TN extends virus lockdown, death toll rises to 11, 712
Government well geared-up for the new cyclone that is likely to make a landfall in Kanyakumari: CM; PMK stages protest demanding 20% reservation for Vanniyar community
Tamil Nadu remained under an extended lockdown over the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, though Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has announced more relaxations along with some restrictions.
The popular Marina Beach in Chennai will reopen to public from mid-december, as per newly-announced relaxations. Other beaches are also to be thrown open, along with tourist spots. Final year undergraduate classes in all the arts, science, engineering, agriculture, veterinary colleges and other streams are to restart from Dec.7, along with polytechnics and medical courses.
For students who would be joining the colleges for the academic year 2020-21, classes would commence from Feb.1, 2021.
Swimming pools can be opened for training. Auditoriums are allowed to open with 50 per cent seating capacity. Social, political and religious congregations can be held with a maximum of 200 people from Dec.1, for which prior permission has to be obtained from the district collectors.
The state recorded 1,409 new COVID-19 cases on Monday.
Nine deaths were reported. The state’s death toll has risen to 11,712.
In Chennai alone, 3,850 people have been killed by the pandemic so far.
In Chennai, 385 people tested COVID-19 positive on Monday. A total of 10,997 people are being treated in hospitals for the virus, officials said on Tuesday morning.
Palaniswamy, meanwhile, said his government is well geared-up for the new cyclone that is likely to make a landfall at the southern tip of Kanyakumari on Thursday.
A depression that emerged on Monday over southeast Bay of Bengal has moved westwards, and has intensified into a deep depression over southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal in the early morning of Tuesday, according to weather experts.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday morning that it lay over the same region about 500km east-southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) and 900km east-southeast of Kanyakumari (India), at 8.30am.
“It is very likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm during next 24 hours. It is very likely to move west-northwestwards and cross Sri Lanka coast between latitude 7.50N and 9.00N close to Trincomalee during evening/ night of Dec.2,” the IMD said. “It is very likely to move nearly westwards thereater, emerge into Gulf of Mannar and adjoining Comorin area on Dec.3 (Thursday) morning and move westward towards south Tamil Nadu coast.
“Heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places with isolated extremely heavy falls very likely over south Tamilnadu (Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Ramanathapuram and Sivagangai) on Dec.2 and 3; over south Kerala on Dec.3; and isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall likely over south Tamil Nadu on Dec.2 and 4 and south Kerala on Dec.3 and 4.” Also on Tuesday, the ruling Anna DMK’S ally Patali Makkal Katchi (PMK), which claims a vote bank of backward castes, staged a protest in the streets, pressing for a 20 per cent reservation demand for Vanniyar community.
PMK youth wing secretary and former Union minister Anbumani Ramadoss led the agitation and was summoned by Palaniswamy for talks. The police stopped PMK cadres who were travelling to Chennai to join the protest. They were stopped at Perungalathur and other border areas of the city.
The cadres then sat blocking the GST Road. Stones were pelted on public transports including trains and buses. Buses were rerouted in several parts of the city.
PMK founder S Ramadoss had, on Nov 22, sought 20 per cent sub-quota for Vanniyars in education and government jobs. “Vanniyars are the majority community in Tamil Nadu. World over, the majority community enjoys all benefits of power and positions,” he said. “In Tamil Nadu, Vanniyars remain the most backward till date, even though the PMK had taken up the cause since 1989 when the community was part of the backward classes (BC), which had 50 per cent reservation.
Despite being the majority, vanniyars got a mere one per cent benefit from the reservation for Bcs.”