People arrive to shop at a mall that reopened after authorities eased COVID-induced restrictions, in Chennai, Monday, June 28, 2021. (PTI)Chennai Coronavirus News July 14, 15 Highlights Tamil Nadu recorded 2,405 positive cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the state tally to 25,28,806. Among these, Chennai reported 148 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,35,747. The state recorded 49 deaths on Thursday, putting the state toll at 33,606. 36 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 3,006 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 24,65,250.
Meanwhile, parts of Chennai received light showers in the morning following light to moderate showers on Thursday evening. Parts of the city are expected to receive light showers today as well.
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Tamil Nadu recorded 2,405 positive cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the state tally to 25,28,806. Among these, Chennai reported 148 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,35,747. The state recorded 49 deaths on Thursday, putting the state toll at 33,606. 36 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 3,006 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 24,65,250.
The Greater Chennai Corporation has launched a drive to remove posters defacing walls in public places.The Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi said stringent action would be taken against those who struck posters at bus shelters, street signage, and on walls carrying public announcements. As of Thursday, the corporation has removed 49666 posters in North, South and Central Chennai.
The Puducherry government has decided to postpone the reopening of schools and colleges from July 16 following a plea from various sections that the decision to reopen institutions be reconsidered, Home and Education minister A Namassivayam said on Thursday.
The minister said he held talks with Chief Minister N Rangasamy and also with education department officials on the matter and now it had been decided to put off reopening of the institutions. According to him, as of now the number of new coronavirus cases has not come down and there were pleas from various sections including parents and voluntary organisations to put off the reopening of schools and colleges.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian called on Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi today seeking cancellation of NEET. Subramanian said conducting National Level Entrance Examination or similar exam for any professional course would be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of students.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday conducted a review of the Chennai Metro Rail projects and asked the officials to expedite the works on the phase I line from Meenambakkam to Kilambakkam and from Tambaram to Velachery.
Stalin met the officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) and inquired about the progress of the extension projects on Phase I and the status of Phase II corridors. He had asked the officials to expedite the works to open the lines for the public soon.
The Phase I metro line covers a distance of 45 km and consists of two corridors which run between Washmenpet and Chennai Airport and another one between Chennai Central and St.Thomas Mount. The extension of Phase I covers a stretch of 9.05 km from Washmenpet to Wimco Nagar.
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After remaining steady for two days, petrol and diesel prices were hiked on Thursday, July 15, 2021, with petrol touching a fresh record high across the country. In the national capital, the petrol price rose 35 paise while diesel inched up 15 paise.
In Chennai, petrol costs Rs. 102.23 per litre and diesel costs Rs. 94.39 per litre.
With 11 cases of dengue in the city in the last two weeks and a scare over Zika virus, the Greater Chennai Corporation stepped up its preventive measures to stop vector-borne diseases spread by aedes aegypti mosquitoes that are responsible also for chikungunya.
The civic body issued instructions to all residents and the owners of domestic buildings to make sure they keep their premises clean and prevent breeding of mosquitoes.
The recent intermittent rains in the city also posed a tough challenge before the civic body and the corporation workers were asked to conduct door-to-door awareness campaigns in the 15 zones of the city. To fight the mosquito menace alongside the canals in the city, the corporation has deployed drones to spray larvicide. The project is entering phase 3 and is likely to go on for the next three-four days.
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Adults in Chennai belonging to low-income families face sleep deprivation, according to a study. Categorising the finding as “significantly below both time in bed and recommended 7 to 9 hours,” the study, held during October 2017- September 2020, said that 95% of persons surveyed slept less than seven hours a night and 71% slept less than six hours per night.
The study was carried out as part of the stat government’s memorandum of understanding with the Abdul Latif Jameel- Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Most of the people surveyed were unemployed and earned less than Rs 15,000.
The Madras High Court on Wednesday made it clear that it will not defer hearing of pleas challenging the validity of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital media Ethics Code) Rule 2021, in the absence of any stay on the high court proceedings by the Supreme Court.
“There is no stay on the proceedings. We can go ahead with the matter and decide. The SC will have the benefit of the opinion of the high court,” said a bench comprising of chief justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy.
The Justice (retired) AK Rajan-led committee Wednesday handed over its report on National Eligibility cum Entrance Test’s (NEET) issues and impact in Tamil Nadu to Chief Minister MK Stalin.
According to Rajan, the full report, which runs into 165 pages, was prepared after looking into about 86,000 representations from various stakeholders.
Addressing the media after submitting the report, the retired Madras High Court Judge said most representations have said they don’t want NEET, and the report draws the Chief Minister’s attention to key aspects.
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Tangedco has announced a powercut in parts of Chennai from 9 am to 5 pm today to carry out maintenance work.
Here are the affected areas:
Maduravoyal: MMDA Colony, Varalakshmi Nagar, Ganga Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Dhanalakshmi Nagar, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Ganapathy Nagar, Ayyappa Nagar, Balamurugan Nagar, Rajaranjan Nagar, Vanagaram Mettupakkam Road and surrounding areas.
The Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the Election Commission of India (EC) to devise a procedure for dealing with complaints against the contesting candidates promptly.
The ECI should issue a notice to the relevant candidate and his explanation sought and the matter closed by a reasoned order if the explanation is found suitable or satisfactory.
If the explanation is found unsatisfactory, it should pursue the matter with full rigour, irrespective of the political allegiance of the relevant candidate, the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said.
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Three girls, aged between 11 and 14, and two women drowned in a temple tank in the nearby Tiruvallur district on Wednesday.
Chief Minister M K Stalin condoled the deaths and announced a solatium of Rs five lakh from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund to the families of each of the deceased, an official press release in Chennai said.
They all were washing clothes in the tank when the 11-year-old slipped and fell into the waters. On seeing this, the rest tried one after the other to save her but in vain. Ultimately, the five died, the release said. (PTI)
AIADMK top leader Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister M K Stalin over NEET and demanded that the DMK government take steps to fulfill its poll promise of getting Tamil Nadu exempted from the ambit of the national test.
During the run up to the April 6 Assembly elections, DMK chief Stalin had assured steps within “24 hours” of assuming power to get the test scrapped, Palaniswami said in a statement.
However, the announcement of examination date (September 12, 2021) was a “thunderbolt” for students who believed the words of the Chief Minister and Ministers and were not prepared for the test as they expected NEET to be scrapped, he said.
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Citizens in Chennai woke up to overcast skies as parts of the city received light showers in the morning.
Parts of Chennai had received light to moderate showers on Thursday evening accompanied by gusty winds.
Tamil Nadu recorded 2458 positive cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state tally to 25,26,401. Among these, Chennai reported 153 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,35,588. The state recorded 55 deaths on Wednesday, putting the state toll at 33,557. 35 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 3021 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 24,62,244.
As of Wednesday, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 30,600. Till date, 14,76,288 males, 10,50,075 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, 3,49,73,281 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 1,46,394 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 273 Covid-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 69 are government and 204 are private facilities.
Good morning!
Welcome to the live blog from Chennai where we bring to you the latest updates on COVID-19, lockdown in Tamil Nadu and more across Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the state in real time.
Tamil Nadu recorded 2,458 positive cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state tally to 25,26,401. Among these, Chennai reported 153 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,35,588. The state recorded 55 deaths on Wednesday, putting the state toll at 33,557. A total of 3,021 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 24,62,244.
A team of representatives of all parties from Tamil Nadu is scheduled to reach Delhi on Thursday afternoon to hand over the resolutions passed by the Tamil Nadu Government has passed opposing the Karnataka Government's decision to build dam at Mekedatu across the river Cauvery.
In order to maintain an environmental friendly atmosphere at the Madras High Court, Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee Wednesday asked the Registrar (Administration) to examine measures to ensure that a clean and green court campus is maintained at all times.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition (N Rajkumar v.The Registrar Administration and ors) filed in 2017 which sought to make the court campus cleaner, litter-free, and more accessible.
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With 11 cases of dengue in the city in the last two weeks and a scare over Zika virus, the Greater Chennai Corporation stepped up its preventive measures to stop vector-borne diseases spread by aedes aegypti mosquitoes that are responsible also for chikungunya.
The civic body issued instructions to all residents and the owners of domestic buildings to make sure they keep their premises clean and prevent breeding of mosquitoes.
The recent intermittent rains in the city also posed a tough challenge before the civic body and the corporation workers were asked to conduct door-to-door awareness campaigns in the 15 zones of the city. To fight the mosquito menace alongside the canals in the city, the corporation has deployed drones to spray larvicide. The project is entering phase 3 and is likely to go on for the next three-four days
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DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran was in for a surprise on Tuesday as he boarded an IndiGo aircraft to make his way home to Chennai from New Delhi. As he took his seat in the first row, the captain asked him: “So, you are travelling in this flight as well!”
Unable to recognise the captain, who wore a mask, Maran nodded with a puzzled expression on his face. “So you don’t recognise me!” the captain exclaimed in a familiar voice.
But the smile behind the mask soon gave him away. “I realised then that it was none other than my colleague, senior member of Parliament and former Union minister – my very good friend Thiru Rajiv Pratap Rudy,” Maran said.
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Tamil actor Sivakarthikeyan and his wife Aarthi were blessed with a baby boy on Monday. The actor took to Twitter to share the happy news with his fans.
Sharing a photo, Sivakarthikeyan wrote in Tamil, “After 18 long years, my dad is born as my son. To ease years of my pain, my wife Aarthi has endured this pain. I thank her with tears in my eyes. Baby and mom are fine.”
Sivakarthikeyan and Aarthi already have a daughter, Aaradhana.
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A total of 27,44,261 people have been vaccinated in Chennai till date, with 20,632 inoculated on Tuesday alone, according to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).
Things in the natural world have a tendency to pop up when you least expect them—like mushrooms that spring up overnight or a tigress pouncing on unwitting deer. That element of surprise and sense of wonder is part of a pop-up book by Chennai-based design researcher and paper artist, Keerthana Ramesh, 28. On July 12, Ramesh posted a video on Instagram of her book of 30 endangered species, titled My Friends Are Missing. On each page is a creature cut and crafted from paper—a Seychelles sheath-tailed bat unfurls its gossamer wings; a sunflower sea star rolls to the centrefold; and a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle paddles about in an invisible pool.
Ramesh made the 30 species as a response to a month-long social media challenge hosted by One Million One Month, a non-profit project that aims to raise awareness about endangered species through art. The project follows a United Nations report from 2019 that warns of how one million species are at risk of extinction due to human activity.
The list of species doesn’t have any native to India but draws attention to a global call to protect endangered flora and fauna, many of which are facing habitat loss due to the climate emergency. In Ramesh’s book, a golden viscacha rat disappears into a burrow, its home lost to olive plantations, and a magnolia species blooms, though there are only eleven of its trees left in the whole world.
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The Andhra Pradesh government has relaxed Covid-19 curfew restrictions uniformly across all 13 districts from 6 AM to 10 PM, wherein all commercial establishments will be shut down by 9 PM and curfew restrictions will begin from 10 PM.
“The decision was taken as the overall positivity rate has come down to less than five per cent. It is mandatory for every individual to wear face masks, and a fine of Rs 100 will be imposed for not wearing masks in public places. If any shops and establishments violate the guidelines, they will be asked to close down for 2-3 days,” an official said. Officials are setting up an online facility where one can report mask violations by posting photos.
There will be no mass gatherings, and people will are required to follow social distancing protocol at public places and establishments. Additional guidelines will be issued by the Medical and Health Department, officials said. During a review meeting, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy directed officials to provide medical care to all those who are found to have symptoms during the ongoing fever survey.
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The Madras high court on Tuesday dismissed a writ petition filed by Tamil actor Vijay in 2012 seeking exemption of entry tax on his imported luxury car — Rolls Royce Ghost — from England and asked him to pay the tax in the next two weeks.
Justice S M Subramaniam noted that filing a writ petition and avoiding payment of entry tax and keeping the writ petition for about nine years can never be appreciated. He also imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on the actor and said evasion of tax is to be construed as “an anti-national habit, attitude and mindset and unconstitutional”. The actor has been asked to contribute the amount to the Chief Minister’s Covid-19 relief fund.
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The Tamil Nadu government has decided to plant 28 crore saplings in order to increase the forest cover, state Forest Minister K Ramachandran said on Tuesday. With a geographical area of 130,006 Sq Kms, the state has at present 23.8 per cent of forest cover and to increase it to 33 per cent, the government decided to plant 20 crore to 30 crore saplings, the Minister told reporters in Udhagamandalam.
All the departments, including Revenue, horticulture, highway and other social welfare and NGOs will be involved in the drive to plant 28 crore saplings by removing trees like eucalyptus in another 10 years, he said.
He also appealed to the members of the public to plant a tree on every birthday.
He said two people were already arrested with regard to burning an elephant in Masinagudi in the district. Ramachandran said that a three-member committee will be formed to decide on the release of Rivaldo, an elephant in the camp, as demanded by various organisations. (PTI)
Hours after Karnataka law minister Basavaraj Bommai said the state government will go ahead with the Mekedatu project, Tamil Nadu water resource minister Durai Murugan said if Karnataka has the right to say that they will construct the dam against the verdict of the Cauvery Tribunal and the Supreme Court, then Tamil Nadu has the right to say they will take steps to halt the project through a legal route.
Reacting to the all-party meeting convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday, passing a unanimous resolution asking the Centre not to sanction the Mekedatu project, the Karnataka law minister said, “Karnataka is well within its rights to take this (Mekadatu project) up. Karnataka has got all the rights to safeguard the interests of its people because the main component in the entire matter is drinking water.”
He further said, “Karnataka’s detailed project report was with the Central Water Commission. The government of India has to consider Karnataka’s request as per the law.”
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A total of 44,981 posters have been removed by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) till Tuesday as a part of the poster removal drive in Chennai.
Here is the break-up of posters removed:
North Chennai - 8153
Central Chennai - 8908
South Chennai - 27,920
A Technical Assistant of MGNREGA in Nirmal District suffered burn injuries on Tuesday after a sarpanch allegedly set him ablaze over the issue of pending bills, police said.
The incident happened in the office premises of Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Kubeer Mandal at around 4.30 pm, they said.
The sarpanch went inside the office and it seems there was an argument between him and the Technical Assistant after which the sarpanch allegedly poured petrol on the table and on the Technical Assistant and lit them using match sticks, a senior police official told PTI over phone based on preliminary investigation.
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The Tamil Nadu government has decided to launch a programme called the ‘Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam’ that will take clinics to the doorstep of people’s homes across the state. The aim is to bring down the deaths caused every year due to non-communicable diseases such as blood pressure and diabetes by nearly 50%.
The state is said to launch a mass screening programme after which doctors and nurses will give treatment, deliver medicines, and monitor those who have high levels of diabetes and hypertension.
The Times of India reported that officials estimate that at least one crore people in the state might require constant medical support.
Tamil Nadu’s School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Tuesday said that a decision on the reopening of schools would be taken after keeping in mind the Covid-19 situation in the state. He said that the government was closely observing Puducherry’s decision to reopen schools and colleges.
Poyyamozhi said that a report would be submitted to chief minister M.K Stalin. The minister said, “Following the announcement made by the Puducherry government, the Education Department held a meeting on Monday. Depending on what the department officials and other stakeholders put forth, we will convey their recommendations to the Chief Minister who will then decide based on how the Covid-19 situation in the state is.”
He added that the decision will be taken after the government takes into consideration what parents feel about reopening of schools and whether they are confident about the safety of the students.
The Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL challenging the Tamil Nadu government constituting a panel on the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), saying it was not contrary to the orders of the Supreme Court on the matter.
The ruling DMK had last month constituted the panel, headed by retired high court judge AK Rajan, to analyse if NEET had an adverse impact on students from backward classes and if so, the committee would recommend remedial measures to the government.
DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin welcomed the ruling, saying the “important verdict is the starting point for the Tamil Nadu government’s determination and efforts,” vis-a-vis NEET.
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In one week, the Chennai police has booked 800 cases of drunk driving. A data put out by the Chennai city police and reported by The News Minute reveals that the traffic police booked 61 cases on July 1, 78 cases on July 2, 132 cases on July 3, between July 1 to July 7, Chennai traffic police booked, 168 cases on July 4, 122 cases on July 5, 111 cases on July 6 and 136 cases on July 7.
Additional Commissioner of police, Traffic, Pradip Kumar told TNM that “We have set up a special drive at night to book drunken driving. With regards to this, we have also set up 12 exclusive check points across the city.”
Necessary steps should be taken to exempt customs duty, integrated GST and any other taxes on import of life saving drugs for treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin urged the Centre on Tuesday.
For children affected by SPA, gene-therapy has to be ideally given before the child reaches two years of age and this therapy costs over Rs 16 crore per person, Stalin said in a letter to union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
SPA is a rare disease, causing loss of nerve cells, which carry electrical signals from the brain to muscles.
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Telangana on Tuesday reported 767 Covid-19 cases, taking the tally to over 6.33 lakh, while the death toll stood at 3,738 with three more deaths.
Khammam district accounted for the highest number of cases with 84 followed by The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC)-77, a state government bulletin said.
The number of active cases was 10,064. The total number of cases in the state stood at 6,33,146, while with 848 people being cured, the total recoveries are at 6,19,344.
Over 1.18 lakh samples were tested on Tuesday and cumulatively, over 1.99 crore samples have been tested. Samples tested per million population were over 5.36 lakh, the bulletin said.
The case fatality and recovery rates were at 0.59 per cent and 97.82 per cent, respectively. (PTI)
Tamil Nadu recorded 2505 positive cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, bringing the state tally to 25,23,943. Among these, Chennai reported 160 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 5,35,439. The state recorded 48 deaths on Tuesday, putting the state toll at 33,502. 37 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 3058 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 24,59,223.
As of Monday, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 31,218. Till date, 14,74,860 males, 10,49,045 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, 3,48,26,887 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 1,40,132 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 273 Covid-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 69 are government and 204 are private facilities.
Good morning!
Welcome to the live blog from Chennai and Hyderabad where we bring to you the latest updates on COVID-19 vaccination, COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, politics, civic issues and more across Chennai and Hyderabad throughout the day. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the states in real time.