Coronavirus outbreak: From Delhi to Maharashtra, states on a war footing

Many states are opting for a partial or near-lockdown, restricting inter-state movement and shutting down commercial establishments

Faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, state governments are launching their own efforts to fight it in tandem with the Centre’s initiatives. Many states are opting for a partial or near-lockdown, restricting inter-state movement and shutting down commercial establishments. And they are coming out with a raft of measures to mitigate the economic fallout of such steps.

Coronavirus: Delhi border to be sealed, no public transport, says Kejriwal

Delhi will be locked down in view of the growing coronavirus threat, from 6 am on March 23, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced at a joint press conference with Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Sunday. The lockdown will continue till 12 midnight on March 31, Kejriwal said. During the lockdown, no public transport will operate and Delhi's borders will be sealed but the essential services related to health, food, water and power supply will continue, he said. Read More…

Coronavirus: Maharashtra working on plan to tackle economic challenges

Maharashtra, which on Sunday extended the lockdown to all urban centres, is putting a plan in place to tackle the economic challenges thrown up by the pandemic. “We are working to find a solution to the financial challenges caused by the Covid-19 crisis and a working group has been formed to look into it,” said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Covid-19 has so far infected 74 persons in the state. 

Gujarat announces 1,200-bed hospital to treat coronavirus patients

Apart from imposing Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) across major cities, the Gujarat Government has announced that a 1,200-bed hospital in Ahmedabad will be exclusively devoted to treating coronavirus patients. The number of positive Covid-19 cases in Gujarat jumped to 13 in three days with no casualties so far. Read More…

Train carrying 2.5 mn ltr water from Jolarpettai to reach parched Chennai

The train was supposed to reach on Thursday, but leakages in the valves led to the delay

The first train carrying water to parched Chennai is likely to leave from Jolarpet railway station on Friday. “The wagons have been filled. We are waiting for clearance to leave from Chennai Metro Water,”  A function has been planned at  the Villivakkam railway station to receive the first water train. State minister S P Velumani and few other ministers are expected to attend. 

Fifty wagons of this train with a capacity of 50 kilolitres each would transport 2.5 million litres each trip. With two trains available for this purpose, the railway authorities are trying to supply at least 7.5 million litres a day to begin with, though the target is 10 million litres. 

“Based on slots available for movement of these trains the capacity could go up,” said the officer. Southern Railways would charge Chennai Metro Water Rs. 7.5 lakh for each trip. The Tamil Nadu government has allotted Rs. 65 core for this project.

Officials say these trains would take around five hours to reach Chennai’s Villivakkam, 220 km away, from where water would be pumped to the Kilpauk Water Works, the pumping station that distributes water to localities in the city. However, the water supply by train would not increase supply to Chennai. It will only ease the pressure on the state government to ensure a minimum supply of 525 million litres to residents against the requirement of 830 million litres a day…

Read Full Story: Chennai Water Crisis