People wait to be inoculated against Covid-19 at a vaccination centre in Chennai. (PTI Photo/File)Tamil Nadu Chennai News August 30, 31 Highlights: 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. A total of 1,725 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,63,101.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin Tuesday congratulated Indian medalists at the Tokyo Paralympics. In a statement, Stalin said he is happy to see India continuing its streak at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. “Congrats to our Tamil Nadu star Thiru Mariyappan Thangavelu who won his 2nd consecutive Paralympics medal in High Jump, Thiru Sharad Kumar and Thiru Singhraj Adhana for their Bronze in High Jump and Shooting respectively,” Stalin said.
Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai Tuesday has passed a remark where he questioned the government of allowing the TASMAC to run in the state but denied permission for Vinayaka Chathuthi event in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Annamalai said the government should leave it to the organisers to conduct the event following safety guidelines including social distancing. “The government can fix a cap on the number of people like 100 or 200 or 300. Vinayaka Chathurthi event is part of our lives. We are allowing TASMAC to run in our states, people are visiting the shops, police protection is provided. Why ban Vinayaka Chathurthi procession alone? Government can provide restrictions but issuing a blanket ban is unacceptable. We still have time, we are thinking whether to present this demand to Chief Minister,” he added.
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. A total of 1,725 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,63,101.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin Tuesday congratulated Indian medalists at the Tokyo Paralympics. In a statement, Stalin said he is happy to see India continuing its streak at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. "Congrats to our Tamil Nadu star Thiru Mariyappan Thangavelu who won his 2nd consecutive Paralympics medal in High Jump, Thiru Sharad Kumar and Thiru Singhraj Adhana for their Bronze in High Jump and Shooting respectively," Stalin said.
Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai Tuesday has passed a remark where he questioned the government of allowing the TASMAC to run in the state but denied permission for Vinayaka Chathuthi event in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Annamalai said the government should leave it to the organisers to conduct the event following safety guidelines including social distancing.
“The government can fix a cap on the number of people like 100 or 200 or 300. Vinayaka Chathurthi event is part of our lives. We are allowing TASMAC to run in our states, people are visiting the shops, police protection is provided. Why ban Vinayaka Chathurthi procession alone? Government can provide restrictions but issuing a blanket ban is unacceptable. We still have time, we are thinking whether to present this demand to Chief Minister,” he added.
The Chennai police Tuesday detained several AIADMK MLAs, including deputy leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly O Pannerselvam, after they resorted to a road blockade outside Kalaivanar Arangam.
The MLAs were protesting against the bill introduced by the Tamil Nadu government to merge Dr. J Jayalalithaa University with Annamalai University.
A total of 39,63,386 people have been vaccinated in Chennai till date, with 33,906 people inoculated on Monnday alone, according to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).
A young mother arrested by the Tamil Nadu police on Sunday on charges of assaulting her two-year-old child has confessed to the cops that she tortured the toddler as he resembled her husband and was not beautiful like her. She also beat up the boy as she felt that she lost her beauty after giving birth to him.
Speaking to Indianexpress.com, the Gingee Deputy Superintendent of Police C Elangovan said Thulasi (23) told the police that she developed an extramarital affair following a missed call.
“During the couple’s stay in Chennai, she had received a missed call from a man named Premkumar which later developed into a relationship. They had been chatting regularly through video calls and the man had told her that her two-year-old son, who was born prematurely at seven months, did not look good like her elder son. He also told her that after the birth of her second son, she was no longer beautiful and the child was ugly like her husband,” he said.
Read more
Petrol and diesel prices were steady across the country for the seventh consecutive day on Tuesday, August 31, 2021. The prices of the key auto fuels were last revised on August 24 when petrol and diesel prices were cut by 15 paise per litre each in the national capital.
In Chennai, petrol is priced at Rs. 99.20 per litre and diesel costs Rs. 93.52 per litre.
A total of 1,32,125 posters have been removed across Chennai by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) till Monday as a part of the civic body’s poster removal campaign.
Here are the details:
North Chennai - 36,319
Central Chennai - 41,946
South Chennai - 53,860
A key accused in the Mysuru gangrape case was linked to at least four sandalwood theft and smuggling cases in the region since 2019, with the latest of those filed in January this year, it has emerged.
Police are now looking at the possibility of the sandalwood theft gang’s involvement in other attacks and robberies in Mysuru, which may have not been reported on account of fear among the victims.
Bhupathi, alias Keeri, 24, a resident of Talavadi town in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district, a key accused held in the August 24 gangrape case, was arrested, along with three others, on January 8 after Mysuru police seized 40 kg sandalwood pieces from a car with Tamil Nadu registration. A senior officer said the seized sandalwood was worth Rs 5.5 lakh. “He was on the (police) radar, but not for crimes against women. He was out on bail,” the officer added.
Read more
The Union government should ensure full, timely supply of fertilisers to Tamil Nadu as per allotment and arrange to offload imported fertiliser cargo in ports in the state and neighbouring Puducherry, the state government urged the Centre on Monday.
Though the Centre allotted 3.838 lakh tonnes of urea to Tamil Nadu for the April 2021-August 2021 period, only 2.56 lakh tonnes were supplied by fertiliser firms to Tamil Nadu and there is a shortfall of 1.278 tonnes, Minister for Agriculture, M R K Panneerselvam said in a letter to Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Mansukh Mandaviya.
Also, there is a shortfall of 33,000 tonnes in respect of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) as the receipt was only 87,000 tonnes as against the allocation of 1.20 lakh tons for the same period, Panneerselvam said.
The need for urea and DAP have increased in Tamil Nadu considering the requirements in respect of all crops in about 25.40 lakh acres. Hence, if shortfall continued in supply of fertilisers, it would affect crop production and lead to a cut in farmers income, the Agriculture Minister said.
Also, he urged the Centre to make arrangements to offload imported fertiliser cargo in ports in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry. (PTI)
The Puducherry Assembly on Monday passed a resolution against the move of Karnataka to build at Mekedatu a dam across Cauvery.
The resolution, tabled by Chief Minister of the Union Territory N Rangasamy, said the 13th meeting of the Cauvery Water Management to be held on Tuesday should not take up for discussion the issue among the riparian States.
The resolution said if and when the dam is built, there would not be any water available for farming in Karaikal which is in the region of Puducherry.
The government of neighbouring Tamil Nadu has already approached the Supreme Court to restrain Karnataka from building the dam. (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:
IT Corridor:
Read more
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin Monday extended the restrictions imposed in the state in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic till September 15. According to a press release, a meeting chaired by Stalin at the secretariat discussed various issues related to vaccination, the impact of Covid-19 in few districts, the surge in cases in the neighbouring states and precautionary measures.
The latest Covid guidelines issued stated that public entry has been denied to all beaches in the state on Sunday. Also, in line with the previous announcement, public entry has been restricted to places of worship on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The ban on conducting religious events will continue.
All district collectors have been directed to take necessary preventive measures to control the spread of the virus.
Read more
Seven persons, including Hosur DMK MLA Prakash's son Karuna Sagar died after their car rammed into a road pedestrian way and a compound in the early hours of Tuesday. While the police are yet to confirm the identity of the rest of the deceased, all are aged between 21-28 years and were travelling in an Audi car.
The incident took place near Mangala Kalayana Manatapa near Koramangala around 1.30 am.
Joint commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ravikanthe Gowda said that four male and three female persons have died. Six of them died on the spot and one died one the way to the hospital. Prima facie, it looks like that the car was being drivern fast and in a negligent matter. "We are yet to know whether they were drunk", he added.
Adugodi traffic police have registered a case of rash and negligent driving and the bodies have been shifted to St John's hospital for post-mortem.
Two oxygen generator plants were set up at a cost of Rs 1.18 crore in a government hospital in Hosur on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border for the benefit of COVID-19 patients. The plants have a capacity to generate 500 litres of liquid oxygen per minute and have a storage capacity of 400 litres with a bottling facility.
The plants were sponsored by Hinduja Group company Ashok Leyland, a press statement from the company said here on Monday.
"As the nation fights the COVID-19 pandemic, we stand united with the government to provide support in these challenging times...our commitment to support our society during these challenging times is our priority and we are extending our support through this contribution," managing director of Ashok Leyland Vipin Sondhi was quoted as saying in the statement. The plants were inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Minister for Medical and Family Welfare M Subramanian on Monday. (PTI)
An ongoing National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the seizure of 300 kg heroin, five AK-47 rifles and 1,000 live rounds of 9mm ammunition off the coast of Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram has led to speculation that an international drug running and weapon trading racket is aimed at reviving the Sri Lankan Tamil separatist group LTTE.
The case relates to the March 18 interception of a boat with the contraband by the Coast Guard following an intelligence input. The mastermind behind the operation was Sri Lankan Tamil Suresh Rajan, a resident of Colombo who had been living at Kundrathur, a Chennai suburb, for some time.
Multiple sources in Kerala and Tamil Nadu intelligence agencies said they failed to closely look at the case as it was being probed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). “The NCB was about to chargesheet six Sinhalese who were on board when NIA stepped in and probed further,” said an intelligence officer attached to Kerala Police.
Read more
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday inaugurated projects worth Rs 477.42 crore, which includes drinking water schemes in Vellore, Tiruchirappalli and Krishnagiri districts. Neighbourhoods under panchayat unions including Musiri and Uthangarai in Tiruchirappalli and Krishnagiri districts respectively and Vellore Corporation areas would be benefited under the drinking water schemes, the government said.
The Vellore project was completed at a cost of Rs 234.93 crore while the projects in Tiruchirappalli and Krishnagiri districts were completed at a cost of Rs 140.22 crore and Rs 28.24 crore respectively, an official release in Chennai said.
The several other schemes of the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department inaugurated by Stalin from Chennai through video conferencing includes a plan for enhanced illumination in the Madurai Meenakshi Temple area using LED and ornamental lamps at a cost of Rs 14.14 crore.
All the projects were completed at a total estimated cost of Rs 477.42 crore. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu recorded 1,523 positive cases of Covid-19 on Monday, bringing the state tally to 26,13,360. Among these, Chennai reported 183 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,43,968. The state recorded 21 deaths on Monday, putting the state toll at 34,899. 17 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 1,739 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,61,376.
As of Monday, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 17,085. Till date, 15,26,010 males, 10,87,312 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, 4,21,66,911 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 150,948 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 Chief Minister MK Stalin Monday announced that the lockdown would be extended in the state till September 15. As per the release, a meeting was chaired by Stalin at the secretariat and issues related to vaccination, the impact of Covid-19 in few districts, and the surge in cases in the neighbouring states, precautionary measures were discussed.
As per the guidelines issued by Stalin, public entry has been denied to all beaches in the state on Sunday. In line with the previous announcement, public entry is restricted to places of worship on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Ban on conducting religious events to continue. All district collectors have been directed to ensure precautionary measures are in place to control the spread of the virus.
As schools and colleges are reopening in the state on September 1, the Tamil Nadu Transport Corporation Monday said all the school and government college students can travel free in the busses from their residence to their Institutions until they are provided a bus pass by the corporation. The students are directed to carry their Identity card and show them to the bus conductor when required.
A 48-year-old shopkeeper who was arrested by Chennai police on Saturday for selling gutka was found to be a serial child abuser. The man, identified as Perumal, is accused of sexually assaulting three minors over a period of five months.
Two sisters, aged 28 and 30, have also been picked by the police. They were seen in a couple of videos the police found on Perumal’s phone. The women had allegedly allowed Perumal to assault their own daughters in exchange for money. “He will pay some 1500- 2000 rupees for them,” the police said. Perumal had assaulted one more child who was in the care of these women.
A senior police official told indianexpress.com that the police had raided Perumal’s store on Saturday based on a tip-off about a shop selling gutka. They had seized around 30 packets of gutka.
Read More
As schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu are set to reopen on September 1, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma Subramanian said teachers can return to the educational institutions even if they are only partially vaccinated against Covid-19, provided they get their second dose within the prescribed time. The minister also requested all eligible students to get vaccinated.
Subramanian said that more than 90 per cent of teachers in Chennai have been vaccinated. The government has taken steps to accelerate vaccination in 122 colleges in Chennai including government, government-aided, private colleges and all concerned principals have been briefed upon the guidelines, said the minister. He added all the non-teaching staff and their families can get vaccinated through the special camps organised by the government.
Read more
A total of 39,29,480 people have been vaccinated in Chennai till date, with 31,646 people inoculated on Sunday alone, according to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).
Petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged across the country for the sixth consecutive day on Monday, August 30, 2021. The prices of the key auto fuels were last revised on August 24 when petrol and diesel prices were cut by 15 paise per litre each in the national capital.
In Chennai, petrol is priced at Rs. 99.20 per litre and diesel costs Rs. 93.52 per litre.
A special team of police from Sathyamangalam near Villupuram in Tamil Nadu on Sunday arrested a 22-year-old woman from Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh who was seen beating up her two-year-old child in a video that is now viral. The accused, identified as Thulasi, is expected to be produced before the criminal court in Gingee on Monday.
Police said she was picked up from her mother’s residence. A video of the assault had gone viral, after which netizens and child welfare activists demanded immediate police action over the incident.
Two days ago, Thulasi’s husband Vadivazhagan (37) had registered a complaint against her at Sathyamangalam police station in which he said that the couple had a difference of opinion after which he dropped Thulasi at her mother’s home around 40 days ago.
Read more
A local court in Bareilly has acquitted 12 members of the Tablighi Jamaat — nine Thais and three Indians, all above 50 years old — who were booked last year by the Shahjahanpur police for allegedly violating lockdown norms. The accused, all of whom were out on bail, were acquitted for lack of evidence.
Following a High Court directive, the case lodged in Shahajanpur was heard in a Bareilly court. On Friday, the 12 appeared before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) that exonerated them. Of the Indians, two are from Tamil Nadu and one from Shahjahanpur. “The CJM, Atul Chaudhary, on Friday acquitted all persons for wants of evidence. In all, nine prosecution witnesses — all policemen — were examined by the court,” government counsel Prem Chandra Rai said on Saturday.
Read more
With metro rail project by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) having commenced along Chennai's Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), four toll booths along the stretch have suspended collection of toll from today.
Collection has been suspended at Perungudi, Thoraipakkam, Kalaignar Salai and Medavakkam Salai from today. Commuters will however, continue to pay toll at Navalur.
State Minister for PWD and Highways E V Velu had made the announcement on Friday during the Assembly session and added that the government will also take measures to close toll booths at five locations near Chennai, namely Nimili, Vanagaram, Surapattu, Paranur and Chennasamudram.
South Western Railway has announced unreserved Express Daily Special trains (Train No. 07315 / 07316 Yesvantpur – Salem – Yesvantpur Unreserved Express Specials) between Yesvantpur and Salem from today.
With the composition of 10 General Second Class Coaches, two Luggage cum Brake Vans and General second class for persons with disabilities, Train No. 07315 Yesvantpur - Salem Unreserved Express Special will leave Yesvantpur at 15.55 hours on and from August 30 and reach Salem at 21.45 hours, the same day.
In the return direction, Train No. 07316 Salem – Yesvantpur Unreserved Express Special will leave Salem at 05.20 hours on and from August 31 and will reach Yesvantpur at 11.15 hours, the same day.
The trains will have stoppages at Lottegollahalli, Hebbal, Banaswadi, Belandur Road, Carmelaram, Heelalige, Anekal Road, Hosur, Kelamangalam, Periyanagathunai, Rayakottai, Marandahalli, Palakkodu, Dharmapuri, Sivadi, Muttampatti, Tpoppur, Karuvalli, Semmandapatti and Omalur.
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has said that 45,780 saplings have been planted till Sunday as a part of the civic body's tree plantation drive in the city. Of these, 161 were planted on Sunday alone.
Here are the details:
North Chennai - 52
Central Chennai - 35
South Chennai - 74
In his message to the silver medallist, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said, "You have succeeded in overcoming many of the sufferings. I pray to Lord to bless you for series of success in the journey of life."
PMK founder S Ramadoss also lauded the efforts of Bhavina Patel and said, "Let the record journey and medal accumulation continue in the world stage." (PTI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin congratulated para table tennis player Bhavinaben Patel for winning a silver medal at the Paralympic Games held in Tokyo.
"I feel happy and proud in congratulating India's daughter Bhavinaben Patel for her stupendous performance by winning silver in Para Table Tennis at the Tokyo Paralympics," Stalin said in his congratulatory message.
In another release, Stalin extended his greetings to Nishad and Vinod Kumar for bagging medals in high jump and discus throw, respectively. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and leaders of various political parties on Sunday extended their greetings to people of the state on the eve of Krishna Jayanti.
"On the joyous and auspicious occasion of Sri Krishna Jayanti, I extend my warm greetings and good wishes to the people of Tamil Nadu. The festival celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna who is worshipped as the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This festival signifies the victory of good over evil", Purohit said in his message.
The eternal message of performing our duties with sincerity without attachment to the results bestowed by Lord Krishna in the 'Bhagwad Gita' has been a source of inspiration for entire humanity, he said in a Raj Bhavan release.
"On this holy occasion, let all of us resolve to follow the timeless and universal teachings of Lord Krishna for betterment of our society. May this festival bring peace, harmony, prosperity and good health in our state", he said. (PTI)
The Karnataka Police arrested five residents of Tamil Nadu, including a juvenile, Friday night for the gangrape of a 23-year-MBA student in Mysuru on August 24. One person allegedly involved in the case is absconding, police said. The accused have been remanded in police custody for 10 days.
The fact that the attackers spoke Tamil, technical analysis of telephone numbers active in the location at the time of the crime, and bus tickets recovered from the spot were among the clues that helped police track the accused, sources said.
DGP Praveen Sood said all the five are labourers from Tiruppur who frequently visited Mysuru for work, including a driver, carpenter, painter and others doing odd jobs. He said they had first tried to extort money from the woman and her friend, making a call from the latter’s phone to his father seeking Rs 3 lakh. “It was first an incident of attempted robbery,” Sood said.
Read more
A teenage girl has been arrested on the charge of marrying a minor boy after sexually abusing him, police said on Sunday.
The girl, working in a petrol bunk near Pollachi, 43 kms from Coimbatore, became friendly with the boy a few months ago, the police said.
The two went missing from August 26 and the boy’s parents lodged a complaint, they said.
Read more
Ever since the nation became independent, it has all along been the endeavour of forces inimical to India to create an atmosphere of instability domestically, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.
Addressing officers at the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington near Ooty, he said changes in spheres like the military power, trade, communication, economy and political equation could be clearly seen.
In this era of globalisation, no nation could be left untouched by these changes happening around the world, he said. In such a situation, keeping the nation's security preparedness in proportion to these changes or a step ahead of them is the need.
"Ever since our country became independent it has been the endeavour of enemy forces to create an atmosphere of instability within the country through one or the other means. Taking the history of the last 75 years, it seems that we have inherited the challenges." (PTI)
The 11-day annual festival at shrine Basilica in Vailankanni, Nagapattinam district, began on Sunday but devotees were not allowed into the place of worship because of the COVID-19 situation.
Every year, the shrine is visited by over five lakh people. With the pandemic, the Collector of the district Arun Thamburaj decided to not allow any devotee into the place of worship this year.
However, the holy mass will be conducted and the sacred flag will be hoisted at noon, according to staff of the administration department at the shrine. All the methods of worship of Our Lady of Good Health would be streamed live on the website www.vailankannishrine.net (PTI)
Tamil Nadu Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian said Kodaikanal has achieved 100 per cent vaccination coverage against COVID-19 while Palani was expected to achieve the feat in one or two days.
“Spiritual centres like Tiruvannamalai, Rameswaram, Velankanni, Nagore are on course to achieve 100 percent vaccination status”, he told reporters after inaugurating ‘Elekta Infinity,’ a state-of-the-art Linear Accelerator Cancer Radiotherapy equipment at Kamakshi Memorial Hospitals in Chennai.
The Minister further said the health department was in the process of inoculating teachers, students and staff of educational institutions as schools and colleges were set to re open on September 1. “We inaugurated a vaccination camp at the Saidapet Girls High School (in the city) in the last two days. It is being expanded up across the state”, he said.
Read more
Tamil Nadu recorded 1,538 positive cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, bringing the state tally to 26,11,837. Among these, Chennai reported 189 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,43,786. The state recorded 22 deaths on Sunday, putting the state toll at 34,878. 19 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 1,753 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,59,637.
As of Sunday, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 17,322. Till date, 15,25,149 males, 10,86,650 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, 4,20,15,963 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 1,61,974 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.