Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK coordinator O Pannerselvam’s wife Vijayalakshmi (66) passed away on Wednesday. She is said to have suffered a massive cardiac arrest today morning. According to local reports, Vijayalakshmi was undergoing treatment at a private hospital at Perungudi in Chennai for the last two weeks.
READ | AIADMK leader O Pannerselvam’s wife passes away in Chennai
The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) has increased the price of imported foreign liquors in their outlets. The revised rates will come into effect from September 1, when people will have to shell out an extra amount ranging from Rs 30 to Rs 630 depending on the brands of gin, vodka and whisky.
READ | Tamil Nadu: Prices of imported liquors go up at Tasmac outlets
For assistance on COVID-19-related queries and mental health support in Chennai, citizens can contact the Greater Chennai Corporation's (GCC) COVID-19 helpline 044 46122300 or 044 25384520 | Citizens can also contact the general helpline 104, the 24-hour helplines 044 29510400 or 29510500 and the 24 x 7 mobile helplines 8754448477 or 9444340496 | Citizens can find the nearest GCC-facilitated COVID-19 fever clinic here | Find the nearest GCC vaccine centre here and book your slots here | For lodging rain-related complaints and assistance during the monsoon, citizens can contact the GCC's monsoon helplines 044 25384530 or 044 25384540 or the control room 1913 (available 24x7)
Tamil Nadu recorded 1,562 positive cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the state tally to 26,17,943. Among these, Chennai reported 166 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,44,489. The state recorded 20 deaths on Thursday, putting the state toll at 34,961. A total of 1,684 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,66,504.
A group of female police officers helped a mentally ill woman deliver a baby girl on the street at Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district on Sunday. The mother and child are now doing fine at a care centre, said the police. Suguna, a constable attached to Kumbakonam west police station, was walking by the east side of the Potramarai tank in the morning. She found a woman, likely in her mid-30s, groaning in pain and immediately alerted the other cops.
“I received a call from Suguna and we reached the spot. Since the woman was wearing a big nightgown, we did not immediately realise she was pregnant. There was blood loss and we immediately called the ambulance. I told my station officers to get sarees and towels, and we surrounded the woman. The daily-wage women workers also joined us to give water and clean the area. We carried out the delivery before the ambulance could reach the spot. We then admitted them to the government hospital in Kumbakonam,” Kumbakonam west inspector Baby said.
Read More
monthly limit of free stories.
with an Express account.
Madras High Court directs the Tamil Nadu government to permit only native breeds of bulls to participate in Jallikattu events. The court also directed the state government to encourage bull owners and farmers to groom native breeds by providing subsidies or incentives to farmers or bull owners who do so. The order added that Veerinarinans must certify the bulls before allowing them to participate in the event.
In order to increase the vaccination coverage, the Nilgris Collector J Innocent Divya has made an order which makes only those vaccinated eligible to buy liquor at TASMAC retail outlets in the district. In a circular that was issued to all the authorities, Divya has said the people need to produce their Covid-19 certificate at the outlets to buy liquor. In June this year, Nilgiris become the first district in Tamil Nadu to achieve 100 per cent Covid-19 vaccination with the first dose among the eligible tribal communities and tea-estate workers.
The District Sessions Court in Udhagamandalam on Thursday posted the hearing of the Kodanad heist and murder case for October 1, giving four weeks’ time for the prosecution to submit a status report after inquiry with more witnesses.
Though police was expected to submit the report on August 27, after interrogating key accused Sayan and the brother of the late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s car driver, who died in a car accident, the case was adjourned for Thursday as a case was pending in the Madras High Court.
Since the lawyers representing the government sought time to submit the status report after interrogating a few more persons reportedly involved in the case, including the Kodanad estate manager, the Judge C Sanjai Baba allowed time and posted the hearing to October 1.
Read more
A total of 40,35,682 people have been vaccinated in Chennai till date, with 35,438 people inoculated on Wednesday alone, according to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has said that 47,876 saplings have been planted till Wednesday as a part of the civic body's tree plantation drive in the city. Of these, 808 were planted on Sunday alone.
Here are the details:
North Chennai - 81
Central Chennai - 350
South Chennai - 377
Chennai-based anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam has released a model draft bill on the Right to Service Act which guarantees that every citizen shall have the right to obtain various government services within a stipulated time.
The NGO appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to take this ‘model bill’ as feedback in preparing the draft of the Tamil Nadu Right to Service Bill. “We also appeal to the government that they place the draft before the public and seek inputs from wide sections of the population before finalising the bill and placing it in the Tamil Nadu assembly session,” it said in a statement.
“The ruling party DMK had promised the Right to Service Act in its poll manifesto. After the party came to power, the governor in his inaugural address had said that the government is committed to passing the Tamil Nadu Right to Service Bill in the assembly,” it added.
Read more
Petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged across the country on Thursday, September 2, 2021, a day after they were cut for the first time in over a week. On Wednesday, petrol and diesel prices were cut by 15 paise per litre each in the national capital.
In Chennai, petrol is priced at Rs. 99.08 per litre and diesel costs Rs. 93.38 per litre.
Pradeep Yadav, the Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) Tuesday felicitated the winners of the recently concluded Chennai Got Talent, an open talent competition which was conducted by CMRL in association with Confederation of Indian Industry's Young Indians, Chennai Chapter. In a statement, CMRL said the competition on culture and talent in Chennai was held to commemorate India's 75th Independence Day Anniversary celebrations and Madras Day.
The competition finale was held online on August 22 and Pradeep Yadav gave away the prizes to the three winners and consolation prizes to eight finalists on Tuesday at CMRL's admin building in Chennai's Koyambedu today.
Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner Gangandeep Singh Bedi Wednesday inspected the Kodungaiyur dumping yard along several other waste processing facilities in the city.
During his visit to the dumping yard, Bedi inspected the 360-tonne construction processing and recycling unit. The unit is ready to commence operations and will become functional soon, the GCC said.
A statement released by the GCC said the commissioner also inspected a 50-tonne incinerator plant in the Kodungaiyur dump yard, which was functioning on a trial basis to process non-recyclable waste.
Read more
A total of 1,34,859 posters have been removed across Chennai by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) till Tuesday as a part of the civic body’s poster removal campaign.
Here are the details:
North Chennai - 37,361
Central Chennai - 42,844
South Chennai - 54,654
The Madras High Court has directed the State government to consider and take appropriate decision within a month on a plea from fishermen in Cuddalore to allow them to catch fish using purse seine nets.
Justice R Mahadevan gave the direction, while disposing of a writ petition from the Fishermen Co-operative Society in Cuddalore, recently.
The petition prayed for a direction to the authorities concerned to permit the members of the society to catch fish using purse seine nets with ring, in pursuance to the order of the Union Fisheries Ministry dated March 20, 2020, by considering the petitioner’s representation dated July 8, this year.
Read more
The Officers Training Academy in Chennai on Wednesday awarded its prized horse 'Prince' the "General-Officer-Commanding-in-Chief Army Training Command Commendation Card" in recognition of its stellar services.
Terming it a proud moment, the OTA said Prince has been part of eleven consecutive Passing Out Parades. The horse has the exclusive distinction of being an "Adjutant's Horse" during the passing out parades and ceremonial events of the academy, a Defence release said.
An Adjutant is a key officer and that position is important in the Army's administrative structure.
The sixteen year old horse is the "most experienced member" of the horses contingent taking part in the Passing-out-Parades held twice every year. "Due to his elan, grace and calm behaviour, Prince has always been the best choice for the parade," it said.
The award was pinned on the horse by Lt Gen MK Das, Commandant, OTA Chennai as per the rich traditions of Indian Army. (PTI)
Chennai-based Voluntary Health Services (VHS) on Wednesday claimed it has successfully performed a surgery on a 15 year-old girl who was suffering from Scoliosis, a curvature in spine. The surgery was done free of cost, a release from VHS said, adding it extends similar benefits to such children, especially from poor background.
Scoliosis is a curvature in spine, which develops in children at any age. If not treated early, the condition can lead to complications like lung disease, poor quality of life, difficulty in walking, and severe back pain on exertion, the release said.
The affected girl developed a hunchback couple of years ago and eventually the condition worsened to an extent where she was unable to sleep flat, walk freely and had breathing issues as well.
"Upon several consultations, a surgery was not provided fearing the probability of lower limb paralysis. The patient then reached out to our hospital and upon examination we decided to go ahead with the surgery and we instilled confidence in her parents, who were worried if she will ever be able to walk again," Dr Vignesh Pushparaj, Consultant Orthopaedic and Spine Surgeon, VHS, Chennai, was quoted as saying in the release. (PTI)
The Madras High Court on Wednesday permitted DMDK founder Vijayakanth’s wife Premalatha to go abroad, particularly to the US, to attend to her husband who is there for medical treatment.
Justice R Mahadevan granted the permission subject to certain conditions and passed interim orders on the writ petition from Premalatha Wednesday.
The conditions include a direction to her to appear before the Regional Passport Authority in Chennai immediately and file an affidavit of undertaking that she would appear before the authority/any other jurisdictional court as and when required.
Read more
A trial run of an AC electric locomotive was successfully conducted at the 41-km newly electrified Pollachi-Podanur junctions on Wednesday.
The trial was held to check the efficacy of the overhead electric (OHE) traction distribution system. As the system was energised with 25,000 volts, public and staff were requested to follow safety precautions, a press release from the railways said in Coimbatore. (PTI)
Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi on Wednesday called on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin in Chennai and hailed the DMK president as a 'statesman.'
In a tweet, the veteran star expressed delight over meeting Stalin. Stalin's son Udyananidhi, also an actor and a legislator, was present during the meeting. (PTI)
The Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the police department to refrain from harassing activists and those belonging to NGOs working for the LGBTQ+ individuals, and not just the people who belong to the community.
Justice N Anand Venkatesh gave the direction when the writ petitions from two women–aged 22 and 20 years— from Madurai came up for further hearing, Wednesday.
Passing orders, the judge said that a specific clause is to be added in the Police Conduct Rules providing that any harassment by them to the persons belonging to the LGBTQ+ community and/or to the activists and NGO workers, will be treated as misconduct and will entail a punishment for the same.
Read more
As part of Covid-19 management, CMRL has been sanitising trains and stations regularly. With only 50 per cent occupancy allowed, seats have been marked with ‘X’ to ensure social distancing. Masks and social distancing are mandatory and crowd control staff have been deployed across all stations in the city to ensure the same.
CMRL announced in a statement Wednesday that fines amounting to Rs 200 are being levied by squads on those not wearing masks while commuting in metro. A total of 242 passengers have been fined till August 31 and Rs. 48,400 has been collected towards the same.
Read more
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin Wednesday announced in the assembly that the government would install a statue of former chief minister and DMK leader M Karunanidhi at Anna Salai in Chennai.
Stalin said DMK MLA TKG Neelamegam requested in the assembly to build the Karunanidhi statue. Anna Salai earlier had a statue of Karunanidhi but it was damaged during the violence after AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran’s death in December 1987.
“A committee was formed and due permission was sought to keep a statue for Kalaignar at Anna Salai but it was later removed and you (Speaker) know the reason, I don’t want to get into the issue and waste time. Even a couple of days ago, Dravidar Kazhagam leader K Veeramani met me and placed the same demand. I said to him that the court has issued an order not to keep statues in public places but he said they had already sought permission and they are not seeking anything new,” Stalin said.
Read more
The Pollution Control Board has disconnected power supply to a textile dyeing factory for allegedly letting out untreated sewage into rivers Cauvery and Bhavani in Erode district of Tamil Nadu.
The decision to stop the supply was taken based on instructions from the district Collector H Krishnanunni, a press release said in Erode on Wednesday. (PTI)
British Airways said on Wednesday it will resume its Chennai-London flights, which had stopped in May last year due to COVID-19, from Thursday onwards.
The passenger flights between India and the UK have been operating under the air bubble arrangement that the two countries have formed in mid-2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
British Airways's statement said the flights on London-Chennai route will operate on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday while the services on Chennai-London route will operate on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
"The return of this direct flight from Chennai to the UK is really important in reuniting people with their loved ones who have been kept apart due to Covid," the airline mentioned. (PTI)
Tangedco has announced a power cut in parts of Chennai today from 9 am to 2 pm for maintenance work.
Here are the affected areas:
Tambaram:
Adyar: VGP Part-I Uthandi, Uthandi Village, Gugu Beach, Rajan Garden, ECR Main Road and surrounding areas
Ponneri Durainallur: Kavarapettai, Panpakkam, Arani, Durainallur, Medur, Mangalam and surrounding areas
IT Corridor:
Read more
Tamil Nadu recorded 1,509 positive cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state tally to 26,16,381. Among these, Chennai reported 177 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,44,323. The state recorded 20 deaths on Wednesday, putting the state toll at 34,941. 19 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 1,719 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,64,820.
As of Wednesday, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 16,620. Till date, 15,27,742 males, 10,88,601 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, 4,24,72,641 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 1,54,718 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 288 Covid-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 69 are government and 219 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, 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.
Tamil Nadu recorded 1,509 positive cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state tally to 26,16,381. Among these, Chennai reported 177 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,44,323. The state recorded 20 deaths on Wednesday, putting the state toll at 34,941. A total of 1,719 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,64,820.
Southern Railway on Wednesday inaugurated a new modern Data Centre, here, that will replace a decades-old facility that used to cater to various ticketing operations in three of its zones. According to a report by PTI, The Southern Railway Data Centre caters to the Passenger Reservation System (PRS), Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) and the Mobile Ticketing System over Southern, South Western and South Central Railways, an official release said. The old Data Centre had been established in 1985 and over the years had become congested and was badly in need of infrastructure renovation to cater to the steady growth, touching thousands of counters and over nine lakh tickets per day including the online ticketing platform of IRCTC.
AIADMK co-coordinator K Palaniswami condoled the death of Vijayalakshmi, wife of AIADMK co-coordinator and deputy leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly O Panneerselvam. Vijayalakshmi (66) passed away in Chennai on Wednesday morning after suffering a massive cardiac arrest today morning.
Palaniswami visited the hospital and extended condolences and sympathies to Panneerselvam and his son O P Raveendranath, who is also the AIADMK Lok Sabha MP from Theni.
In a statement, the top AIADMK leader said he prayed to the Almighty to give strength to "my brother Panneerselvam to bear this agony." Extending his condolences to Panneerselvam and his family, the leader of opposition in the state assembly said he prayed for her soul to rest in peace.
As part of the Greater Chennai Corporation's initiative to keep the city clean, the Corporation authorities including Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi and others visited various waste processing units in the city that can convert various waste into usable material. In a release, the civic body said on an average 500 metric ton of solid waste is generated in the city.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin Wednesday announced in the assembly that a statue will be set up for late DMK patriarch and former Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi at Anna Salai in Chennai. Earlier on August 24, Stalin said a memorial would be built for Kalaignar at his resting place on Marina beach at a cost of Rs 39 crore on 2.21 acres of land.
A total of 44,76,111 passengers have travelled via metro in Chennai ever since Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) resumed operations on June 21 this year. In a statement, CMRL said 44,76,111 passengers had availed metro services from June 21 to August 31.
While 3,55,579 passengers had travelled from June 21 to June 30, a total of 18,46,466 passengers had travelled via metro from July 1 to July 31.
Patronage for metro services saw an increase last month with 22,74,066 passengers having travelled from August 1 to August 31 alone.
Read More
Google is adding new features to some of its services to aid India’s vaccination drive. Starting later this week, Google Maps, Google Assistant, and Search will include detailed information on COVID-vaccination centres near users. The feature will be powered by implementing APIs from India’s CoWIN portal to provide real-time information on vaccine availability and appointments.
Google adds that the vaccination help will be available in over 13,000 locations across the country. Information that will be provided will include the availability of appointment slots at each center, whether the center is offering Dose 1 or Dose 2 of the corresponding vaccines (Covishield, Covaxin or others), and any information on pricing if applicable.
Google has also brought all the vaccine-related info in multiple regional languages. In addition to English, users will also be able to get vaccination help in eight Indian languages. This includes Kannada, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, and Marathi.
Read more
A water body cannot be converted into a housing site merely on the grounds that it dried up, the National Green Tribunal has said while directing the Tamil Nadu government to restore 'Pudukulam Kanmoi' in Madurai. Referring to a Supreme Court decision, the NGT said that as per Public Trust Doctrine the state is under obligation to protect the ecological value of the natural resources.
The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by a state resident A M Vinodh against a government order by Revenue & Disaster Management Department, Land Disposal Wing to allot Pudukulam Kanmoi to certain journalists, in violation of law.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said water bodies which play significant roles in protection of environment, maintaining aesthetics, micro climate, recharge of ground water and enhancement of water availability for drinking purpose, among others. "The issue arising in the matter is whether a water body can be converted to a housing site merely on the ground that the same had dried up. In our view, the answer has to be in the negative," said the bench also comprising Justices Sudhir Agarwal and Brijesh Sethi.
No compelling social need has been shown to destroy the water body, except on the grounds that the allotment of housing site for journalists is required and it has dried up, the bench said. Having regard to the ecological significance of water bodies, the approach adopted by the State of Tamil Nadu cannot be sustained, the bench, in an order passed last week, said.
The green panel said that under Section 20 of the NGT Act, it has to uphold Precautionary and Sustainable Development Principles of Environmental Law by issuing appropriate directions for protection of environment and in the course of doing so, the tribunal can annul a decision of the State. (PTI)
After remaining shut for more than one-and-a-half-year for Covid, physical classes started for students of Classes IX to XII Wednesday in Tamil Nadu. Colleges across the state were also reopened with all Covid protocols in place.
Students across schools and colleges were subjected to thermal scanning and provided hand sanitizers before they were allowed to enter the classes. School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Tuesday had said parents need not fear sending their children to school as it is the government’s responsibility to ensure their safety. He added, “Ninety-five percent of the teaching and non-teaching staff are vaccinated in the state.”
Anbil said the schools would begin at 9:30am and function till 3:30pm for six days a week. He added that for the first 40-45 days, the schools will provide refresher courses for students as they are attending physical classes after a long break.
Read more
The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) has increased the price of imported foreign liquors in their outlets. The revised rates will come into effect from September 1, when people will have to shell out an extra amount ranging from Rs 30 to Rs 630 depending on the brands of gin, vodka and whisky.
For instance, a 750 ML Johnnie Walker Black Label Whisky which costs Rs 1,900 (per bottle) will now cost Rs 2,160.
In a letter to all the District Managers, it has been instructed that 17 imported liquor brands should be sold at revised MRPs at TASMAC retail vending shops and also at revised wholesale issue price at depots to FL2/FL3 licences with immediate effect.
Read more
Actor and MNM leader offered his condolences to Deputy leader of the Opposition and AIADMK O Panneerselvam, following the demise of his wife Vijayalakshmi today.
Suriya and Jyotika are often tagged as couple goals, and they have proved it yet again. On Wednesday, Jyotika made her Instagram debut. She posted photos from her picturesque trip to the Himalayas. The actor went for the trip on Independence Day as the first photo has her striking a pose with the Indian flag.
Sharing the photos, Jyotika wrote that she is on the photo-sharing app to share a lot of positivity and give a glimpse of her lockdown diaries. “Hello everyone! On social media for the very first time! A lot of positivity to share from my lockdown diaries. At the Himalayas on Independence Day, The beautiful Kashmir Great Lakes , 70 km trek With the awesome team of Bikat adventures- Rahul ,Sachin, Raul and Ashwin , n the Kashmir team Mushtaq n Riyaz bhai. Thank u. Life is only an existence, unless we start living it! India is gorgeous! Jai hind!” she wrote as the caption.
Read more
Kamal Haasan is all set to return with the new season of Bigg Boss Tamil on Vijay Television. On Tuesday, the channel shared a new promo of Bigg Boss Tamil Season 5 featuring Kamal.
The promo was shared with the caption, “Shall we start? #BiggBossTamil Season 5 | Coming soon .. @ikamalhaasan.”
Earlier this week, it was reported that Kamal Haasan had already started shooting for the promos as the new season is expected to air in October. Kamal has been the face of the Tamil version of the popular reality show since it began in 2017.
Read more
Expelled AIADMK leader V K Sasikala visited Gem Hospital today to offer her condolences to AIADMK co-coordinator O Panneerselvam following the demise of his wife Vijayalakshmi early Wednesday morning.
A total of 40,00,244 people have been vaccinated in Chennai till date, with 36,858 people inoculated on Tuesday alone, according to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).
The GCC now has vaccination centres in each of the 200 wards in Chennai spread across 15 zones.
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has said that 47,068 saplings have been planted till Tuesday as a part of the civic body's tree plantation drive in the city. Of these, 1,131 were planted on Sunday alone.
Here are the details:
North Chennai - 183
Central Chennai - 359
South Chennai - 589
The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court Tuesday refused to quash a case against actor-turned-politician S Ve Shekher in connection to a post he shared on Facebook in April 2018 that made derogatory remarks about women journalists.
While hearing a petition seeking to quash the FIR against Shekher, Justice Nisha Banu dismissed his defence that the post was a forward message that he shared without reading. The case has been adjourned till next week.
In 2018, a day after Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit apologised to a woman journalist for patting her cheek during a press conference in Chennai, Shekher courted controversy by sharing a Facebook post that made derogatory remarks about women journalists.
Read more
The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Tiruppur district Collector to forthwith close 64 unlicenced quarries operating in Uthukuli taluk there.
Justice R Mahadevan, who ordered the closure, also directed the Collector to initiate criminal action against those who operated the unlicenced quarries, in Morattupalayam village in Tiruppur, as well as those who were instrumental in allowing them to operate such as the Village Administrative Officer (VAO), Tahsildar, Revenue Divisional (RDO) and District Revenue Officers (DRO) and other authorities concerned, besides initiating appropriate proceedings to recover the loss caused to the exchequer.
The judge gave the directions after taking note of the magnitude of the violations of stone quarrying lease in the area, while passing interim orders on a writ petition from a licenced quarry operator.
Read more
State Minister for medical and family welfare Ma Subramanian said the government has planned to increase the total number of vaccinations administered per day from the present five lakh vaccines to about six to seven lakh vaccinations per day in September. He said the department has advised district administration to further scale up the number of vaccinations administered to people every day in their respective districts.
“In the last 10 days, we are maintaining over 5 lakh vaccinations per day. Earlier, it was hovering at 2 lakh or 3 lakh vaccinations per day. Three days back we administered 5.77 lakh vaccines a day and yesterday it was 5.78 lakh. We have advised district collectors to further increase the vaccinations per day,” he said in a government release.
Subramanian said similar to the practice of holding vaccination camps in all the 200 wards that come under Chennai Corporation, it was also decided to hold more such camps in cities like Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore.
Read more
As he sobbed alone inside his room at the Olympic Village, overlooking the Tokyo Bay, Sharad Kumar was convinced he was being punished for some ‘sin’. A couple of rooms away, Mariyappan Thangavelu spent the night dealing with his own disappointments. The Rio Games gold medalist landed in Tokyo, and almost immediately was sent into isolation after being identified as a close contact of a person on his flight who tested positive for Covid-19. It robbed him of the opportunity to carry India’s flag during the opening ceremony but crucially for him, it affected his training schedule.
On Tuesday, Mariyappan and Kumar left behind their sorrows and soared to the podium. The duo won silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the high jump T63 (combined with T42) class – for athletes with limb deficiencies – to take India’s tally to 10. It is the first time the country has touched double digits at the Games – in fact, India had won a total of just 12 medals from the 1968 edition until 2016.
Mariyappan is the thread that ties India’s two most successful campaigns – Rio and Tokyo. The silver medalist, who could soon be on the silver screen, from a fairly nondescript village in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district suffered a life-threatening accident. When he was five years old, Mariyappan was hit by a bus while walking to school. His right leg was gravely injured and he turned to sport after his physical education teacher urged him to take up high jump.
Read more
AIADMK co-coordinator O Panneerselvam's wife, Vijayalakshmi, who succumbed to a heart attack early today morning was undergoing treatment at a private hospital at Perungudi in Chennai for the last two weeks.
According to the statement released by Gem Hospital in Chennai's Perungudi, Vijayalakshmi was supposed to be discharged today when she suffered a heart attack at 5 am. Despite their best efforts, she passed away at 6.45 am.
Puducherry Assembly Speaker Embalam R Selvam who was on Tuesday admitted to the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Research Institute here for a 'mild' heart attack has been shifted to Apollo Hospital in Chennai.
A release from Medical Superintendent (in-charge) of Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital said the Speaker was already under cardiologists' care at Apollo hospital in Chennai. He has been shifted to Apollo hospital for further evaluation.
The release said that condition of the Speaker was stable. Selvam suffered a mild heart attack before coming to the Assembly and was admitted to the government general hospital in Chennai.
With Selvam undergoing treatment in hospital, Deputy Speaker P Rajavelu conducted the proceedings of the ongoing budget session of the House on Tuesday. (PTI)
A 47-year-old woman, Revathi, succumbed to severe burns from an alleged acid attack by her husband at the old bus stand in Salem on Monday evening. The police arrested her husband Yesudas (52), who was on the run, on Tuesday.
Speaking to Indianexpress.com, Salem ADCP M Kummaraja said, “Revathi was married to Yesudas for 22 years. She had been living at her mother’s home in Namakkal with three children for the last six months due to family issues with Yesudas.” Revathi had reportedly decided to divorce Yesudas and was taking the legal steps for the process.
The police booked Yesudas under IPC sections 498 (b), 307, 326 (b), 302 and nabbed him from a hideout in Karur.
Read more
The sixth accused allegedly involved in the rape of a medical student in Mysuru, who was at large, has been arrested in Tamil Nadu, police sources said.
Without divulging the name, the sources said he was also arrested from Tirupur on a tip-off.
The gang reportedly executed more than 20 crimes including robbery, burglary, loot and smuggling sandalwood, without sharing much details. They were primarily labourers, who were into wiring, carpentry, driving and construction workers, police said.
They had accosted the college student and her male friend near the Chamundi foothills on the outskirts of Mysuru on August 24 and tried to rob them. When they did not succeed, they allegedly assaulted him and raped her, police sources said. (PTI)
The Hindu Munnani on Tuesday condemned the decision of the Tamil Nadu government to impose restrictions on the public celebrations of Vinayaka Chaturthi citing Covid-19.
Terming it as a conspiracy against the Hindu community by the DMK-led dispensation, he said Chaturthi was celebrated last year amid more restrictions, without spreading the disease. Despite a drop in infections and majority of the population getting vaccinated, the Government is banning Hindu festivals only, Munnani president, Kadeshwara Subramanian alleged at a press conference in Coimbatore.
Noting that there were no restrictions to celebrate Bakrid recently, by erecting large pandals on road side, he claimed that even the 10-day Church festival was allowed in Turicorin recently by declaring a local holiday.
However, when it comes to Hindu festivals, particularly during last month, being Holy Aadi month, the Government was taking the issue of spreading the infection, he alleged. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin visited the hospital in Chennai where AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam's wife, Vijayalakshmi had passed away today to pay his last respects. Stalin was accompanied by his son Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Stalin offered his condolences to OPS, whose wife is suspected to have died of a heart attack.
Schools in Chennai and Tamil Nadu reopened for Classes IX to XII after months following the lockdowns which had been imposed amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin had announced the decision to reopen schools last week.
A day before schools reopen for Classes IX, X, XI and XII, Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Tuesday said parents need not fear for the safety of their wards while sending them to schools. After a gap of close to one-and-a-half-year, schools will reopen in Tamil Nadu from September 1.
The state government Monday instructed school authorities to ensure all Covid-19 safety guidelines are followed.
Addressing the media after inspecting the arrangements at a government school in Chennai, Mahesh said, “We haven’t mentioned anywhere in the SOP that students should compulsorily attend the physical classes. You send us your children, it’s our duty to ensure their safety,” he said.
Read more
The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced a purse of Rs 2 crore for paralympian from the state, Mariyappan Thangavelu, in recognition of his winning a silver medal in high jump in Tokyo Palaralympics, as Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister M K Stalin congratulated the Indian team for reaping success at the ongoing event.
Chief Minister M K Stalin, in a statement, said Thangavelu was hailed as the "golden son" of Tamil Nadu for winning gold in the 2016 Rio Paralympics and praised his silver medal winning performance Tuesday. "In appreciation of his silver medal achievement in Tokyo Paralympics, a sum of Rs 2 crore is being provided to Mariyappan Thangavelu," the chief minister said. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Tuesday questioned the state government’s decision to deny permission for public celebration of Vinayaka Chaturthi events citing Covid curbs when Tasmac outlets, the state government-owned liquor shops, were allowed to function.
Opposing the government move to ban installation of idols at public places or carry out processions and immersion of idols in water bodies, Annamalai said the government should have left it to the organisers to conduct events following safety guidelines, including social distancing.
“The government can fix a cap on the number of people, like 100 or 200 or 300. Vinayaka Chaturthi is part of our lives. We are allowing Tasmac to function in our states. People are visiting the shops and police protection is provided. Why ban Vinayaka Chaturthi procession alone? The government can announce restrictions but issuing a blanket ban is unacceptable. We still have time. We are thinking whether we should approach the chief minister with our demand,” he added.
Read more
Tangedco has announced a power cut in parts of Chennai today from 9 am to 2 pm for maintenance work.
Here are the affected areas:
Tambaram:
Read more
Tamil Nadu recorded 1,512 positive cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, bringing the state tally to 26,14,872. Among these, Chennai reported 189 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,44,153. The state recorded 22 deaths on Tuesday, putting the state toll at 34,921. 16 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 1,725 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,63,101.
As of Tuesday, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 16,850. Till date, 15,26,884 males, 10,87,950 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, 4,23,17,923 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 1,51,012 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 288 Covid-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 69 are government and 219 are private facilities.