QChennai: DMK Slams TN CM Over COVID-19, CM Hits Back & More

Here is your roundup of the top stories from Chennai.

1. DMK Slams Tamil Nadu CM Over COVID-19, Palaniswami Hits Back

DMK president M K Stalin on Friday hit out at Chief Minister K Palaniswami for his expectation that the number of fresh coronavirus cases will slide to zero and demanded expeditious steps to procure equipment, carry out rapid testing besides measures for treatment, relief and rehabilitation.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami, meanwhile, asked Stalin to behave responsibly and asserted that the government was toeing the guidelines of public health and medical experts to tackle COVID-19 and wondered what advice the DMK could offer in the matter.

Earlier, the Dravidian party chief called Palaniswami's remark related to the manner in which coronavirus spread in Tamil Nadu a "joke," and wanted the chief minister to stop uttering such things and instead sought measures to end the spread of the contagion.

(Source: The New Indian Express)

2. Crime Rate in City Down 71%

The threat of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown has led to a dip in the crime rate by 71% in the city. In the last 22 days of the lockdown period, only five murders have been reported while it was eight during the corresponding period last year. No case of ‘murder for gain’ or ‘grave major theft’ has been reported. Only one case of robbery and four cases of dacoity have been reported.

The number of house trespass and burglary which was 29 last year has reduced to 12 in these 22 days. Thefts have reduced to 49 from 257 and only seven chain snatching incidents were reported.

(Source: The Hindu)

3. Tamil Nadu Man Holds ‘Corona Feast’ for Friends, Arrested

It was a short-lived enjoyment for a 29-year-old man and his friends after they cooked and consumed what they called the "Corona Virundhu" ('Corona Feast') in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur district, police said on Thursday.

"On Wednesday, a couple of people assembled on the outskirts of Kabisthalam, cooked and ate food, sitting in close quarters when the COVID-19 lockdown was in force," said a police official. He said the matter came to light as the activity was uploaded on Facebook and a police complaint was lodged by the Village Administrative Officer.

Read the full story on The Quint here.

4. Residents Walk Through Containment Zone in Chennai to Pay Power Bills

Unaware of the consequences, people have been entering the containment zone at MGR Nagar in Arumbakkam to pay their electricity bills fearing that their power connection may be cut. The Chennai Corporation has identified containment zones in 56 divisions. Inside the containment zones, movement is strictly prohibited with police posted at the entry points that are fully barricaded.

At MGR Nagar in Arumbakkam, a containment zone, people have been visiting the Tangedco collection office. A policeman took down the name and numbers of the consumers while others looked on. Asked how could so many people enter the containment zone, one of them said they have been told to let the consumers go to pay power bills.

(Source: The Hindu)

5. 11 Bangladeshis Test Negative for COVID-19 in Dindigul, Shifted to Puzhal Prison

The Dindigul district police have shifted 11 citizens of Bangladesh, who were under quarantine in the Government Headquarters Hospital here, to Puzhal Prison in Chennai on Thursday. The Dindigul police told media persons that the 11 Bangladeshis had reached India to attend the Tablighi Jamaat conference in New Delhi on tourist visas.

After attending the religious conference, they travelled to Dindigul via train and visited various mosques. They were placed under quarantine and recently their test results for COVID-19 infection came negative. Following this, they were produced before the Judicial Magistrate III on Wednesday, 8 April, and were shifted to the Puzhal Prison.

(Source: The New Indian Express)