1. CM Announces 3-Month Deferral of Property Tax, Co-Op Loan Dues
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday announced the deferment of co-operative loan repayment, property tax and other dues by three months in view of the COVID-19 lockdown. The measures would benefit middle- and low-income groups, farmers and entrepreneurs. The chief minister also called on Governor Banwarilal Purohit at the Raj Bhavan to brief him on the measures taken by the government to deal with the pandemic and its impact.
He announced an extension of the deadline for the payment of property tax and water charges to the local bodies by three months, until 30 June. Palaniswami announced a three-month extension of the deadline (until 30 June) for the repayment of loans obtained from co-operative banks, fishermen’s cooperative societies and handloom weavers’ cooperative societies.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. North Chennai Reports First Case
On Monday, a 50-year-old woman resident of Broadway tested positive for the virus. After tracing her contacts, Corporation officials suspect she could have caught the infection from her son who recently returned from Kerala. The son, who returned on 21 March, and her husband, who is the Imam of a local mosque, are now under observation at the RGGGH.
“The woman did not step out of her house much, while her son has a travel history. We are checking if she caught the virus from her son,” said an official. The patient has a total of three sons. It was the eldest who travelled to Kerala. “The youngest son has no contacts with the family. The middle son is an IT employee, and resides near Thousand Lights. He is also now under observation.” Their test results are awaited.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. Police Use Novel Ways to Stress on ‘Stay At Home’ Message
As people continue defying the lockdown and loiter on roads without reason, police personnel in the city have resorted to novel methods to make people realise the importance of staying indoors. At 1.30 pm on Monday, the scene on Puzhal Camp road resembled a gym – over 15 persons, lined up under the scorching sun, were made to do half-squats by a woman sub-inspector.
She first demonstrated how to do the exercise. The violators were then made to follow the drill, over the next 20 minutes. Jayanthi, a sub-inspector of police, said, “People don’t understand the seriousness of a lockdown. They just saunter around. Some of them said that they came out to visit their friends. We have to effectively implement law and order by adopting these methods.”
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Empty Streets Make Life Difficult for Transpersons
Several transpersons in the state are struggling to make ends meet since the lockdown began. Many of them who seek alms or engage in sex work to make a living, have been running short of resources in the last few days. Even though provision stores have opened, it has been difficult to gather essentials, say activists.
“It is not a matter of finding provision, it is a matter of money,” says Jaya of the NGO Sahodaran. She said that several trusts and celebrities in Chennai have come forward to provide support and aid for people from the community, however, fears that it may not be enough to get through the lock down. “Many members of the community continue to depend on the society and people for money,” she said. The problems are worse for transpersons who are HIV positive, says Grace Banu, a transgender rights activist. “Those with HIV can only get their medicines in certain government hospitals.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. Pay Migrant Workers On Time, Govt Tells Employees
In view of the COVID-19 lockdown, the Tamil Nadu government has directed all District Collectors to ensure that employers pay migrant workers on time and provide for their accommodation for a month without charging rent. The government has also advised employers against deducting any amount from the salary of the workers.
The landlords of properties where migrants are living on rent “shall not demand payment of rent for a period of one month. If any landlord is forcing labourers and students to vacate their premises, they will be liable for action,” Chief Secretary K Shanmugam said in an order, citing a communication from the Centre. Separately, in a statement, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami appealed to all houseowners to defer the collection of rent for March and April by two months in view of the difficulties faced by tenants under the current circumstances.
(Source: The Hindu)
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