Monthly Archives: August 2018

Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 26

A day after a man was thrashed by the police after chasing him to his residence, who had gone outside with his 8-month-old pregnant wife to get medicines for her, a fireman, who was going to his office, was allegedly beaten up an ASI, identified as Tarsem Singh, at a checkpoint here on Thursday. According to information, the incident took place despite the fact that the victim had a curfew pass.

Agitated over the incident, fire brigade officials took fire tenders to the Gate Hakima police station and lodged a protest. The victim has been identified as Naresh Sharma, who stays at his aunt’s house.

The victim’s father Pawan Sharma, who had also served in the Fire Brigade Department, said the police initially tried to hush up the case. He said after sanitising some areas, including Roop Nagar, Anngarh and Bharariwal, at night, Naresh was told join the duty for assisting in fumigation.

He said after receiving a call from his office in the morning, he left his house. He was stopped near the Gate Hakim naka by cops and when he told that he was going to his office, the policemen said he was not allowed to move on roads.

The victim’s father said Naresh was thrashed with sticks by ASI Tarsem Singh. Naresh suffered an injury on his wrist and there was a whipping mark on his back.

Fire brigade officials demanded immediate suspension of the ASI and registration of a case against him.

The Gate Hakima police have written to the Police Commissioner recommending immediate suspension of the ASI. In their report, they said a number of complaints of misbehaviour were received against the ASI.

On Wednesday, a woman, identified as Renu Bala, had accused two policemen of thrashing her husband Sukhdev Singh when they went outside to get medicine for her. The cops even chased her husband to his house in the Sultanwind Road area here. The incident was captured in CCTV cameras. Sukhdev suffered an injury in his nose and was admitted to hospital.

Cops are facing flak from residents who said they were using their powers in this hour of crisis.

Police Commissioner Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill said the incident was brought to his notice and action had been initiated against the accused cops. He said they were looking into the second incident.

The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 873 in India on Saturday, 28 March with the death toll rising to 19, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The United States on Friday, 27 March, announced $174 million financial assistance to 64 countries, including $2.9 million to India, to help them fight the coronavirus pandemic, PTI reported.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an advisory to states and UTs on Friday to prevent an exodus of migrant and agricultural labourers, industrial workers, and unorganised sector workers during the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

• Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said that the state government will provide meals to 325 schools, and feed over four lakh people starting Saturday
• The Ministry of Human Resource Development on Friday, said it has postponed the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam
• First phase of Census 2021 and updation of National Population Register (NPR) postponed until further orders
• Nationwide lockdown to curb coronavirus was announced on Tuesday, beginning at midnight, 25 March, for 21 days
• The United States now has more than 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases

Over 2,500 People in Nagaland Kept Under Home Quarantine

Over 2,500 people have recently returned from other parts of the country and placed under home quarantine in Nagaland, where no person has so far tested positive for COVID-19, officials said.

Out of the 17 samples that were sent for testing, results for 13 were negative and the remaining reports are awaited, government spokesperson and minister for planning & coordination Neiba Kronu said.

Six New COVID-19 Cases in Maharashtra, Total Rises to 159

Six new coronavirus positive cases were confirmed in Maharashtra on Saturday – 5 in Mumbai and 1 in Nagpur. The total number of positive cases in the state has risen to 159, said Maharashtra Health Ministry.

Restaurants in Dehradun Can Keep Kitchen Open For Take Away/Deliveries

Restaurants in Dehradun can keep their kitchens open for take away/food deliveries from today, reported ANI. Also, vehicles of people rendering/availing essential services will not be stopped, ANI said quoting Dehradun District Magistrate Ashish Kumar Srivastava.

Dornier Aircraft of Indian Navy Carrying 60 COVID-19 Samples Takes off to Pune

A Dornier aircraft of Indian Navy, carrying 60 samples for COVID-19 testing, took off from INS Hansa (located near Dabolim in Goa) to Pune in Maharashtra on Friday, 27 March. The samples were carried by a technician from Goa State Health department.

China Reports Three Deaths, 54 New Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus

China has reported 54 new imported coronavirus cases, taking their tally in the last few days to 649, while the death toll in the country has risen to 3,295 with three more fatalities confirmed on Friday, China’s National Health Commission said on Saturday, 28 March.

While no new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 were reported on Friday, the number of coronavirus infections in people returning from abroad has gone up to 649 with 54 new cases reported, it said.

A total of three deaths and 29 new suspected cases were reported in the Chinese mainland on Friday.

All the deaths were reported in the COVID-19 epicentre Hubei Province and its capital Wuhan, which are now being gradually opened up after kept under lockdown since 23 January.

The overall confirmed cases in the mainland reached 81,394 by the end of Friday.

Coronavirus Cases in India Climb to 834, Death Toll Reaches 19

The number of COVID-19 cases climbed to 834 in India on Saturday with the death toll rising to 19, according to the Union Health Ministry.

In its updated figures, the ministry stated two fresh deaths.

However, it could not be immediately known where these two new deaths were reported from as the state-wise figures are awaited.

748 Active Cases, 19 Deaths in India: Health Ministry

There are 748 active COVID-19 cases so far in the country, out of which 67 are cured/discharged/migrated cases and 19 deaths, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday, 28 March.

COVID-19: 2 More Test Positive in Jammu and Kashmir

Two more persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, Principal Secretary and government spokesperson Rohit Kansal said on Friday.

Mahesh Sharma

Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 27

Just allow us to walk down to our native places in Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Bihar and UP, plead those stranded at construction sites, madrasas, dharamsalas and slums in local towns and surrounding localities.

However, the administration is all out to support their subsistence by providing them regular supply of essential commodities with the help of social organisations.

Ahmedgarh SDM Vikramjit Singh Panthey and DSP Karanveer Singh claimed to have roped in communal organisations, which are supplying free ration and cooked food to the needy.

Having received information about their problems, authorities in intelligence agencies have drawn attention of the government towards the problems of these groups, who are not provided organised help, and might increase risk of spreading coronavirus by moving in an unsafe manner.

Investigations revealed that at least 100 people, which include women and children, were feeling stranded due to the lockdown imposed owing to COVID-19 crisis.

Besides supply of essential commodities, worry about other members and their scattered families was common concern for all these groups.

A labourer, who was at an under-construction police station building, Ajay Giri, said at least 40 people, including women and children, were on the verge of starvation, due to the lockdown and none of them were ready to stay here as there was no certainty about restoration of work in the near future.

“If government can not arrange transport for sending us to our families at our native place, we should be allowed to walk down so that all members of our families can face the crisis together,” said Ajay Giri regretting his wife was stranded in Nepal.

He worries about his parents in Bihar too.

Another group of Kashimiri labourers, led by Abdul Halik, who was stranded at Bhagat Ravidass dharamsala at Chhanna village, also wanted to return to their native state as there was no source of income now.

“How long can we survive on food and ration donated by social organisations of the area.” argued Halik demanding the government should arrange a way to send them back to Jammu and kashmir.

Condition of slum dwellers from Gujarat, led by Nikku and Sonu, was even worse as they could be asked to decamp from their present location at Jandali Bridge, and they have no source of communication with their families in their state.

They do not have their mobile phones.

Kari Furkaan of Madrasa Umar Farooq informed that at least 27 students from other states were feeling helpless by being isolated from their parents.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

Chandigarh-based NGO, ‘I am Still Human’ (IASH), has initiated a campaign to help the underprivileged amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The team of the IASH is targeting the poorest of the poor, including daily wage earners, people living on footpaths, slums and specially abled people on streets. Under the campaign, sanitisers and masks are being distributed by the founder and volunteers of the IASH. The NGO is also making arrangements for ration for these people. The strategy being adopted is to make rations available for 15 days per person.

Vivek Mehra, founder of the NGO, said: “The livelihood of those living in slums and on footpaths depends on what they earn by doing daily work. The national 21-day lockdown, which is of utmost importance, has resulted in loss of work for people. In such a situation, they need to be helped for not just provision of important things such as sanitisers, soaps and masks to ward off getting infected, but also giving ration. We are working on both aspects.”

If the crisis worsens, there will be a shortage of medical facilities and food supplies which will hit the underprivileged segment the most. In this situation, the NGO’s support to the poor segment of society will go a long way in mitigating their hardships.

Mehra adds: “The free distribution of sanitisers and masks has started and in the next phase, we intend to provide them with basic food kits, so that they do not sleep hungry during the lockdown and curfew.”

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

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Though supply of essential items improved a bit today, many residents complained of getting poor response from contact numbers of grocery shops, which were released by the UT Administration yesterday for delivering ordered items on their doorstep.

The situation also led to gathering of crowd on roads in some parts of the city, defeating the purpose of social distancing for which the lockdown was ordered in the whole country.

The Administration had yesterday released a sector-wise list of 144 kiryana stores on its website. However, many residents found the numbers on waiting, switched off or unanswered

“The arrangements are pathetic. I called up a grocery store owner, but his number was switched off. Either e-commerce stores should be allowed to operate or some responsible volunteers should be engaged to do the job,” tweeted an unhappy Sumit Rawat, a local resident.

Aman Arora, a local resident, said he was running out of flour, but could not get it as the phone number uploaded by the Administration was not working.

“Ideally, the Administration should have released the numbers of maximum grocery stores. Since, there are a few stores on the list, many residents failed to get the supply. I have been receiving calls from residents since morning. The authorities should have involved the area councillors for better arrangement,” said Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla.

CRAWFED chairman Hardeep Puri said, “Various RWAs associated with us have complained that the grocery stores’ numbers are switched off or remain unanswered. Milk supply is normal. However, supply of vegetables and fruits is yet to be regulated. We appeal to authorities to involve RWAs.”

Social distancing not observed at Dhanas

Defeating the purpose of lockdown, a large number of Dhanas residents without wearing a mask came on roads to procure essentials.

“For three days, we are locked down. On Thursday, the social distancing norm failed in our locality as people rushed in hordes,” said Rajesh Kumar, a local resident.

A large number of vendors gathered near the MC office to obtain permission slips to sell essential items. They were without masks. “The authorities have contact details of all registered vendors. They could have been called in an organised way. By sitting on roads together, they are only inviting risk,” said Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla.

Grocery stores flooded with calls

City grocery stores received an unprecedented number of phone calls for the supply of essential items on the first day of the start of home delivery of groceries.

A shopkeeper in Mani Majra said he received over 1,000 calls for the supply of food items since morning. At a time, there are more than 10 calls in waiting, he said, adding that after receiving orders, they would pack the items in bags and supply the same in a tempo on residents’ doorstep. He said they could supply the goods till the stock lasts. However, there was a problem in getting wholesale supply from the grain market.

A shopkeeper said he had to switch off his mobile phone after groceries ran out of stock. Most calls were made for procuring rice, wheat flour, edible oil and small items, said another shopkeeper.