TN Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan alongside Chennai Corporation officials at Ranganathan street (Twitter/Janardhan Koushik)Tamil Nadu Chennai News July 31, August 1 Highlights: The Greater Chennai Corporation Friday issued orders to shut down shops in nine commercial areas of the city from Saturday till August 9. The decision comes against the backdrop of the marginal rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the city.
The Madras High Court on Friday permitted private unaided schools in Tamil Nadu to collect 85 per cent of the annual fees for the year 2021-22 in six instalments from students whose parents had not suffered loss of income during the Covid-19 pandemic period. This, provided the schools conducted the online classes without any hindrance, the court said. Parents who have suffered loss of income during this period shall make an application to the school management, who shall consider their request and collect 75 per cent of the fees, as per a circular by the Commissioner of School Education for 2021- 2022, in six instalments.
Tamil Nadu recorded 1,947 positive cases of Covid-19 on Friday, bringing the state tally to 25,57,611. Among these, Chennai reported 215 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,37,951. The state recorded 27 deaths on Friday putting the state toll at 34,050. A total of 2,193 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,02,627.
Tamil Nadu Government Friday announced that the lockdown will continue in the state for another week till August 9 without any further relaxations. The decision was taken at the meeting chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin at the secretariat. In a statement, the government said the relaxations were provided earlier with a view that the livelihood of the public should not be affected however if people fail to follow the Covid-19 protocol issued by the government then we will face serious issues. The district collectors and police have been instructed to strictly implement the protocol and close the areas where large gathering is witnessed in view of the welfare of the public.
The Madras High Court on Friday permitted private unaided schools in Tamil Nadu to collect 85 per cent of the annual fees for the year 2021-22 in six instalments from students whose parents had not suffered loss of income during the Covid-19 pandemic period.
This, provided the schools conducted the online classes without any hindrance, the court said.Parents who have suffered loss of income during this period shall make an application to the school management, who shall consider their request and collect 75 per cent of the fees, as per a circular by the Commissioner of School Education for 2021- 2022, in six instalments.
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The Tamil Nadu DGP directed all Commissioners and SPs to sanction a weekly off and provide leave on birthday/marriage day to all the police personnel in the state. This was done to take good care of themselves and spend quality time with their families.
The Greater Chennai Corporation Friday issued orders to shut down shops in nine commercial areas of the city from Saturday till August 9. The decision comes against the backdrop of the marginal rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the city.
According to a press release, shops between Ranganathan Street –North Usman Road junction and Mambalam will remain closed from today (Saturday) till 6 am on August 9. Shops and commercial entities located in other areas of Doveton Junction to Brickklin Road junction in Purasawalkam, Jam Bazaar Bharathi Salai Ratna Café junction to Bells Road junction, Fakir Sahib Street, Habibullah Street, Pulipone Bazaar, NSC Bose Road- Kuralagam junction to Mini Street junction, Royapuram Kalmandapam Salai, Water Tank to Kamatchi Amman Koil, Aminjikarai police outpost to Pulla Avenue Thiru.Vi.Ka.Park junction and Red Hills Anjaneyar Statue to Ambedkar Statue will also remain closed. It has been mentioned that Kothwal market will remain closed from August 1 (Sunday) till August 9.
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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday paid rich tributes to the 1971 war heroes whose supreme sacrifice earned a big victory to India and said it was a "historical coincidence" that the DMK which was in power then, is now participating in the golden jubilee of the victory.
Hailing the sacrifice of the brave officers and soldiers who had fought to liberate then East Pakistan, Stalin said their families too deserved commendation as they had prepared the men to sacrifice for the country.
Participating in the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Indian armed forces' victory (Swarnim Vijay Varsh) here, the chief minister recalled that during the December 1971 war, his father and late Dravidian stalwart M Karunanidhi was the chief minister.
"Now our DMK is in power to celebrate India's victory. It is sheer historical coincidence," Stalin said.
The reservation of 27 per cent for OBCs (other backward classes) in the quota for medical students in the country that was announced by the Centre is another milestone in the AIADMK's legal battle on the issue, said top leaders of the party on Friday.
On Thursday, the Central government announced the 27 per cent quota for OBCs as well as 10 per cent for the economically weaker section (EWS) for undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses from the academic year 2021-22.
Welcoming the announcement, AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam and joint coordinator of the party K Palaniswami claimed the legal battle has ensured the reservation for student from other backward classes in Tamil Nadu.
'We are proud to say that this is a great victory for social justice pursued by AIADMK leaders late M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. We like to inform that the AIADMK will continue its efforts to achieve the target of 50 per cent reservation for OBCs,' they said.
In a joint statement here, Panneerselvam and Palaniswami lauded the announcement and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for it.
Tracing the party's struggle to ensure reservation for OBCs in education and employment, the two AIADMK leaders said M G Ramachandran had in 1980 increased the quota in Tamil Nadu to 50 per cent from 30 per cent. Acting on the recommendation of the Mandal Commission, the Central government in 1990 announced 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in jobs in Central government services and public sector undertakings (PSUs).
'But, no announcement was made regarding reservation in educational institutions. Aware of this, Jayalalithaa urged the Centre to expedite and fully implement the recommendations of the Mandal Commission to help the backward classes in the social and educational spheres,' they said. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday asked local authorities and police officials to strictly enforce COVID-19 guidelines and said they could themselves decide on shutting down specific areas in case of continuous overcrowding.
Acting swiftly, the Greater Chennai Corporation announced closure of commercial complexes and retail outlets in crowded market places located in nine areas in the metropolis from July 31 to August 9.
Following a high level meeting at the Secretariat, Stalin extended curbs that are currently in vogue which includes closure of schools, colleges, cinemas and bars till 6 AM on August 9.
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Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai has said their party will hold a one-day hunger protest on August 5 at Thanjavur in order to pressure the Karnataka government not to take measures to construct the dam at Mekedatu.
Soon after taking oath as the Karnataka Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai had said: “Our stand on Mekedatu is very clear. Legally we are on the right side. It is our right to utilise surplus water in the Cauvery basin.”
Addressing the reporters on Thursday, Annamalai said on behalf of the farmers’ wing of the party, they will stage a protest at Thanjavur, one of the delta regions in Tamil Nadu.
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The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has announced that power will be suspended in parts of Chennai today for carrying out maintenance work in the city.
The following neighbourhoods in Chennai will be affected:
Poonamalle: Poonamallee municipality entire, Seneerkuppam entire, Karayanchavadi entire, Chinna Mangadu,Kumananchavadi entire, Malyambakkam sakthi nagar, Pari garden, Anbu nagar, KK nagar, Rahmath nagar, Vasantha puri, Jeeva nagar, Kamaraj nagar.
Nungambakkam: Thirumurthy nagar 1 st street.
Villivakkam: Sidco 1 st block to 10 block, Nehru nagar, Ammankuttai, Balaramapuram, Ramakrishnapuram, Thirunagar entire area, Venugopal street, Sivan koil entire area, North high court colony, Reddy st, Red-hills road entire areas and above surrounding areas.
Thiruvanmayur: Marutheeswarar Temple, West Tank st, Part of North Mada st.
Egmore: Tank bund road 1 st , 2 nd and main st, Nehru jothi nagar, Krishnadoss road, Thikaakulam, Strahans road, Cooks road, Old vahaima nagar, Chinna babu othavadai st, Priyadharshini Quarters, CR Garden, Arunachalam st, Padavattamman koil st, Thideer nagar, Venkatarathinam st, Chellappa st, Valluvan st, Subrayan main road, Barakka road, Chinna babu st, Bashyam reddy 1 st , 2 nd st, Part of New France Road and above surrounding areas.
Tambaram: Victoria form, Rakesh Sharma nagar, Kuruji nagar, Annai sathiya nagar, Duraisamynagar, Ambedkar nagar, RR nagar and above surrounding areas.
Iyyappanthangal: Part of Iyyappanthangal, Dhanalakshmi nagar, VGN nagar, Padmavathi nagar, Mount Poonamallee road, Kattupakkam, KK nagar, Jasmin court, DRR nagar, Krishna nagar, Maruthi nagar, Rajesh Garden, Ayyappa nagar, Sree nagar, Jothi nagar and above surrounding areas.
Redhills: Azhinjivakkam, Selva vinayaga nagar, Vilangadupakkam, Theeyampakkam, Kosappur full area, Gomathy Amman nagar.
Mellur: Minjur town, Seemapuram, Pudhupedu, Nandhiambakkam, Melur, Pattamandhiri, Vallur, Athipattu, Pallipuaram and above surrounding areas.
Velachery: Ravi st, Jayanthi st, Amuthu st and above surrounding areas.
Vanakkam Chennai!
Welcome to today’s live blog. We bring to you the latest news on Covid-19, politics, features, entertainment, sports, 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.
Tamil Nadu recorded 1,947 positive cases of Covid-19 on Friday, bringing the state tally to 25,57,611. Among these, Chennai reported 215 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,37,951. The state recorded 27 deaths on Friday putting the state toll at 34,050. A total of 2,193 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,02,627.
Tamil Nadu Government Friday announced that the lockdown will continue in the state for another week till August 9 without any further relaxations. The decision was taken at the meeting chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin at the secretariat. In a statement, the government said the relaxations were provided earlier with a view that the livelihood of the public should not be affected however if people fail to follow the Covid-19 protocol issued by the government then we will face serious issues. The district collectors and police have been instructed to strictly implement the protocol and close the areas where large gathering is witnessed in view of the welfare of the public.
Vedanta owned Sterlite corporation has issued a statement where it has said that they are winding up the operations of their oxygen plant as the three-month time granted by the Supreme Court has come to an end. Sterlite claimed that they have produced 2132 MT and 7833nm³ of high purity medical Oxygen till date which was distributed to 32 districts. The company said their application for the extension of the facility for a period of six months is listed to be heard before the Supreme Court by August 6. Further, they added that a stock of 134 metric tonnes of liquid oxygen is present at their premises and they are optimistic about future orders from the Supreme Court on resuming production.
Two transgenders who were struggling to meet ends due to the pandemic have now been provided a job at Kilpauk Institute of Mental Health in Chennai. The institute has appointed Manisha as a receptionist while Vaishnavi as a sanitary worker. According to Tamil channel Puthiyathalaimurai, the transgenders who visited the Institute for receiving an aid certificate have approached the Institute director Dr. Poorna Chandrika seeking a job and they have now been appointed as contract workers. Dr.Chandrika said with the approval of the government, she is planning to appoint more transgender community members to uplift their livelihood.
The Tamil Nadu Health and Family Department along with the Chennai Corporation Thursday launched a drive to rescue mentally challenged homeless persons in the city.
The joint team rescued 35 people and admitted them to the Emergency Care and Recovery Centre in Tondiarpet. However, eight went absconding from the centre and the corporation is in the process of identifying them.
Meanwhile, psychiatric evaluation and RT-PCR tests were conducted on the rest of the rescued persons. “As 22 persons of the lot required medical attention, they are admitted to the recovery centre while the remaining five were sent to shelter homes. We will receive the results of the RT-PCR tests today (Friday),” a civic official said.
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In a bid to make Chennai a greener city, the civic body has asked Residential Welfare Associations (RWA) to help it plant saplings alongside roads, in parks or open spaces in their respective localities.
The decision to conduct the tree drive was taken during a meeting between the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and representatives of the Residents’ Welfare Association on Thursday at the Rippon Building.
During the meeting, GCC commissioner Gangandeep Singh Bedi said that the civic body intends to plant saplings that are suitable for each corporation zone according to the condition of the soil, availability of water, and width of the street.
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The Tamil Nadu CB-CID filed its chargesheet against a former special director general of police who is accused of sexually harassing a woman IPS officer.
The chargesheet, which is around 400-pages-long, was filed by CB-CID Additional Deputy Superintendent of Police, Gomathi, before the Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Villupuram.
A complaint was registered by the CB-CID against the officer on February 27. He was booked under Sections 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman), 341 (punishment for wrong restraint), 506 (i) (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 3 (prohibition of harassment of woman) and 4 (penalty for harassment of women) of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.
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Tamil TV actor Venu Arvind is admitted at the intensive care unit (ICU) of a private hospital in Chennai after undergoing brain surgery recently. However, he has not slipped into a coma, as several media reports suggested earlier.
“There are a lot of rumours as to what is happening with Venu sir and it is bothering everyone here. Particularly Shoba ma’am, Venu’s sir wife. He is not in a coma. He went through tough times in the last seven or eight months. He had other medical issues and he also had a surgery. He is in the ICU, but he is not in a coma. He is really responding well. He’s fine. Everybody here is very positive that he is going to be discharged soon. Please don’t spread negativity,” said popular television actor Arunrajan, who has worked with Venu in the serial Vani Rani.
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Petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged across the country for the 13th straight day on Friday, July 30, 2021. Petrol was last revised when it had touched a fresh record highs on July 17, when it rose by 30 paise per litre in the national capital while diesel prices were kept unchanged.
In Chennai, petrol is priced at Rs. 102.49 per litre and diesel is priced at Rs. 94.39 per litre.
A total of 83,589 posters have been removed across Chennai till Thursday as a part of the Greater Chennai Corporation's (GCC) poster removal drive.
Here are the details:
North Chennai - 20,104
Central Chennai - 24,590
South Chennai - 38,895
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin Thursday issued orders to withdraw 90 defamation cases filed against journalists and media organizations between 2012 and February 2021. The cases were filed by the previous AIADMK government against English and Tamil dailies, weekly magazines and television news channels.
The DMK-led government claimed that it was fulfilling one of the promises in its election manifesto.
Among the cases against English press, four had been filed against the editor of The Hindu newspaper, five against the editor of The Times of India, and one against The Economic Times. Additionally, in Tamil media, 23 cases were slapped against the editor of weekly Tamil Magazine Nakheeran, 17 against the editor of Murasoli, the mouthpiece of the DMK, 12 against the editor of Tamil daily Dinamalar, 11 against the editor of weekly magazine Junior Vikatan, nine against Ananda Vikatan and four against Tamil daily Dinakaran.
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Former IAS officer Sasikanth Senthil, who has now been appointed as the coordinator for the social media wing and other frontline teams of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), said that he wants to strengthen the party at the ground level ahead of the upcoming local body elections.
The former IAS officer said social media is secondary while the work remains on the front end where the cadres need to be trained on the party’s ideology.
“I define politics as standing with people’s issues. Putting something on social media, retorting to some statements is not the way politics has to be done by Congress. Congress has to identify people’s issues and stand by them, that’s my definition of politics. It’s not like we don’t know the importance of social media, but I think the real work starts with building the organisation,” he said.
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The Tamil Nadu government is setting up a university of textiles here, said the State Minister of Housing and Urban Development S Muthusamy.
The Minister made this announcement on Thursday while inaugurating road-laying work in and around Erode at a cost of Rs 10.63 crore. At Semur near the Erode Railway Station, a bus-stand and a vegetable market are coming up, he said.
To promote sports, he said, the government would spend Rs 35 crore for a stadium. There are plans to start a law college and develop the existing home for juveniles, he said. (PTI)
The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police to probe the complaints of monopoly and cartelisation by cement manufacturing companies.
Justice V Bhavani Subbaroyan, who gave a direction to this effect, also directed the Director General, Investigation of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to look into the allegations of similar cartelisation by the steel manufacturers. The two authorities are to submit their reports within four months.
The judge was passing interim orders on the petitions from the Coimbatore Corporation Contractors Welfare Association and the Contractor Welfare Association in Mangadu. Petitioners contended that the cement and steel manufacturers had created artificial scarcity of these two materials, vital for construction of buildings.
They were ruling the roost of the industry by their monopolistic approach. To enrich themselves, they were charging exorbitant rates for supply of steel and cement, petitioners contended. (PTI)
Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) Dr N Kumar on Thursday highlighted on balanced approach in the use of compost for maximum growth and yield of crops.
Inaugurating a one-day State-level awareness programme for farmers on diagnosis and management of physiological and compost disorders in crops, the Vice-Chancellor stressed on acquiring knowledge of the role of each nutrient in the growth of crops. The programme was held to commemorate the golden jubilee of TNAU.
The Vice-Chancellor stressed on acquiring knowledge of the role of each nutrient in the growth of crops. (Representational/ file)
In her address, Director of TNAU (crop management) Dr V Geethalakshmi too highlighted the importance of balanced use of compost to achieve global food security in the changing climate scenario.
She spoke on the effects of mono-cropping, imbalanced fertiliser application on crop and soil health. She elaborated on the benefits of the awareness programme for the farmers and how they can reap high yield and profit by following simple and scientific compost management strategies.
Two books in Tamil on nutrient deficiencies and their management in agricultural and horticultural crops were released on the occasion. (PTI)
The Tamil Nadu government’s efforts to end the pandemic is getting delayed as some people are not taking the lockdown relaxations seriously, Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Thursday.
He appealed to corporate hospitals and non governmental organisations to bring about a change in the people’s mindset.
Despite the state government’s efforts to bring down the coronavirus infection, some people found an opportunity to assemble in large numbers when the lockdown is relaxed.
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A division bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday recused itself from hearing a PIL petition from former Law Minister C Ve Shanmugham on the Dr J Jayalalithaa University in Villupuram district.
Justices N Kirubakaran and T V Thamilselvai recused themselves from hearing the petition fearing “political colour”.
Shanmugam had alleged the government was neglecting the varsity in his native Villupuram district due to political reasons.
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Observing that Gods never ask for a place to sit by encroaching public roads or places, the Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Greater Chennai Corporation to visit the streets in Otteri in Chennai and remove the encroachment by temples on the pavements in the area.
A division bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and T V Thamilselvi gave the interim direction, while entertaining a PIL petition from G Devarajan. The bench also directed the civic body to submit an action taken report within four weeks.
The petitioner had sent a representation to the authorities concerned to remove the temples put up by encroaching upon the foot path on Chellappa street in Otteri.
Of the total road length of 30 feet, 16 feet was encroached by the temples. He sought the Corporation authorities to conduct a survey and remove all the alleged encroachments from the road. (PTI)
On the occasion of International Tiger Day on Thursday, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav announced that 14 tiger reserves in India have received accreditation of the Global Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS).
CA|TS is being implemented across 125 sites in seven tiger range countries and India has the highest 94 sites, out of which assessment was completed for 20 tiger reserves this year.
The 14 tiger reserves, which have been accredited, are Manas, Kaziranga and Orang in Assam; Satpura, Kanha and Panna in Madhya Pradesh; Pench in Maharashtra; Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar; Dudhwa in Uttar Pradesh; Sunderbans in West Bengal; Parambikulam in Kerala; Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka; and Mudumalai and Anamalai Tiger Reserves in Tamil Nadu.
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On Wednesday, the central government approved reservation for the OBC and EWS (Economically Weaker Section) categories within the All India Quota (AIQ) for NEET, the uniform entrance examination for medical and dental colleges across the country.
Until 2016, the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) was the national-level entrance examination for medical colleges, while state governments used to hold separate entrance tests for seats that were not contested at an all-India level. NEET was held for the first time in 2003, but discontinued the following year.
Although the same examination is held across the country, a chunk of the seats in state medical/dental colleges is reserved for students domiciled in their respective states. The remaining seats —15% in UG and 50% in PG — are surrendered by the states to the All India Quota. The AIQ scheme was introduced in 1986 under the directions of the Supreme Court to provide for domicile-free, merit-based opportunities to students from any state to study in a good medical college in any other state.
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The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) on Thursday announced instituting a one-time payment for former cricketers, match officials and groundsmen who have done yeomen service to cricket in general and to the TNCA in particular. It is aimed to provide this benefit to those who have not got the one time benefit from the BCCI, TNCA said in a press release.
The beneficiaries for 2021 are: K R Rajagopal, Najam Hussain, S V S Mani and R Prabhakar (cricketers) and K Parthasarathy (groundsman).
Each year a set of cricketers, match officials and groundsmen will be identified and be awarded Rs 5 lakh each as one-time benefit out of the surplus earned from the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) tournament of each year.
The one-time benefit will be handed over by former President of TNCA and BCCI N Srinivasan during the course of the TNPL tournament. The TNPL Governing Council will decide the number of beneficiaries in the subsequent years, the release said. (PTI)
Pattali Makkal Katchi top leader S Ramadoss on Thursday demanded that the Tamil Nadu government set up a committee led by an official with expertise in water resources management to monitor and advise the state on the Mekedatu reservoir matter.
The new Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was reportedly firm in implementing the Mekedatu reservoir project and the Tamil Nadu government should hence be vigilant and work accordingly, PMK founder Ramadoss said.
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A total of 159 flights will be operated between Chennai and major cities today, with 80 arrivals and 79 departures scheduled at the Chennai International Airport.
The Centre’s announcement of 27 per cent quota for OBCs in the All-India Quota scheme for undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses is a victory for Tamil Nadu and a huge win for DMK’s struggle for social justice, Chief Minister M K Stalin said in Chennai on Thursday.
The demand for reservation was taken up in both Houses of Parliament and also with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Prime Minister Narendra Modi by his party, he said.
Citing the Centre’s announcement that this decision would benefit nearly 1,500 OBC students in MBBS and 2,500 OBC students in post graduation (2021-22), Stalin said the DMK has made this achievement through its legal battle for social justice which has ensured medical education for a total of 4,000 aspirants from backward classes.
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Tangedco has announced a power cut in parts of Chennai today from 9 am to 5 pm to carry out maintenance work.
Here are the affected areas:
Porur: Kovoor, Periyapanicheri, Baraniputur, Thandalam, Manancheri, South Malayambakkam, Babu Garden, Akash Nagar, Manikandan Nagar, Metha Nagar, Ondi Colony and Parts of Kundrathur
Nungambakkam: PF Quarters Thirumurthy Nagar 1st Street and Thirumurthy Nagar 5th Street
Manali: Manali New Town, MMDA Phase – I & II, Ponniamman Nagar, KGL Nagar, Echankuli, MRB Nagar and Nehru Nagar
Velachery: Jaganathapuram, Rajalakshmi Nagar 1st to 7th Streets, Parts of Bypass Road and surrounding areas
Tambaram: Umayalpuram, Earikari Street, Nagammal Avenue, Astalakshmi Avenue, Periyar Nagar, Rajesh Nagar, Thuraipakkam Road, Jerusalem College, IIT Colony, SBI Colony, NSR Road, Kumarankundram area and surrounding areas
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Tamil Nadu recorded 1859 positive cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the state tally to 25,55,664. Among these, Chennai reported 181 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,37,732. The state recorded 28 deaths on Thursday, putting the state toll at 34,023. 21 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 2145 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,00,434.
As of Thursday, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 21,207. Till date, 14,93,142 males, 10,62,484 females and 38 transgenders have tested positive for the virus in the state.
According to a bulletin released by the Health and Family Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu, 3,71,28,408 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 1,57,074 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 279 Covid-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 69 are government and 210 are private facilities.
Vanakkam Chennai!
Welcome to today’s live blog. We bring to you the latest news on Covid-19, politics, features, entertainment, sports, 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.