Chandigarh Apr 21 PTI Amid allegation of large-scale illegal mining in Punjabs Rupnagar states Mines Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Thursday ordered seal and seizure of all stone-crushing units near Nangal city of the district The Cabinet minister said after receiving complaints against stone crushing units involved in illegal mining and damaging the flora and fauna in the Khera Kalmot area a team was sent by the Mining Department which videographed the illegal operations of the stone crushing plants and machines and they were ordered to be sealed Bains alleged that during the tenures of earlier governments many complaints had been lodged against defaulters but no action was taken After issuing closure orders the minister held a meeting with the mining officials and asked them to keep a regular check on illegal mining in the area an official statement said The minister further said all contractors have been strictly ordered to deposit all their pending dues to the Mining Department immediately failing which their contracts will be cancelled and alternate process of recovery will be started The Mining Department would also initiate self- operated mining sites in Amritsar and Moga to supply sand at fair prices to general public Bains said He added that Chief Minister Bhagwant Manns message is loud and clear against illegal mining and it will not be tolerated at any cost at any location across the state Apart from ensuring strict action against persons involved in illegal mining the tainted officers will also not be spared he said PTI SUN VSD RAX RAX

New Delhi Apr 20 PTI Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in the national capital parents are divided over whether schools should go into hybrid mode of learning again or continue with offline classesWhile a section of parents citing experts views says online classes will result in further learning loss for their wards others are of the opinion that the schools should opt for hybrid mode online and offline sessions and leave the decision to parents There cannot be a single decision which will suit everybodys needs and put the concerns to rest So why not leave it to parents Those who want to send will send their kids to school others will not said Kuldeep Kumar parent of a seven-year-old child Akhilesh Garg however had a different opinion on the hybrid mode The option of letting parents take a call is a good one but it triggers problems for those who want to send their wards for offline classes If many students opt for online classes the school will stop transportation service and many others will be forced to opt for online classes because they cannot manage to pick and drop their children themselves he said Schools in Delhi will continue in offline mode but they will have to ensure that Covid protocols are strictly followed failing which a penalty may be imposed for creating a deterrent effect the Delhi Disaster Management Authority DDMA decided on WednesdayThe DDMA also decided that separate Standard Operating Procedure SOP will be developed for schools in consultation with the experts Reports of infections from schools have triggered concerns weeks after they opened for offline classes following a two-year gap due to the pandemic Experts have been warning against closure of schools yet again citing learning losses Aparajita Gautam President of Delhi Parents Association said parents are concerned about the rising cases Many schools are not maintaining transparency if any child or a staffer is getting infected thus putting others at risk Hence going online for classes is a better option to assuage fears of parents she said Tanya Agarwal another parent said the government should also come up with SOPs for places other than schools Thanks msisodia LtGovDelhi for keeping schools open Also looking forward to SOPs for govt private offices cinemas restaurants malls markets etc where adults work all day and then go home to their families which include kids SARS-CoV-2 doesnt live only in schools tweeted Agarwal a lawyer by professionAs the Covid cases are rising schools across Delhi-NCR are taking various measures including frequent sanitisation to contain the spread of the virus and thus avoid shutdown of the campusThe Delhi government had last week issued guidelines for schools asking them to close specific wings or classrooms wherever any student or teacher is found infectedThe Haryana education department has directed schools in the state not to make it mandatory for students to attend in-person classes after many students and staff in various schools across NCR cities tested positive for COVID-19 Delhi recorded a nearly 26 per cent jump in fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours but the positivity rate dropped to 442 per cent according to data shared by the city health department on Tuesday No death was reported in the city due to the viral disease in this time period it said PTI GJS GJS KVK KVK

New Delhi Apr 20 PTI Amid a rise in Covid cases the Delhi government has stepped up preparations including arranging hospital beds medical oxygen and medicines officials said on Wednesday and asserted that the situation is fully under controlChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is keeping a close watch on the Covid situation and is in constant touch with top officials to ensure that both the infection is controlled and preparations are in place to meet any eventuality they saidThe government has arranged adequate number of hospital beds medical oxygen and medicines although hospitalisations are very low officials said during a meeting the of Delhi Disaster Management AuthorityDDMA on WednesdayAccording to figures only 80 beds 082 percent of the total 9737 beds in hospitals here were occupied The occupancy of oxygen-supported beds was 064 percent ICU beds 091 percent and ventilator beds 103 percentOf the total 1729 active cases on April 18 40 were hospitalised 12 were on oxygen support nine were in ICU five on ICU and oxygen support and one on ventilator according to figuresThe Arvind Kejriwal government has targeted to scale up hospital beds to 37000 of which 31622 were ready by April 19 Out of total 10594 ICU beds 9274 have been readied official data showedOfficials said availability of all drugs for the treatment of comborbidities and other medicines related to Covid has also been ensuredThe medical oxygen infrastructure has also been scaled up to over 991 MT by April 19 while it was 730 MT till May 31 last yearA buffer stock 442 MT of liquid medical oxygen was also readied by the government A total of 97 PSA oxygen plants were running in the city with a combined capacity of over 116 MT they saidTwo cryogenic bottling plants with capacity of 125 MT have been installed that can refill refill 1400 jumbo cylinders per day they saidShortage of oxygen supply had claimed many lives in Delhi during the second Covid wave in 2021Officials said work has also been awarded for 15 LMO tankers of which one tanker has been received Three more will be delivered by the end of AprilWhile one tanker will be delivered by May 15 and five tankers will be delivered by June 19 officials said during the meetingThe government has also maintained an operational fleet of 240 CATS ambulances for aiding patients Besides 65 ambulances have also been hired The fleet of ambulances is planned to be raised to 350 shortly they added PTI VIT VIT TDS TDS

Bengaluru Apr 20 PTI Amid concerns about a possible fourth wave of COVID-19 Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Wednesday said such a situation does not exist in the state as of now but the government was taking all the required precautionary measures and monitoring rise in cases in other states and countries He advised people to continue to wear masks especially at indoor gatherings as a precautionary measure to control any new spread of infection There is a report that the number of COVID infections have increased in Delhi and few other north Indian states in the last two weeks but such a situation does not exist in Karnataka We are closely monitoring things Sudhakar said Speaking to reporters here he said tests are being conducted and genomic sequencing is being done as per norms to identify the variant We are in contact with other states as well and are gathering all the required information We are also gathering information about the fourth wave in foreign countries and are taking all the necessary precautions to see to it that things dont go out of control he added According to the state Health Department Karnataka on Tuesday had reported 62 fresh COVID-19 cases and zero fatalities taking the total infection to 3946484 till date and the toll stood at 40057 Asked whether the cases have been increasing in Karnataka the Minister said it is hard to interpret that way as of now and will be able to analyse it properly after a week or so We are taking all the precautionary measures at the international airports and are asking people to wear masks in enclosed public spaces Also about 30 lakh people have not taken second dose of vaccination they will have to take and those above 18 years who are required to take the third dose should take it at the earliest so that we will be able to control the fourth wave in case it comes as effectively as we did during the third wave he added To a query on making masks mandatory Sudhakar said depending on the rise in number of cases in the days to come certain decisions will be taken if required As of now it wearing masks is not mandatory but we have issued an advisory to wear them as a precautionary measure he added PTI KSU ROH ROH

Kolkata Apr 19 PTI Amid the internal bickering in the West Bengal unit of the BJP over by-poll defeat the partys state president Sukanta Majumdar on Monday said that those having grievances should directly speak to him instead of approaching the mediaMajumdar during the day held a meeting with district leaders and senior members of the state unitAll those with grievances or complaints can come to me or seek an audience with central leaders Instead of approaching the media with their views they can come to me at any time They can also get in touch with central leaders or those in charge he saidShortly after results of two bypolls were announced in Bengal with the TMC bagging both the seats BJP national secretary Anupam Hazra said that his partys state unit leadership should take steps to resolve problems in the camp instead of pretending everything is alrightOn Monday too he asked the state unit to set the house in order by identifying the lacunaeIn the just-concluded bypolls TMCs Shatrughan Sinha defeated BJPs Agnimitra Paul in Asansol Lok Sabha constituency by over three lakh votes while former Union minister Babul Supriyo clinched the Ballygunge assembly seat beating nearest CPIM rival Saira Shah Halim by 20228 votesInterestingly both Sinha and Supriyo are former BJP membersMajumdar during his address announced a series of programmes to mobilise the partys rank and file in the state We will be holding a Save Democracy programme in the state A mega rally will be held on May 2 The day after we will hold a Satyagraha programme We will observe May 3 as black day he saidThe party has also decided to observe Shahid Diwas in May to honour the victims of post-poll violence in the state Majumdar addedAssembly poll results were declared on May 2 last year paving the way for the TMCs third term in office in West BengalThe BJP had alleged that its members were subjected to attacks and torture by TMC activists post the declaration of poll results PTI PNT RMS RMS

Jammu Mar 22 PTI Amid a call for the reopening of cases related to the killing of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990s Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police DGP Dilbag Singh on Tuesday said if there is something specific the force will definitely look into it Asked whether cases against former terrorist commander Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate over the killing of Kashmiri Pandits will be pursued the police chief said All cases of terrorism and against terrorists are being pursued and will be pursued Cases of terrorism will be not be allowed to be left out They will be dealt with sternly Asked by a journalist regarding the demand for the reopening of cases related to the killing of Kashmiri Pandits he said If there is something specific we will definitely look into it The demand for the reopening of the cases has grown following the release of The Kashmir Files a film based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir Valley in 1990s Advocate and social activist Vineet Jindal has written to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking a direction to reopen all cases pertaining to the massacre of Kashmiri Pandits and for the constitution of a special investigation team PTI AB SMN SMN

Agra Feb 24 PTI Amid the ongoing Russian military operation in Ukraine students from Agra studying in the Odessa National Medical University of the Eastern European country Thursday appealed to the Indian government to bring them home safely and quicklyTheir family members have also requested for the safe evacuation of their childrenShekhar Bendol 26 a fourth year MBBS student at Odessa National Medical University said that due to the delay in advisory and the cancellation of flights and increase in price of flight tickets I was not able to leave Ukraine earlierNow the situation is very tense because one can hear bomb blast sound from the hostel he addedHe said people there are just too worried One can spot long queues at ATMs and shopping marts I would request the Indian government to help us in coming back to India Rajat Singh 25 who is pursuing MBBS from the same university was also worried due to the escalating tensionHis parents informed that they are in constant touch with him over video callsHis mother Meena Singh told PTI We are also regularly watching news updates to know about the present situation Rajat went to Ukraine on February 14 from India But the situation has become problematic now in Ukraine I would request the Indian government that my son and those who are stuck in Ukraine should be safely evacuated Singh addedAs Ukraine closed its airspace for civilian aircraft following the Russian attack India is looking at evacuating its nationals from Ukraine through land routesCurrently around 20000 Indians mostly students are stuck in Ukraine PTI COR TIR TIR

Thiruvananthapuram Feb 20 PTI Amid widening differences between Raj Bhavan and the ruling LDF in Kerala over various issues the state government has made its submission before the central government-appointed Punhi Commission that the state legislatures shall be empowered to control the Governors who violate the Constitutional values and principles while exercising their powerAccording to sources the recommendations of Kerala to the Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi Commission which is looking into measures to improve the Centre-state relations was approved by the recently met state Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi VijayanThe state has proposed to bring an amendment to the Constitution to make it mandatory for the Centre to hold consultation with the states concerned before appointing the Governors they said The southern state has also submitted that the state legislatures shall be empowered to remove the Governor from office if he is found violating the principles of the Constitution while discharging his Constitutional as well as statutory functions such as the Chancellor of the Universities and prosecution sanction authority of Council of Ministers under the Prevention of Corruption Act Kerala also submitted that the Governor of a state shall be appointed by President in consultation with the states concerned and the appointment shall be effected from a panel furnished by state government Similarly in Article 156 an amendment be proposed to give state government concerned a say in the matter of recall of Governor the state has said Keralas recommendations to the panel seeking to control the functions of the Governor came at a time when the state is witnessing a tussle between Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and the Left government over various issues including the alleged political interference in the functioning of the Universities in the state PTI TGB ROH ROH

Mumbai Feb 18 PTI Amid the ongoing Shiv Sena-BJP war of words the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has issued a notice to a bungalow owned by Union minister Narayan Rane for conducting inspection and taking measurements of the premises located in the upscale Juhu areaThe Adish bungalow falls under the K-west civic ward located in western suburbs of MumbaiThe notice was issued to the bungalows owner by the BMC assistant engineer building and factories on Thursday The notice however did not bear the owners nameSources said the civic body issues such notices to verify complaints of illegal constructionsThe notice which is in possession of PTI said the designated civic official will enter with assistants or workmen into or upon the premises of Adhish Bungalow located on CTS no 997 and 997-A of Juhu on February 18 or thereafter anytimeThe notice further stated that the civic team will visit to inspect the said premises and to take measurements and photographs of the same and also asked the owner to be present for the same along with the last approved plan or authentic documents of the structureMeanwhile a team of the BMC contorolled by the Shiv Sena on Friday evening visited the spot but returned without any action as no one from the Rane family was present at the bungalow the sources saidSenior officials from the K-west civic ward were not available for comment on the issue despite repeated attemptsKishori Pednekar the mayor of Mumbai said she will comment on the issue only after obtaining all relevant informationPednekar a Shiv Sena leader however said the civic body takes action wherever government rules are violatedLeaders of the Shiv Sena and the BJP have been sparring over the last few days and trading charges against each other PTI KK RSY RSY

New Delhi Dec 28 PTI Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases the Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Tuesday ordered closure of schools colleges cinemas and gyms with immediate effect and put various restrictions on the functioning of shops and public transport as a yellow alert was sounded under the Graded Response Action Plan GRAP The yellow alert restrictions stipulate that shops and establishments of non-essential goods and services and malls will open based on odd-even formula from 10 AM to 8 PM The timing of night curfew imposed from Monday night has also been extended by an hour and it will now begin at 10 pm The night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am will remain in force till further orders stated the order issued by the DDMA Marriages and funerals will be allowed attendance of 20 persons while all other types of gathering related to social political cultural religious and festival events will be prohibited Also the Delhi Metro will run at 50 per cent of its seating capacity while auto-rickshaws and cabs can ferry up to two passengers Busses too will ply at 50 per cent of capacity with exempted category passengers says the GRAP After a high-level meeting to review the pandemic situation in the national capital Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said earlier in the day that a decision has been taken to issue yellow alert in view of fast rising cases of infections The DDMA order stated that all the restrictions as per yellow alert will be enforced with immediate effect The GRAP approved by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority DDMA prescribes sounding of yellow alert if positivity rate remains above 05 per cent for two consecutive days Delhi on Monday recorded 331 fresh COVID-19 cases the highest single-day rise since June 9 and one death while the positivity rate mounted to 068 per cent according to data shared by the city health department Positivity rate was 055 per cent on Sunday The yellow alert restrictions stipulate that only one weekly market per zone with 50 per cent vendors will be allowed to open Restaurants will be permitted with 50 per cent capacity from 8 am to 10 pm while bars can also operate with the same capacity but from 12 noon to 10 pm Besides cinema halls banquet halls spas gyms outdoor yoga activity amusement parks stadia swimming pools schools colleges and educational institutions will not be allowed if yellow alert is sounded Private offices can function with up to 50 per cent of the staff In Delhi government offices also barring certain category of officials only half of the remaining staff will be allowed under the yellow alert Further religious places will open but visitors will not be allowed Parks and gardens can however open The colour coded GRAP is based on positivity rate on two consecutive days cumulative number of new cases over a week and average oxygenated-bed occupancy for a week will designate four levels of alerts Further restrictions are imposed at advanced stages of Amber Orange and Red alerts with higher numbers of new cases and hospitalisations PTI VITSLB SMN SMN