Chennai

New Delhi [India]: In compliance with the revised travel guidelines issued by the Centre and Tamil Nadu government in view of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the Airport Authority India’s (AAI) Chennai Airport has created an exclusive corridor at T4 terminal to screen arriving passengers from countries at-risk.As per a statement issued by AAI on Monday, the facility can seat 500 passengers at a time as it is mandatory for passengers to wait till the Covid test results are out. “Facility for registration for RT- PCR and Rapid PCR, sample collection and payment are provided at the same level. This is in addition to pre-booking and pre-pay facility extended to arrival passengers online to save time during the screening process,” read AAI’s statement. As per the AAI, the Rapid-PCR at Rs 3400 gives the result within 30-45 minutes from the time of collection of samples, while RT-PCR at Rs700 takes 5-6 hours for providing results.Several passenger conveniences line reclining chairs, F&B outlets, baby feeding rooms and money exchange facility have also been arranged at the T4 terminal among others.In coordination with the state health department, the airport authorities have also arranged a facility for the collection of random samples (2 per cent) from travellers coming from countries excluding those enlisted as countries at-risk.“The test is done for free by the state health department and the process is smooth and quick,” stated AAI. Further, the […]

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India]: Tamil Nadu districts are likely to experience thunderstorm with light to moderate rain on Saturday, informed Area Cyclone Warning Centre of Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai.“Thunderstorm with light to moderate rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Erode, Salem, Namakkal, Virudhunagar and Karur district of Tamilnadu,” the notification read. Notably, the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are likely to witness heavy rains on Sunday due to Cyclone Jawad.As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Jawad lay centred at 5:30 pm on Friday over the west-central Bay of Bengal, about 300 km south-SE of Vishakhapatnam, 420 km nearly south of Gopalpur, 480 km south-SW of Puri and 560 km south-southwest of Paradip.“It is likely to move north-northwestwards, intensify further and reach the west-central Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh – south Odisha coasts by tomorrow, December 4 morning,” said the IMD.“Thereafter it is likely to recurve north-northeastwards and move along the Odisha coast reaching near Puri around December 5 noon. Subsequently, it is likely to continue to move north-northeastwards along coastal Odisha towards the West Bengal coast,” said the IMD.

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India] : A day after two cases of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant were detected in India, two international passengers, one each from the UK and Singapore tested positive for coronavirus in Tamil Nadu’s capital city Chennai, informed State Health Minister Ma. Subramanian on Friday.“A passenger from Singapore at the Tiruchirappalli International Airport was found COVID positive and got admitted to a private hospital; samples have been sent for genome sequencing to Chennai and Bengaluru,” said Subramanian while addressing a press conference at Teynampet, Chennai on Friday. “Another passenger from the UK in Chennai was found COVID positive and is admitted to a special ward of the King Institute of Preventive Medicine, Chennai; samples have been sent for genome sequencing to Chennai and Bengaluru,” added the Tamil Nadu Health Minister.Earlier on Thursday, Subramanian had said that staff at airports in Chennai, Madurai, and Coimbatore have started compulsory testing of passengers arriving from 11 ‘at risk’ countries in view of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Subramanian had said, “The airports in Chennai, Madurai, and Coimbatore have started compulsory testing of passengers arriving from 11 ‘at risk’ countries where Omicron variant of coronavirus is spreading rapidly.”Two cases of the new Omicron variant of Coronavirus have been detected in Karnataka, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.A new variant of COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) […]

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India]: Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Wednesday said that the government has instructed officials to take steps to restrict movement of non-vaccinated people.Speaking to ANI, Subramanian said, “We have instructed district collectors to take steps on restrictions for non-vaccinated people and ensure that they do not come in public places. We want to ensure that people get vaccinated without fail.” He further said, “In Kanyakumari, customers at government liquor shops will get liquor only if they are vaccinated.”

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India] : Just after Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday suspended 12 Members of Parliament, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said that such acts diminish the democratic spirit of the house.Stalin further urged the Centre, on behalf of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), to revoke the suspension immediately. “The suspension of 12 Opposition MPs on the very first day of the winter session is highly condemnable. Such acts diminish the democratic spirit of the Parliament. I demand, on behalf of the DMK to revoke the suspension immediately,” Stalin wrote in a tweet.Rajya Sabha on the first day of its business for the Winter Session on Monday suspended 12 of its members for the rest of the current session on account of ‘unruly and violent behaviour’ during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.The suspended MPs include six from Congress, two each from TMC and Shiv Sena and one each from CPM and CPI.The action has been taken against them for the ‘indiscipline’ in the monsoon session of the house.The suspended MPs are Elamaram Kareem (CPM), Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, R Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Nasir Hussain and Akhilesh Prasad Singh of the Congress, Binoy Viswam of CPI, Dola Sen and Shanta Chhetri of Trinamool Congress, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Anil Desai of Shiv Sena. 

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India]: Due to continuous and heavy rainfall, waterlogging has been reported from several districts of Tamil Nadu including Chennai.While speaking to ANI, a local, said, “We face a lot of difficulties due to continuous rain. It has also affected transport. Several areas are submerged in floodwater due to torrential rains.” “We are finding difficulties in getting food as we are not able to move out. The floodwater has entered in our homes,” said another local.State revenue and disaster management minister KKSSR Ramachandran had informed a total of eight people have died due to heavy rainfall in the state.Earlier, on Saturday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin met Governor RN Ravi at Raj Bhawan in Chennai. He briefed the Governor about the rain situation and ongoing relief and restoration work in the rain-affected areas in the state.

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India]: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin met Governor RN Ravi at Raj Bhawan in Chennai on Saturday.Stalin briefed the Governor about the rain situation and ongoing relief and restoration work in the rain-affected areas in the state. As many as eight people have died due to heavy rainfall in the state, said the state revenue and disaster management minister KKSSR Ramachandran.Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Chinglepet and one in Kanchipuram.Chennai Meteorological Department on Friday had given a red alert to all coastal districts till today and an orange alert to the adjacent districts.

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India]: Madras High Court on Wednesday set aside the previous AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) government’s decision to convert former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s Veda Illam house at Poes Garden in Chennai into a memorial.In May this year, the Madras High Court had asked the Tamil Nadu government to reconsider its decision and had suggested that the property be converted into the official residence-cum-office of the chief minister of the state. The court also said that Jayalalithaa’s niece and nephew, J Deepa and J Deepak, have been declared as her class-II legal heirs and are entitled to inherit her estate.“This court would suggest to the State government to consider making the above property as ‘Official Residence-cum-Office of the Chief Minister of the State’ instead of converting the property as a ‘memorial’ as desired by the government,” the order had said.The court said that the State government shall consider and decide the suggestion of this court to avoid making Poes Garden property a memorial by acquiring the property, as it would incur huge expenses to the public exchequer.“If the State government is particular that the property should be made as a memorial – instead of making the entire property as ‘memorial’, the government may consider making use of a portion of the property to set up the memorial and the rest of the property as ‘Official Residence-cum-Office of the […]

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India] : The national weather forecasting agency, India Meteorological Department (IMD), has sounded a yellow alert for Tamil Nadu for November 23 and 24 and an orange alert for November 25 and 26.“A cyclonic circulation lies over Southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood in lower tropospheric levels. It is very likely to move west-northwestwards towards Tamil Nadu coast during next 4-5 days,” said IMD in an official statement. The weather forecasting agency further informed that a trough runs from the cyclonic circulation Southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood to the Tamil Nadu coast in lower tropospheric levels.IMD has predicted light to moderate scattered/fairly widespread rainfall over Karnataka, Kerala and Mahe and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal during the next 5 days.IMD further said, “Isolated heavy rainfall very likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal during next 5 days and over Kerala and Mahe on November 25 and 26. Isolated very heavy rainfall also very likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal on November 25 and 26.”

Bengaluru/ Chennai [India] : Northern Bengaluru and several pockets of northern Chennai’s Manali area experienced heavy flooding as a result of torrential rain in parts of the South over the last few days. Water entered multiple homes in Manali, an industrial pocket of Tamil Nadu’s capital. Many parts of the neighbourhood in northern Chennai were heavily inundated due to excess discharge from the Kosasthalaiyar river. Excess water overflowing from the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh city of Chitoor also contributed to the overnight deluge as water from the Poondi reservoir in Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvallur district — filled to capacity — was released beyond 3000 cubic feet per second a few days back. However, discharge from the Poondi reservoir has now been reduced, authorities said today. Boats have also been deployed in some areas of northern Chennai to deal with the situation. Meanwhile, Karnataka’s capital city Bengaluru saw heavy flooding overnight as the Allalasandra lake overflowed, inundating the lake’s surrounding areas. Several roads in northern Bengaluru were left heavily waterlogged as a result of last night’s downpour. The Yelahanka, Nagavara, Kogilu Cross and Vidyaranyapura areas of Bengaluru were particularly affected by the rain. In Yelahanka, 153 mm of rain fell in the last 24 hours alone, contributing to the area’s heavy waterlogging. The same area received a visit from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), who arrived in the neighbourhood to service an apartment that saw water […]

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India] : Seven Afghan cadets (soldiers) who acquired training at the Officers training academy in Chennai will leave for New Delhi on Sunday and will decide their further course of action after consulting the officials at the Afghanistan Embassy in the national capital only, said sources.These cadets were part of an integrated army training programme at the academy here in Chennai besides other Indian cadets. However, after their arrival in India, the Taliban has taken control of their home country, leaving the fate of these Afghan soldiers hanging. The passing out parade of 124 gentlemen cadets and 29 women cadets, including 25 cadets of foreign nations, took place at the Officers training academy in Chennai today.“A total of 124 Gentlemen Cadets of the SSC-112 and 29 Women Cadets of the SSC (W)-26 Courses got commissioned. 16 Gentlemen Cadets and nine Women Cadets from Friendly Foreign Countries also completed their training,” reads the official release.The parade was reviewed by Lieutenant General CP Mohanty, Vice Chief of Army Staff, who also presented the Sword of Honour and OTA Gold Medal to ACA Siddhanth Sharma, Silver Medal to BUO Dimple Singh Bhati and the Bronze Medal to BCA Muneesh Kumar, as per the release.

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India]: Following a red alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Chennai, the various parts of the city received heavy rainfall on Thursday.As per IMD, Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Ranipet are expected to receive extremely heavy rainfall due to the low pressure around the coast on Thursday. The weather forecasting agency had earlier predicted that the coastal region of Tamil Nadu is likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy falls in the southern coastal region of Andhra Pradesh– Rayalaseema and adjoining areas of north Tamil Nadu during the next 24 hours.“Intense rainfall has begun over coastal Tamil Nadu since early hours of today” tweeted IMD tweeted.The Low-Pressure Area (LPA) over Southeast and adjoining Southwest Bay now lies as a Well Marked Low-Pressure Area over Southwest and adjoining West-central Bay off north Tamil Nadu-south Andhra Pradesh coasts, IMD informed.“It is very likely to intensify into a Depression during the next 12 hours,” said IMD.The Weather department also predicted that Strong winds (speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph) are very likely to prevail over Southwest and adjoining West-central Bay of Bengal and along and off Tamil Nadu-Puducherry-south Andhra Pradesh coasts.“As Rough to Very Rough Sea conditions are also very likely to prevail over Southwest and adjoining West Central Bay of Bengal and along and off Tamil Nadu-Puducherry-south Andhra Pradesh coasts, Fishermen are advised not to […]