No lockdown for now: Tamil Nadu to Madras high court; EPS junks posts on social media – Times of India

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami

CHENNAI: Scotching rumours about Chennai going under intense lockdown, the state government on Friday informed the Madras high court that it had no such plans for the city or any other part of the state for now.
On his part, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami called a social media post attributing lockdown to him as false. “A message circulating on social media with my photo is a false one. Criminal action will be taken against people who circulate false messages,” the CM told reporters at Mettur in Salem district.
Earlier in the day, additional advocate-general S R Rajagopal told the division bench, “Cases are increasing in Chennai. We have taken stringent steps to contain the spread. But so far there is no proposal to implement 100% lockdown. We are containing streets where cases are high by restricting movement of people.”
Parents should report schools seeking fees: CM
To this, the bench of Justice Vineet Kothari and Justice R Suresh Kumar asked whether reports of people being denied permission to move out of Chennai and authorities denying e-passes were true.
“All such reports are rumours. We are issuing e-passes. District collectors concerned are issuing such passes,” Rajagopal said.
He was making the submission, in response to a question raised on Thursday by the judges as to whether the state had any special scheme to contain the virus spread in the city and its suburbs.
The chief minister, who was in Mettur to release water from the Stanley Reservoir, said some private schools in the state were collecting fees from parents during the lockdown period. “We are requesting parents and public at large to lodge complaints against such schools. We will take strict action against such schools,” he said. Schools will be opened based on the central government’s announcement in that regard, he said.
The chief minister said he had allotted Rs 67.25 crore to desilt canals to benefit tail-end farmers in the delta districts. “We already desilted 3,450km canals and 80% of the works have been completed,” he said.
Asked about the Salem-Chennai green corridor expressway project, the CM said, “it is the need of the hour, as the number of vehicles has been increasing every day. Moreover, it is a central government project and the state government is only acquiring lands,” he said, adding that, agricultural lands were acquired for road projects even during the DMK regime.
As for water scarcity in the state, Palaniswami said district collectors have been asked to utilise funds at their command to address drinking water needs on a warfooting.