HUNT FOR ‘MISSING’ 10

The Chief Minister called for a top-level meeting to assess the situation. "By tonight all 10 people who have reportedly gone missing should be traced and they should be tested. Travelers will not be allowed to leave the airport until their report is out," Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashok said after the meeting on Omicron.

The first Omicron case, a 66-year-old South African national, "escaped" to Dubai after obtaining a Covid negative certificate from a private lab, the state government acknowledged on Friday. He had arrived on November 20 from South Africa and left for Dubai seven days later. "We've lodged a complaint with the police and they will find out what went wrong at the Shangri-La hotel, from where the person escaped," Ashoka said. Over 50 others who arrived around the same time will be tested, even though all of them produced negative RT-PCR tests on arrival. "All will now be tested because one of them tested positive for Omicron, even after showing a negative Covid test," said the minister.

The South African had taken two doses of vaccination and checked into the hotel the day he arrived. When a government doctor visited him at the hotel, he was found to be asymptomatic and was advised to self-isolate. Since he was from one of the nations designated "at-risk", his samples were collected again and sent for genome sequencing on November 22.

On November 23, the man took another test at a private lab and the result came negative. On November 27, around midnight, he checked out of the hotel, took a cab to the airport and boarded a flight to Dubai. The genome sequencing later revealed that he had the Omicron variant.

Twenty-four people who came in contact with him were tested and found to be negative. The authorities also tested 240 secondary contacts - people who had come in contact with the primary contacts of the patent - and found them to be negative as well.

Meanwhile, after the first case of Omicron variant was detected, the Karnataka government on Friday revised its guidelines and imposed restrictions on the non-vaccinated population, barring them from visiting certain public places. Entry to malls, cinema halls and theatres shall be allowed only to persons who are fully vaccinated.

The order issued by Tushar Giri Nath, Principal Secretary, Revenue Department and member secretary of the State Executive Committee, has also asked all educational institutions to postpone cultural activities, fests and functions till January 15, 2022.

“It is reiterated that there shall be strict implementation of a five-fold strategy of test-track-treat-vaccination and enforcing adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour. It is emphasised that all gatherings, meetings, conferences, etc, should strictly limit the number of participants to 500 people only and Covid appropriate behaviour shall be strictly enforced during the events; the responsibility to enforce the same lies with the organisers,” the order said. “Parents of children below 18 years, who are going to schools and college, should be compulsorily vaccinated with two doses. Compulsory testing of health workers, persons above 65 years and those with comorbidities will be undertaken by the government,” the order said, adding that all government employees should get vaccinated with both the doses.

Iconic Century Mills to...

it will be one of the largest integrated developments in Mumbai’s most soughtafter location, Worli, further embodying the prestigious legacy of the Birla Group, their office stated.

They said development costs were pegged to Rs 5,500 crore. K T Jithendran, CEO, Birla Estates, said, “Century Mills has been one of Mumbai’s iconic landmarks and an important part of the Birla group’s history. Our intent is to create a new landmark on the Mumbai skyline with Birla Niyaara. While it is our flagship and maiden project in Mumbai, it has the potential to catapult Birla Estates into the top developers’ league. The entire project has been underpinned on sound principles of sustainable living which also caters to the evolving consumer needs. As a company, our focus has always been on customer centricity, design, technology, and execution excellence and with these at the core, we have curated an aspirational and urban lifestyle for our customers. ‘‘

The project is expected to be launched by January and all RERA permissions are in place, the real estate firm informed. While it is a well known fact that in the Post-Covid world home ownership has taken an all-new meaning, the buyers want to ensure their health, wellness and sense of community is catered to while also being conscious of choosing a centrally located address in the city that matches their lifestyle aspirations and is self-sufficient. Therefore, keeping these consumer needs in mind, this first-of-its kind integrated development, that will offer premium homes with best-in-class services, futuristic amenities, and world class design will the said project be developed, said Birla Estate. Meanwhile, Mumbai has been witnessing massive real estate development in terms of new commercial and residential projects, following impressive property registrations that are taking place in recent past. Therefore, now, several renowned investors are found to be taking a keen interest in the real estate market.

Ram Naik, Director, The Guardians Real Estate Advisory, commented, ‘‘On the one hand, the Prabhadevi - Worli belt has become one of the most sought-after residential destinations in India. On the other, it is emerging as the bustling commercial hub that host most of the prominent multinational companies through best of the amenities. In fact, this increasing commercial real estate activity has prompted realtors to complement it with state-of-the-art residential developments. As a result, today this belt has become one of the most preferred destination for high-networth individuals, business honchos and celebrities alike.’’

‘We are doomed’

The court asked the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to continue its drive against industrial units polluting the Sabarmati river and asserted, “if there are any threats or pressures from politicians, report to the court.”

“Nobody will touch you, walk in even at midnight if anyone comes in your way,” Justice JB Pardiwala said.

In an earlier hearing, the high court had asked the AMC to snap all illegal sewerage lines ferrying trade effluents into the Sabarmati. The AMC reported on Friday that it had snapped 263 out of 452 illegal connections, which have been identified so far.

The bench asked the GPCB to revoke licence of the CETP operators or revoke their bank guarantees as the seven CETPs were not functioning effectively.

A joint task force (JTF) constituted by the court had submitted its report that industrial units were illegally discharging untreated effluents in the river. A task force member and eminent environmental activist Rohit Prajapati informed the court that though CETP authorities had framed rules and norms, they were not being implemented.

He cited the instance of the river stretch near Vishala where the oxygen level was found to be zero.

He asserted that industrial units were connecting untreated CETP discharge into STP pipelines. And this has been permitted by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

The court asked the GPCB why no action had been taken against the CETP operators for violating norms. The Board pleaded that the CETP contract was till March 2022 and it couldn’t revoke the bank guarantee.

The court was of the view that the board revoke license of the CETP operators and set an example.

When the GPCB said there would be a hue and cry if the CETP was shut down, the court shot back that there was no need to make noises and shut down all industrial units.

This would be the only way to make the polluters realise the damage they had done.

Some individual units have approached the court against the Corporation action of disconnecting their affluent discharge pipelines.

Out of 14 domestic STP plants of the AMC, only three are functioning. Though only seven outfalls are permitted, many outfalls are found in the river.

The court has asked all industrial units to approach the Joint Task Force and take fresh samples.

Only after that they should apply fresh for permission to discharge treated effluent in the river.

Do you want us to next...

The Bench, which also comprised Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant, on Friday partially lifted the ban it had imposed on construction activity in the Capital, accepting the Delhi government's plea to allow such activity in the city's government hospitals. The matter was adjourned for a week and is to be taken up on December 10.

During the hearing, the top court also lamented that it has been portrayed as a villain by some sections of the media for ordering the closure of schools on account of the air pollution in Delhi. Justice Chandrachud also chipped in: "On the judicial infrastructure issue, we suggested if we can have a national body so that something constructive can be done...but what we say in court is twisted and it was stated that High Courts have to go with begging bowls…When did we say that?" Solicitor General Tushar Mehta offered a solution for the court's predicament: "Mark Twain had said if you don't read newspapers, you are uninformed, and if you read them, then you are ill-informed."

1 flier, 3 contacts test...

November 30 and tracing and testing all those who have returned from overseas since November 1.

A member of the state’s Covid taskforce member said that a complete RT-PCR report for Covid included that of the ‘N’ , ‘S’ , ‘E’ and ‘ORF’ genes.

“If the ‘S’ gene is absent in a person and the other genes are positive, it is an indirect way to know that the Omicron variant may be present in them even without conducting genome sequencing. Unfortunately, not all laboratories conducting RT-PCR tests are checking for the ‘S’ gene,” he said.

“A directive may soon come for all laboratories to additionally check for the ‘S’ gene in a sample. Deletion of the ‘S’ gene will red-flag Omicron ahead of genome sequencing,” said the task force member.

Dr Rahul Pandit, a member of the state’s Covid taskforce and also the national Covid taskforce, said, with Omicron being stated as a cause for concern across the world, maintaining caution was instrumental.

“The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) is continuously monitoring the evolution of the virus. Based on this, TAG-VE has advised WHO to designate Omicron as a virus of concern and will communicate new findings with the member states and public,” said Dr Pandit, Director (Critical Care), in Fortis Hospitals, Mumbai.

CA held in Rs 1,100 cr...

crypto-currency, illegal remittances to Singapore etc.

‘‘During the course of the ongoing fund trail investigation, ED came across the new modus operandi of using fake AWBs and fake Cloud rental bills to send bogus foreign outward remittances from multiple bank accounts. It was disclosed to the Hyderabad police and based on the information of the Enforcement Directorate, a new FIR was registered by police on September 9, this year. Based on this FIR, the ED had initiated a fresh investigation under PMLA,’’ the agency claimed in a statement.

‘‘Money laundering investigation by the ED has revealed that Ravi Kumar, without doing any due diligence and without verification of genuineness of the import documents, had issued 621 bogus Form 15CB certificates and blindly signed the balance sheets of shell companies/firms, which enabled them to launder the proceeds of crime to Hong Kong, SAR, China.

Despite being a CA, he failed in his statutory duty and assisted the accused persons and charged Rs 1,500 per bogus certificate and thus got involved in the offence of money laundering for personal gain.

The proprietors of the shell firms are absconding,’’ the statement added.

The day it ‘rained’ birds

Over 51 little swift birds were rescued by the Mumbai-based NGO Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), 30 by the Wildlife Welfare Association (WWA), 12 by the Spreading Awareness on Reptiles and Rehabilitation Programe (SARRP), 15 via the bird helpline, while the remaining were rescued by individual rescuers, taking the number of birds rescued to over 100, these organisations said.

“The drop and fluctuation in temperature and then the unseasonal rains seems to have hit the little swifts. The same phenomenon has been noted not just in Mumbai and Thane but in other districts, such as Raigad, Pune too. This shows that the birds were hit by the climate change,” said Pawan Sharma, founder of RAWW.

Rohit Joshi, convener - Yeoor Environmental Society, Thane, said, “We

first thought that the recent rainfall had affected these birds but surprisingly, none of us have received rescue calls for other small birds. The birds were reported to have collapsed on the ground, maybe due to the current rain or for unknown reasons. They were found shivering and

unable to move. The bird rescued in Yeoor died on Thursday. Unfortunately our local volunteer didn’t preserve the carcass.”

Besides this, there are fewer flying insects for swifts and their chicks to eat, leaving the birds struggling to survive, experts have said.

Elaborating on the rescue, Aditya Patil, president of RAWW said: “In Thane, these calls were mainly from the highrises in Kasarvadavli, Patlipada, Manpada etc. Our team was confused -- how come there were so many rescue calls for swifts (swallows, little swifts), as usually, when it pours we get calls for pigeons, kites etc.

But no rescue calls for the latter were received,” Patil said.

Patil said that around 30 birds were rescued from Thane, of which two were dead while the others were treated and released.

Meanwhile, Joshi has written to the chief conservator of forests, Thane, Mumbai and the SGNP, requesting urgent attention to this situation and demanding a thorough investigation to check the possibility of any disease, considering the migration season. “I had requested the authorities to urgently issue an advisory from the forest department for the general public on how to safely handle and help these fallen birds, publish rescuers details/ helpline numbers etc,” added Joshi.

Why are these birds who eat and drink in mid-air, now falling to the ground, unconscious?

“Based on our observations in the last 48 hours, we speculate that it is a case of ‘torpor’ among smaller birds like swifts. Torpor is a short-term physical condition in which they voluntarily slow down their body functions / metabolism to conserve energy and heat.

This condition is usually used by aerial birds smaller in size to survive severe weather conditions, especially harsh winters,” explained RAWW team member Ritu Sharma.

She added: “Mumbai’s temperature has been fluctuating between 19 and 20 degrees in the last 24 hours, coupled with unseasonal rains causing further dip in the temperature and blocking visibility. Most of these birds experiencing this condition stabilise post-rescue by simple steps of hydrating and keeping them warm.”

Court shows its humane...

“All this causes a deep-rooted impact on the family,” it stated, adding that the families of economic offenders were completely unaware about the conduct of their breadwinners.

In the situation, the special court said, the application had to be considered with a humane approach.

“The impact on the children and the genuine needs of their father to cope with the same is an ardent need which is reflected from the application and medical papers,” Judge Deshpande said in his order, imposing strict conditions while granting the relief.

Madan Gopal Chaturvedi was a chartered accountant with the Viva Group and is alleged to have closely worked with the firm’s director Mehul Thakur and abetted in laundering loans of Rs 200 crore, borrowed by the promoters of the Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan from the bank. Yes Bank’s founder Rana Kapoor is also an accused in the case.

Chaturvedi has been in custody since his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in January this year.

He had made a plea for temporary bail stating that his wife had suffered a grievous injury to her spine and head on November 17 after a fall in the bathroom and had been advised bed rest for many weeks. He said his children had been alone at home since his wife was hospitalised.

His application stated that his family needed moral support. The ED had opposed his plea, stating that he was influential and could influence witnesses. It also pointed to the gravity of the offence being an economic one.