Chennai Live News: Covid cases rising, Tamil Nadu announces complete lockdown this Sunday – The Indian Express

Chennai News

A Nagercoil Municipal Corporation worker checks the pulse rate and the oxygen level in the blood of a COVID-19 patient with a pulse oximeter, at a COVID care centre in Kanyakumari district, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (PTI Photo)

Chennai, Tamil Nadu Live News: Amidst surge in Covid-19 infections, CM MK Stalin has announced complete lockdown from January 23 in Tamil Nadu. Chennai accounts of a total 6,76,147 Covid cases. As many as 8,011 were discharged on December 20 leaving 62,007 active infections.

In view of the rising Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu, state Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy on Friday announced that all semester examinations for colleges across the state will be conducted online between February 1 to February 20.

Actor Siddharth has been summoned by the Greater Chennai Police over his controversial tweet against Indian ace shutter Saina Nehwal. Addressing reporters on Thursday, Chennai Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal said, “We have received two complaints regarding (the tweet). A case had already been registered over one of the complaints in Hyderabad, the second complaint involves a defamation. We have already issued a summons. Since it is a pandemic period, we are thinking how we can get his statement.”

In other news, the death of a Class 12 girl, days after she consumed pesticide in her school hostel, snowballed into a social media campaign and led to local protests by Hindu outfits in Tanjavur on Thursday after BJP and VHP leaders circulated a 47-second video of the girl purportedly accusing the school management of troubling her after she refused to convert to Christianity.

The Thirukattupalli police in the district on Friday said they have arrested the warden of a missionary school hostel here allegedly in connection with the alleged suicide of a plus-two girl student, even as the BJP alleged a conversion bid by the school management to be the cause of the suicide.
         
Police said the warden has been arrested and remanded. Thanjavur Superintendent of Police G Ravali Priya warned of action by invoking the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act and certain IPC sections against those spreading fake news of the 17-year-old girl’s death.
      
The warden was remanded after the Thanjavur judicial magistrate took the dying declaration of the girl and following the recording of statement by the police. “The case is now under investigation,” she said and warned against anyone circulating or revealing the identity, photo, video, address of the victimised juvenile or her dying declaration in the social media as it is an offence. (PTI)

On January 23, Tamil Nadu will implement complete lockdown. Only essential services from last week will be allowed movement. Auto-rickshaw and taxi near railway stations will be allowed as well.

In view of the rising Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu, state Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy on Friday announced that all semester examinations for colleges across the state will be conducted online between February 1 to February 20. 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin Friday launched a mobile-based application called Complete Leave APP (CLAPP) for police personnel in Chennai to apply for leave and get it sanctioned.

The opposition DMK on Friday slammed the AINRC headed NDA government in Puducherry for ‘ignoring’ the woes of farmers in the Union Territory. DMK opposition Leader in the territorial Assembly R Siva said in a release that farmers were now facing hardship in storing paddy and the six procurement centres the government had promised were yet to be opened.

“Middlemen are trying to exploit the situation and purchase the paddy at an exceptionally low price,” he claimed. While the government had fixed Rs 20.51 as the price per kilo of paddy, middlemen were pestering the farmers to dispose the paddy harvested during the current samba season at Rs 16 a kilo.  “The procurement centres should be opened without delay,” Siva said. (PTI)

Puducherry witnessed a dip in number of daily cases of coronavirus with 2,528 infections being reported in the last twenty-four hours ending 10 a.m. on Friday while the active cases increased. The new cases were identified at the end of examination of 6,093 samples.

The active cases however shot up to 14,122 against 13,053 cases on Thursday. While 139 of the 14,122 active cases were in hospitals the remaining 13,983 cases were in home isolation. Of the 2,528 cases reported today, Puducherry accounted for 1,985 cases followed by 411 in Karaikal, 105 in Yanam and twenty-seven in Mahe region. The overall tally of cases touched 1,47,870. (PTI)

Chennai Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal Thursday said as many as 548 police personnel have been infected by Covid-19 in the third wave. 

He added they have been following the Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) and the moment anyone tests positive, they are immediately taken in an ambulance to testing centres and after the result, they are taken to triage where they are directed to CCC or hospital or been advised home Isolation based on their condition. He said based upon their request, the Chennai Corporation has even allocated a separate block with a 148-bed facility for police and their families at the Nandabakkam Trade Centre.

The Commissioner added they are also providing them psychological support for their staff members.

The Madras High Court on Thursday restrained poet Leena Manimekalai, play-back singer Chinmayi and journalist Dhanya Rajendran from making defamatory statements against film director Susi Ganeshan. Social media platforms Twitter, FaceBook and WhatsApp were restrained from publishing such statements against the film-maker. Justice Abdul Quddhose granted the injunction while passing interim orders on an application arising out of a civil suit filed by Susi Ganeshan. Read more

The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) to complete within 30 days, the exercise of fixing a fair rent and calculate the arrears of rent and communicate the same to the Anna Nagar Tower Club, at downtown Anna Nagar. Justice S M Subramaniam gave the direction while disposing of on Wednesday a writ petition from the Club, by its secretary E Ravichandran, challenging an order dated June 9, 2016 of the Executive Engineer of the TNHB.

The order claimed that Rs 52.25 lakh remained towards arrears of rent as on June 2016. The judge directed the petitioner-club to settle the arrears of rent to the Board within four weeks. In the event of failure, the Housing Board can initiate all appropriate actions to evict the petitioner-club from the premises and recover all dues, compensations and penalty etc., by following the procedures as contemplated under law, the judge added. (PTI)

Actor Siddharth has been summoned by the Greater Chennai Police over his controversial tweet against Indian ace shutter Saina Nehwal. Addressing reporters on Thursday, Chennai Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal said, “We have received two complaints regarding (the tweet). A case had already been registered over one of the complaints in Hyderabad, the second complaint involves a defamation. We have already issued a summons. Since it is a pandemic period, we are thinking how we can get his statement.”

All the staff of the Electricity Department of the Puducherry government would launch an indefinite strike in the  Union Territory from February 1 to protest against the move to privatise the power sector.  A spokesperson of the Engineers and Employees Association of the Electricity Department on Thursday said in a press release: “With the territorial government adhering to its stand to open up the distribution wing of power supply, the power staff has decided to resort to indefinite strike on February 1.” (PTI)

Chennai continued to lead the overall districts by recording 7,520 cases today. It is followed by Coimbatore (3,320), Chengalpattu (2,196), Kanyakumari (1,148), Thiruvallur (998), Salem (937), Erode (919). As many as 14 deaths were recorded in Chennai, five in Chengalpattu, three each in Coimbatore, Erode, Thiruvallur and Thoothukudi, two in Kanyakumari and Thanjavur, one each in Virudhuangar, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet, Namakkal.

The death of a Class 12 girl, days after she consumed pesticide in her school hostel, snowballed into a social media campaign and led to local protests by Hindu outfits in Tanjavur on Thursday after BJP and VHP leaders circulated a 47-second video of the girl purportedly accusing the school management of troubling her after she refused to convert to Christianity.

According to multiple sources, including students and people close to the family, the girl had asked for permission from the school to visit home in Ariyalur district on January 7. The school authorities denied her permission, saying she could go home on January 10 along with other students for Pongal festival, which was on January 14. Read more

Senior BJP leader H Raja on Thursday alleged corruption to the tune of Rs.1,000 crore in the purchase of Pongal gift hampers for distribution among the ration card holders in Tamil Nadu this month. Considering the standard of the articles distributed as against the claim of an Rs.1,800-crore purchase by the government, there was a corruption of Rs 1,000 crore, Raja told reporters in Coimbatore.

The ruling party DMK, which demanded Rs.5,000 for distribution among the people as against Rs.2,500 given by the previous AIADMK regime as a Pongal gift, had given only sub-standard articles now, said Raja who was here to participate in a temple festival. Read more

Tamil Nadu on Thursday logged 28,561 fresh Covid-19 infections taking the tally to 30,42,796. As many as 19,978 people recovered in the past 24 hours leaving 1,79,205 active infections. With 39 casualties, the toll reached 37,112. The positivity rate touched 18.43 per cent. Chennai continued to lead the overall districts by recording 7,520 cases on Thursday.

For the next 24 hours, the sky condition in Chennai and its neighbourhoods is likely to be partly cloudy. The maximum temperature is expected to be around 30 degrees and the minimum temperature is likely to be around 21 degrees. Also, check out the weather forecast for Chennai for the next few days. 

The Regional Meterological Centre (RMC) Chennai has predicted dry weather over Tamilnadu, Puducherry & Karaikal area today.

Parts of Chennai will face a power shutdown from 9 am to 2 pm, with supply expected to resume before 2 pm if the work is completed.

As per a press release given by the company, the following neighbourhoods in Chennai will be affected:

Tambaram/Madambakkam: Shanthi Nagar, Velachery Main Road, Palaniyappa Nagar, Vembuliamman Kovil Street and above surrounding areas.

Guindy /Madipakkam: Sheela nagar, Annai Therasa nagar, Rajaji nagar, Kuberan nagar, LIC nagar, Lakshmi nagar, Periyar nagar MOOVARASAMPET Iyyappa nagar, Ganesh nagar, Gandhi nagar, K.G.K nagar, Raghava nagar, Vishal nagar, Arulmurugan nagar, Anna nagar, Ramamoorthy nagar, Madipakkam main road PUZHUTHIVAKKAM Venkatraman street, Bharath street, Raja street, Andavar street, EVR colony, Church street, Kalaimagal street, Hindu colony and above surrounding areas. Read more

Vanakkam Chennai! Welcome to today’s live blog. We bring to you the latest news on Covid-19, politics, features, entertainment, sports, weather, art and culture from across Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Follow our live blog and @ie_chennai to stay up to date with what’s happening in the state.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu Top Stories So Far:

The Tamil Nadu tableau that was rejected by an expert committee for the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi, being readied for showcasing it during the Republic Day celebrations organized by the state government as announced by Chief Minister M K Stalin, in Chennai. (PTI Photo/R Senthil Kumar)(PTI01_20_2022_000145B)

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has registered a disproportionate assets case against former Tamil Nadu higher education minister KP Anbalagan (63) and started raiding 57 premises linked to him in and around Dharmapuri, Chennai, Salem, and neighbouring states.

A 55-year-old sub-inspector of the Flower Bazaar police station was suspended after his reply to a Facebook post taking a shot at the DMK government went viral. The police department accused him of spreading fake news on social media. The officer, identified as G Sekar, through a profile named Sekar Sekar, had allegedly passed a comment taking a dig at the government for not providing the promised incentive to the police.

The Tamil Nadu government will prepare a detailed project report to implement the second phase of the Hogenakkal combined drinking water project for Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts at an estimated cost of Rs 4,600 crore, Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Thursday.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chennai/chennai-live-news-updates-gcc-stalin-covid19-omicron-traffic-lockdown-rules-7734529/