Chennai Dec 28 PTI For the differently abled women and men seated on specially designed wheelchairs that could be manoeuvred on sand it was a refreshing experience when waves of water rolled on to their feet at the Marina beach here with a whoosh on a pleasant evening A 200 metre long wooden ramp linking the Marina seashore here with the beach approach road was inaugurated on Tuesday and differently abled men and women all smiles visited the beach using the new facility Such arrangements are needed in all places to recognise the rights of the physically challenged a woman who operated a wheel chair on her own to visit the beach said Municipal Administration Minister K N Nehru Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P K Sekar Babu and Chepakkam-Tiruvallikeni MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin inaugurated the temporary ramp an official release here said Five specially designed wheelchairs that can be used on beach sand has been arranged by the Greater Chennai Corporation and a shamiana pandal and amenities like drinking water and refreshments have been arranged for their use Amenities the ramp and the pandal for the exclusive use of the physically challenged people would be functional till January 3 2022 Nehru accepting the request of differently abled people and their relatives advised civic authorities to allow the use of ramp till January 16 2022 It could not be immediately ascertained if there are proposals to consider making the wooden ramp a permanent feature at the Marina beach and whether such temporary arrangements are being contemplated in other popular beaches of Tamil Nadu The harvest festival of Pongal falls on January 14 and people usually crowd beaches on Kaanum Pongal January 16 a day after the Pongal celebrations PTI VGN BN BN

Chennai Dec 28 PTI The Madras High Court will have only physical hearing of cases from January 32022 according to a notification here This will apply to both the principal seat here and the Madurai bench a notification from Registrar General P Dhanabal dated December 27 said with regard to hearing of the cases in the Madras High Court both at Principal Seat and at Madurai Bench as ordered it is notified that all virtual hearings on video conferencing platform shall stand suspended with effect from Monday January 3 2022 until further orders it said It is made clear that hearing of cases will be only through physical mode in the Madras High Court both at Principal Seat and at Madurai Bench with effect from Monday it added PTI COR SA APR APR

Chennai Dec 28 PTI Work to install electricity meters for agricultural power connections should be halted immediately in Tamil Nadu to allay the apprehensions of farmers the main opposition AIADMK demanded on Tuesday Hitting out at the ruling DMK for maintaining double standards on the issue of metering farm connections AIADMK top leader O Panneerselvam said Chief Minister M K Stalin should take necessary steps to stall the Union governments move vis-a-vis metering Pointing to Stalin rolling out the one lakh farm electricity connection scheme in September Panneerselvam also deputy leader of the opposition in the Assembly said it was projected as if the initiative was a huge achievement Stalin however did not mention anything about metering such connections he said adding that efforts were now on to install meters for all farm service connections There is an apprehension among farmers that the metering exercise is only to levy consumption charges in future he said Hence the government should stop installing meters and Stalin must take steps to halt the Centres move in respect of metering the AIADMK leader added Panneerselvam also former Chief Minister slammed the DMK for shifting its stand on issues based on whether it was in the opposition or on the ruling side The deputy leader of the opposition said when the AIADMK was in power in 2002 the DMK opposed a proposal for installation of meters for farm connections and had even staged protests against the move to politicise the matter Such a stand was taken by the DMK despite late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa making it clear that free of cost power supply to farmers would continue and the move to install meters was only to record consumption to enable the government to determine demand and supply requirements he said Authorities now are giving exactly the very same explanation put forward during the AIADMK rule for metering farm connections Panneerselvam said The DMK which criticised it then is now doing the same thing metering he said mocking at the ruling party PTI VGN APR APR

Chennai Dec 27 PTI A block of a residential building complex housing 24 flats collapsed here on Monday reducing tenements to a huge mound of rubble No casualties were reported as residents moved out of their flats hours before the collapse after noticing widening cracks inside of their houses Domestic appliances and household goods however were buried in the debris A cloud of dust emerged when the building crumbled and anxious residents crowded the spot Police fire and rescue personnel rushed to spot and cordoned off the area Backhoe loaders were deployed by authorities to clear the rubble Some residents said they lost household items and consumer durables The collapsed block was part of a large residential complex at Thiruvotriyur in north Chennai developed in 1993 by the TN Urban Habitat Development Board TNUHDB Chief Minister M K Stalin ordered alternative housing arrangements and an assistance of Rs one lakh to each of the 24 affected families an official release here said The CM said he has directed officials to identify old structures and take appropriate safety measures to avoid recurrence of such an incident Tha Mo Anbarasan Minister for Rural Industries who holds the TNUHBD portfolio inspected the spot and interacted with affected residents who have been provided food and accommodation elsewhere The block part of a state developed housing complex was built in 1993 the Minister said and blamed the previous AIADMK regime for not taking any steps to pull down dilapidated tenements and build new structures The Chief Minister has ordered that the affected people should be provided alternative housing Soon they will be allotted tenements he said A team of experts has been appointed to ascertain the structural stability of other adjacent blocks in the housing complex he said adding that appropriate follow up action would be taken based on the findings If the team recommends alternative housing for residents who live near the block that collapsed they will also be provided tenements by the government An allocation of Rs 127 crore has been made to carry out repairs to dilapidated structures in the north Chenani housing complex A government commissioned study found that in Chennai alone 23000 tenements built 45 years ago have become unhabitable and when this was brought to the notice of Chief Minister Stalin he ordered providing new houses for people living in such flats following phased demolition of old structures For 2021-22 an allocation of Rs 2500 crore has been made by Stalin for building 7500 new apartment complexes All dilapidated tenements built and allotted to beneficiaries by government agencies in Chennai would be demolished and rebuilt within five years and Rs 125 crore has been set apart to refurbishrenovate old apartments in Chennai the Minister said In September 2021 the government had renamed the TN Slum Clearance Board established in 1970 as the TNUHDB PTI VGN APR APR

Chennai Dec 27 PTI The Tamil Nadu government on Monday requested the Centre to grant the state permission as a special case to announce Omicron confirmed cases rather than wait for reports from the National Institute of Virology owing to its expertise in whole genome sequencing Reiterating the demand for necessary approvals Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma Subramanian claimed that by the time the NIV confirmed the samples those testing positive in the state get discharged after treatment Practically by the time the samples get confirmed those who test positive get treated and are discharged from the hospital he said while talking to reporters here Hence the Centre should grant permission to Tamil Nadu as a special case to enable it provide daily updates on the Omicron cases he argued Elaborating Subramanian said of the 97 persons recently detected with S-gene drop in Tamil Nadu the NIV confirmed the presence of Omicron variant in 34 of whom 18 have alr already been discharged while 16 are undergoing treatment Normally results of the samples sent to the NIV for confirmation are received in about 10 days And by this time the positive patients get treated and discharged the Minister said Subramanian raised the issue of granting permission to the State-owned lab here at a meeting of the central team of experts on a visit to the city He also urged the Centre to grant permission to issue orders for compulsory seven day isolation and increased testing of international passengers from non-risk countries as many of them have been found to have s-gene drop during random testing The four-member central team which included Dr Vineeta Dr Purbasa Dr M Santhosh Kumar and Dr Dinesh Babu inspected the oxygen production unit and storage facility besides the Omicron ward at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital here the Minister said PTI JSP APR APR

Chennai Dec 27 PTI A block of a residential building complex housing 24 flats collapsed here on Monday reducing tenements to a huge mound of rubbleNo casualties were reported as residents moved out of their flats hours before the collapse after noticing widening cracks in their blockDomestic appliances however were buried in the debrisThe collapsed block was part of a large residential complex at Thiruvotriyur in north Chennai developed in 1993 by the TN Urban Habitat Development Board TNUHDBChief Minister M K Stalin ordered alternative housing arrangements and an assistance of Rs 1 lakh to each of the 24 affected families an official release here saidIn September 2021 the government had renamed the TN Slum Clearance Board established in 1970 as the TNUHDB PTI VGN ROH ROH

Chennai Dec 26 PTI Tamil Nadu inoculated 1731277 people against the Covid-19 in the 16th mega vaccination exercise in the State on Sunday the Health Department has said A total of517126 people received the first dose 1214151 the second dose a press release said here Today the total number vaccinated with the first dose comprises 8571 per cent of the population and the second dose 5785 per cent State Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian inspected the vaccination camps across Chennai The department commenced the mass programme every Sunday beginning September 12 and has since been holding it every week Till the 15th mega vaccination campaign 282 crore people got the jabs the release said PTI VIJ NVG NVG

Chennai Dec 26 PTI Chairman Apollo Hospitals Group Dr Prathap C Reddy on Sunday welcomed the central governments move to vaccinate children between 15 and 18 years against COVID-19We welcome the decision of the Prime Minister to begin vaccination of children between 15-18 yrs and booster doses for those on the frontline as well as those above 60 years with co-morbidities said Dr ReddyThis timely proactive decision will prove a game-changer against the COVID variants and support a continuation of the countrys return to normalcy Apollo Hospitals will support the expanded vaccination programme to ensure a successful fight against COVID-19 a press release here saidOn December 25 Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that vaccination against COVID-19 for children between 15-18 years would start from January 3 while precaution dose for healthcare and frontline workers would be administered from January 10 decisions that come amid rising coronavirus cases linked to the Omicron variant PTI VGN ROH ROH

Chennai Dec 26 PTI AIADMK top leader K Palaniswami on Sunday accused the ruling DMK of politicising the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test in the run up to the Assembly election held in April and even after capturing powerUrging the state government to immediately launch special coaching programmes for students till such time the national test is cancelled Palaniswami also the leader of opposition slammed the DMK for not conveying the factual position in respect of conduct of NEET to the student communityTwo MBBS aspirants died by suicide last week in Tamil Nadus Nilgiris and Thanjavur Districts he said and conveyed his condolences and sympathies to the bereaved familiesExpressing grief over such deaths he reiterated his appeal to students to not resort to extreme measures and underscored that medicine is not the only choice open to them and there are at least 40 paramedical coursesThe DMK by assuring that NEET would be rescinded repeatedly politicised the matter ahead of the Assembly poll and even after assuming power and this is the reason behind the mental agony faced by aspirants Palaniswami also the former Chief Minister said blaming the government for suicidesHe wanted the DMK regime to convey to students the true status vis-a-vis the conduct of NEET as students believed the assurance that the test would be cancelledHe sought the government to provide a solatium of Rs 25 lakh to the families of aspirants who died by suicideThe DMK government like its predecessor AIADMK passed a Bill in the Assembly to exempt Tami Nadu from the ambit of NEETThe DMK MPs protested in Parliament over NEET and a private members Bill was also reportedly moved in this connectionOpposition to NEET became an emotive issue in the state over the years following deaths of aspirants by suicide PTI VGN ROH ROH

Chennai Dec 26 PTI Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday inspected infrastructure amenities and availability of medical oxygen here to tackle Omicron strain of COVID-19 34 cases of which has so far been detected in Tamil NaduAs many as 115 lakh beds have been readied in government and private sector hospitals as a precautionary measure and steps are being taken to create 50000 more beds if warranted at COVID care centres an official release here saidStalin inspected an oxygen manufacturing plant at the state-run Rajiv Gandhi Hospital and amenities there to treat coronavirus patients The CMs inspection comes amid concerns over the new virus variant and a debate on whether or not a third wave would emergeThe CM visited a state facility here that houses an oxygen cylinder warehouse for emergency purposes life saving emergency medical equipment supplies and ambulancesAlso he inspected the emergency control room and state war room to tackle the pandemic and a 24x7 vaccination centreAs on date the government said infrastructure is in place in various government hospitals to ensure additional availability of 244 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen per dayThe facilities to store liquid medical oxygen has been augmented further to ensure storage of 1731 tonnes and separately 167 tonnes could be produced by utilising 17940 oxygen concentratorsAlso there are approximately 25000 oxygen cylinders of different categories and capacities in ready for use modeOf the 34 Omicron cases detected so far 12 were discharged and 22 admitted in hospitals for treatment a medical bulletin said PTI VGN ROH ROH