected to be completed by 2026. The three corridors are Poonamallee-Light House, Madhavaram-Sholinganallur, and Madhavaram-SIPCOT.