Archives for May 2020

After the parts of Northern India is under locust attack and reached the districts of eastern Maharashtra, the farmers located in the border districts of Karnataka are in a state of worry.

VIJAYAPURA: Amidst the challenging times of pandemic virus the state government is gearing up to fight the possible attack of dangerous desert locusts, which has worsened the situation on agrarian front in at least five states in North India. 

After the parts of Northern India is under locust attack and reached the districts of eastern Maharashtra, the farmers located in the border districts of Karnataka are in a state of worry. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has directed the officials of the Department of Agriculture in the state to make necessary preparations to fight the deadly pests. 

The locusts are known for wolfing on all sorts of plants and standing crops. The bug will fly as per the wind directions and can fly a maximum of 200 km in a day. The experts claim that ‘Locusts are very dangerous to all types of vegetation. They feed on green leaves and known for gulping down crops spread in thousands of acres of land.’ 

These migratory pests in thousands have found in a couple of villages near Nagpur of Maharashtra, which is hardly distanced at 450 km from Bidar and 650 km to Kalaburagi of Karnataka. After the locusts found near to the border of Karnataka, the top officials of Department of Agriculture coordinating with Department of Forest and Ecology are chalking out plans to fight the dangerous pest.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, Brijesh Kumar Dikshit, Commissioner for Agriculture pointed that, “These locusts will fly as per the wind directions. Currently, the wind is towards north and possibility of these pests flying towards the state is low. If the wind changes its directions towards south then there are all chances that it might enter to state via Bidar. We are constantly in touch with the top official concerned at the ministry, who are monitoring the situation, and collecting the information about the movements of locusts.”   

“At present there are no crops or sowing activities in and around Bidar. But we are worried that it would attack the forests and consume the plants or vegetation. The insect can also cover a maximum of 200 km a day. We have planned to conduct the joint-operation with the Department of Forest. We have also enough stock of chemicals to fight the pests,” revealed Commissioner Brijesh Kumar.   

Caution from Opposition

Opposition party leaders cautioned the state government against the locusts attack almost a month ago. Congress leader and former minister M B Patil has tweeted on April 11, 2020 about the possible attack of pests and urged the state government to take precautions. 

Speaking to The New Indian Express, former minister M B Patil reiterated that, “I had made an attempt to bring this into the notice of authorities concerned almost a month ago. But, now the threat seems to be looming large across India. The pests have already invaded the districts of Maharashtra which are few hundred kilometers away from Karnataka. We have to take necessary precautions or else this will have a deadly impact than Coronavirus. Crops will be destroyed, which may lead to hunger and famine affecting hundreds of thousands of people in the state. I will personally write to the Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister to consider it seriously and chalk out plans to fight the desert locusts,” stated lawmaker Patil. 

Facts

• The locusts are a family of grasshopper
• The locusts can fly a maximum of 200km in a day
• Locusts are known for consuming all sorts of plants and standing crops
• Locusts will fly only during the day and as per the wind direction
• Five states are severely affected by locusts attack
• Rajasthan is the first state to be hit with dangerous locusts
• Nagpur in Maharashtra is the nearest city to Karnataka to face locusts

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting with NCP president Sharad Pawar here, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Tuesday while asserting that the state government is “strong”.

The two leaders met for about one-and-a-half hours late Monday evening, Raut said while dismissing speculations about the Thackeray-led government’s stability.

The Sena Rajya Sabha MP, however, did not reveal what transpired between the two leaders. The meeting between Thackeray and Pawar took place after the NCP chief met state Governor B S Koshyari on Monday morning.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had a meeting for one-and-a-half hours. Those doubting about the stability of this government are doing so out of their own grudge. This government is strong,” Raut tweeted in Marathi.

Earlier, Pawar met Koshyari on Monday morning, following which the NCP claimed the meeting took place on the invitation of the governor and no political issues came up for discussion.

However, the timing of the meeting is significant as it took place against the backdrop of strained relations between the Shiv Sena, which heads the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, and the Raj Bhavan.

The NCP is one of the key constituents of MVA.

Pawar was one of the key leaders from Maharashtra who had openly complained about Koshyari’s “intervention” in the functioning of the state administration.

Recently, senior BJP leader and former state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis complained to the governor about the “failure” of the Thackeray government in handling the COVID-19 crisis.

The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,167 and the number of cases climbed to 1,45,380 in the country, registering an increase of 146 deaths and 6,535 cases since Monday 8 am, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The number of active COVID-19 cases climbed to 80,722, while 60,490 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said.

“Thus, around 41.61 per cent patients have recovered so far,” a senior health ministry official said. The total confirmed cases includes foreigners.

Of the 146 deaths reported since Monday morning, 60 were in Maharashtra, 30 in Gujarat, 15 in Delhi,10 from Madhya Pradesh, seven from Tamil Nadu, six from West Bengal, four each from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, three from Telangana, two each from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka and one in Kerala.

New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Monday “strongly advised” students “stranded and residing” in its hostels to return to their native places as special trains and some intrastate bus services have started following relaxations in the COVID-19 lockdown.

The advisory led to a fresh confrontation between the students’ union and the administration. The Students’ Union opposed the circular, saying the university was deliberately putting students’ lives and safety at risk.

However, the university said some “self-proclaimed” student leaders always make it a point to oppose any advisory that comes from the administration and give an ideological colour to it.

In a circular, the Dean of Students, Professor Sudheer Pratap Singh said the university had issued communications in March too, informing students about the closure of the institute and advising them to return home.

“However, many students requested to stay back in hostels at that time due to non-availability of public transport during the lockdown,” the circular said.

It stated that the Railways has now begun running some special trains and around 200 more trains will be made operational from June 1.

Intra-state bus and taxi services have also been started by state governments, it said. Moreover, some state governments have made transport arrangements for the return of students, it said.

“Further, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs and Delhi government guidelines issued from time to time, the university has announced that students can return to the campus on or after June 25 and till then all academic activities are closed.

“This is to underline that the Government of India updates daily about the COVID-19 pandemic situation. At present, the number of cases in Delhi is increasing swiftly day by day,” the circular said.

“Keeping the facts in view, all students who are stranded and residing in the hostels are, hereby, strongly advised to return to their hometown and come back after the opening of the university,” it added.

The students’ union condemned the move in a statement.

“Students who have stayed back on the campus have weighed the risk of staying on the campus versus travelling. At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic must unite us all, these moves of the administration are clearly jeopardizing not only the safety of students but the fight against COVID-19 itself,” they said.

The university said its advisories are always depicted as “diktats” by the habitual student opponents.

“It also needs emphasis that it is reprehensible and inexcusable to discourage willing students who would like to go home,” it said.

In addition, when the administration has begun to install CCTVs at public places, including the hostel gates, yet again disruption has been organised by a handful of self-motivated student leaders, it added.

It is extremely important to monitor outsiders coming into hostel premises for the safety of the students and the campus life. But the “old bogey of privacy” is being raised even though the CCTVs are being installed at the gates and not the interior of the hostels, it added.

The students’ union has also been opposed to the installation of CCTV cameras calling it a violation of their privacy.

Many domestic flights from and to Mangaluru Airport, canceled on Monday

Mangaluru: No flyers for domestic flights that resumed in the country amidst the Corona lockdown has forced carriers to cancel their scheduled flights from Mangaluru International Airport.

According to the reports, Indigo and SpiceJet have cancelled their arriving and departing flights from the Mangaluru Airport. The reports further added that flight departing for Mumbai and Chennai from Mangaluru Airport and arriving from Bengaluru by SpiceJet and Indigo have been cancelled for Monday.

SpiceJet’s flight from Bengaluru to Mangaluru which was scheduled to land at 10 am was cancelled while flight to Bengaluru that was scheduled to depart at 10:20 am was also cancelled. SpiceJet flight arriving from Mumbai at 8:35 am and departing for Mumbai and 9:05 am were also cancelled.

SpiceJet added that a call will be taken later in the evening on Bengaluru’s evening flight from Mangaluru.

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Thiruvananthapuram: About 100 people, including a Magistrate and some police personnel, have been asked to go into quarantine after an accused, who was produced before a lower court here following his arrest, later tested positive, officials said on Monday.

The accused, who was arrested along with two others in connection with a case relating to illicit liquor transportation two days ago, had been shifted to the Poojappura central jail after he was remanded to judicial custody.

With his sample testing positive on Sunday, theman has been sent to a designated COVID-19 hospital.

The Nedumangad court magistrate, before whom he was produced, 34 police personnel, including a circle inspector, who were on duty at the Venjaramoodu police station when the accused was brought after his arrest, some employees of a government hospital where his swab sample was taken and 12 officials of the Poojappura central jail have gone into quarantine, police sources said.

Meanwhile, Malayalam film actor Suraj Venjaramoodu and Vamanapuram MLA D K Murali (CPI) are under self-imposed quarantine as they had attended a function in which the circle inspector had taken part.

Two days ago, a car in which illicit liquor was being transported had hit a policeman and sped away, but people managed to stop the vehicle and the three accused, who were in an inebriated state, were arrested, sources said.PTI UD BN

Passengers must compulsorily walk through a thermal screening zone before entering the airport terminal building and all have to have the Aarogya Setu app on their mobiles.

Passengers will be allowed into the terminal building if their flights are within four hours

New rules making physical distancing, the Aarogya Setu app on mobiles and thermal screening a must for entering airports were announced today, a day after the government announced that domestic flights, stopped due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Passengers must compulsorily walk through a thermal screening zone before entering the airport terminal building and all have to have the Aarogya Setu app on their mobiles. The app will not be needed for children below 14.

Some of the new SOPs to be followed at airports are:

• Passengers have to be thermal screened and must have Aarogya Setu on their mobiles, except children below 14. If they don’t show “green” or do not have the government contact tracing app, they will not be allowed in
• Passengers should reach the airport two hours before departure
• Passengers will be allowed into the terminal building if their flights are within four hours
• State governments and administrations have to ensure public transport and private taxis for passengers and airline crew
• Only personal vehicles or select cab services will be allowed to take passengers and staff to the airport or from it.
• All passengers have to wear masks and gloves
• For physical distancing in passenger seating areas, chairs to be taped off or marked
• All staff should have hand sanitisers and Personal Protective Equipment as directed by the home ministry
• Trolleys will not be allowed in the arrival or departure sections, except for special cases, for which they will be disinfected.
• Airport operators should make arrangements for sanitizing baggage before entry
• All entry gates of the terminal will be opened to avoid crowding
• Social distancing marks or stickers at a distance of at least a metre will be provided at the entry gates, screening zones and terminals.
• Mats or carpets soaked with bleach will be placed at the entrance to disinfect shoes
• Counters with Plexiglas or face shields for staff wherever there is interaction with passengers
• Newspapers or magazines will not be provided in the terminal buildings or lounges
• Employees with high fever, difficulty in breathing or cough will not be allowed entry into the airport
• When flights land, passengers will be allowed to leave the plane in batches, sequentially

Yesterday, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted that domestic passenger flights would resume “in a calibrated manner”.

Flights were stopped in late March, when the country went into lockdown to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The government has not indicated when international travel will restart.

Most airports are already functional as cargo flights, those for medical evacuation and special flights to repatriate Indians stranded abroad have been operating during the lockdown.