p coronavirus: PM No plan to extend Prince Charles 21-day ......Adhunik Packers & Movers, An...
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PUBLISHED SIMULTANEOUSLY FROM GUWAHATI & DIBRUGARH
RN-1127/57 TECH/GH – 103/2018-2020, VOL. 82, NO. 87 GUWAHATI, TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020
82 years of service to the nation
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p3 p7 p11Plane with medical supplieslands in Nagaland
Counter superstition oncoronavirus: PM
Tokyo Olympics rescheduledfor July 23-August 8 in 2021
Wait, let me first sanitize thecurrency notes!
JOCOSERIOUS
Prince Charlesrecovers from
COVID-19
LONDON, March 30: Brit-
ain’s Prince Charles came out
of self-isolation on Monday,
seven days after it was con-
firmed that he had tested
positive for coronavirus, a
royal spokesperson said.
The 71-year-old heir to the
British throne had been self-
isolating on the Queen’s Bal-
moral estate in Scotland after
he had been tested by the Na-
tional Health Service (NHS)
in Aberdeenshire last week.
SEE PAGE 2
NEW DELHI, March 30:
Reiterating that COVID-19 is
still in the local transmission
stage in India, the Health Min-
istry on Monday said it took
12 days for cases of infection
to rise from 100 to 1,000 and
that the rate of increase has
been slower than some of the
developed countries.
Addressing the daily press
briefing on COVID-19, Joint
Secretary in the Ministry of
Health Lav Agarwal said 92
new cases and four deaths
due to coronavirus have
No community transmissionyet in India: Centre
been reported in India since
Sunday, taking total cases to
1,071 and the number of
deaths to 29.
“It took 12 days for cases to
rise from 100 to 1,000 in our
country, whereas seven other
developed nations having less-
er population than us have seen
multiple increase,” he said.
Agarwal attributed the
slow pace of rise in cases in
India to people’s participation
in following social distancing
and the preemptive actions
taken by the Centre along
with state governments.
SEE PAGE 2
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, March 30:
The Assam council of minis-
ters today decided to launch a
series of schemes for the ben-
efit of 72 lakh families in view
of the coronavirus outbreak.
The meeting presided over
by Chief Minister Sarbananda
Sonowal decided that from
April 1, 58 lakh families will get
free rice under the National
Food Security (NFS) Scheme.
The scheme will also cov-
er poor families who do not
Farmers, tea pluckersto resume activity
have NFS cards and they will
be given Rs 1000 each.
The people of BTAD, Dima
Hasao and Karbi Anglong Au-
tonomous Council will also be
benefited from the scheme.
The trucks carrying essen-
tials will be allowed to enter
the State from April 1.
In view of possibility of
floods, construction and re-
pair of embankments will
start from April 1. Tea gar-
dens will also be allowed
plucking of green leaves from
April 1 but they will have to
follow the guidelines issued
by the deputy commission-
ers and health department.
Similarly, rice mills, biscuit
factories, etc., will also be al-
lowed to be open subject to
permission of the Deputy
Commissioners.
Deputy commissioners
will fix the timings of keep-
ing grocery shops open from
April 1. From the same date
farmers will also be allowed
to carry on with their work
by following the guidelines of
the health department.
NEW DELHI, March30: The government onMonday said that therewas no immediate plan toextend the 21-day lock-down amid fears that shut-down of businesses acrossthe country to counter thespread of coronavirus maytrigger severe economicand social distress.
The clarification by Cabi-
net Secretary Rajiv Gauba
came after hundreds of thou-
No plan to extend21-day lockdown: Govt
sands of migrant labourers
undertook long journeys
from major urban centres on
foot to their homes in the last
five days, reflecting their
struggle for survival due to
job losses following the na-
tionwide lockdown.
The Central government
has already directed states to
make arrangements for shel-
ter and food for the migrant
workers.
In a tweet, the government’s
Press Information Bureau said:
“There are rumours & media
reports, claiming that the Gov-
ernment will extend the
#Lockdown21 when it ex-
pires. The Cabinet Secretary
has denied these reports, and
stated that they are baseless.”
A Group of Minister
(GoM) headed by Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh on
Sunday carried out a compre-
hensive review of the situa-
tion arising out of the lock-
down, including movement of
the migrant labourers.
There has been fears that the
lockdown may spark severe
economic and social distress.
VentilatorsNEW DELHI, March 30:
The government hasasked automobilemanufacturers to use theirfacilities to produceventilators to boost thecountry’s capacity of suchmachines in view of risingCOVID-19 cases. TheDRDO will beginmanufacturing 20,000 N-95 masks per day withinthe next week. – PTI
FacebookWASHINGTON, March
30: Facebook today said itwas donating USD 100million to support newsorganisations globallyhurting from thecoronavirus pandemic,citing the need for reliableinformation about thecrisis. – AFP
Oil pricesNEW DELHI, March 30:
International oil prices onMonday plunged to a 17-year low but retail petroland diesel prices in Indiaremained on freeze as oilcompanies continued toset off gains against theexcise duty hiked by thegovernment. – PTI
HRD advisoryNEW DELHI, March
30: The HRD Ministry onMonday directed theNational Testing Agencyto postpone the last dateof acceptance ofapplications for multipleexams conducted by it,including UGC NET andJNU entrance test, amidthe coronaviruspandemic. – PTI
COCOCOCOCOVID-19VID-19VID-19VID-19VID-19 sta sta sta sta statustustustustusin in in in in INDIAINDIAINDIAINDIAINDIA
lllll Confirmed 1071cases
lllll Cured/ 100Discharged
lllll Death 29
Figures include
foreign nationals
As on 30/03/2020 at 10.30 am
Source: Ministry of Health& Family Welfare
Maintain DISTANCE
Save SOCIETY SEE PAGE 2
Rice mills, biscuit factories to open on April 1
Monkeys being fed in Guwahati on Monday. – UB Photos
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Trump says peak US death rate likely in 2 weeksExtends ‘social distancing’ until Apr 30
WASHINGTON, March
30: Some one lakh people in
the US may die from the
coronavirus pandemic and the
peak death rate was likely to
hit the country in two weeks,
President Donald Trump has
warned, citing his health ex-
perts as he extended the “so-
cial distancing” guidelines un-
til April 30.
His statement came as the
death toll in New York state,
America’s epicentre of COVID-
19, crossed the 1,000 mark, with
Governor Andrew Cuomo
warning that thousands of people
may die before the crisis ends.
The total number of con-
firmed coronavirus cases in the
US stood at 143,025 and 2,509
people have died in the coun-
try, according to data from
Johns Hopkins University. As-
suring his countrymen that he
expects the US to be on its
way to recovery by June 1,
Trump told reporters at a tele-
vised White House news con-
ference that he had to extend
the social distancing measures
till April 30, based on the ad-
vice from his two top public
health advisers and members
of the White House Task Force
on Coronavirus: Dr Deborah
Bix and Dr Anthony Fauci.
“They demonstrate that
the mitigation measures we
are putting in place may sig-
nificantly reduce the number
of new infections and ulti-
mately the number of fatali-
ties,” he said.
“I want the American
people to know that your self-
less inspiring and valiant efforts
are saving countless lives. You
are making a difference. The
modeling estimates that the
peak and death rate is likely to
hit in two weeks,” Trump said
during his second Rose Gar-
den press conference on the
coronavirus outbreak.
Trump predicted his deci-
sion would save hundreds of
thousands of lives, in an appar-
ent moving of the political
goalposts to account for the fast
worsening US pandemic.
“2.2 million people would
have died if we didn’t do
what we are doing,” the
President said. “If we can
hold that number down ... to
100,000, it’s a horrible num-
ber, maybe even less... we
all, all together have done a
very good job,” Trump said.
The new April 30 date
marks yet another reversal of
position on the pandemic by the
President, who last week made
it clear he did not pick the Eas-
ter date, April 12, based on data
but because it was a “beautiful
timeline.” – PTI
Iran deaths reach2,757; infections
cross 40,000TEHRAN, March 30:
Iran’s official coronavirus
death toll reached 2,757 on
Monday and the number of
infections crossed 40,000, as
President Hassan Rouhani’s
political opponents slammed
his response to the outbreak.
The Islamic republic is one
of the countries worst hit by
the virus, which originated in
China. Iran has been scram-
bling to contain COVID-19’s
spread since it reported its
first cases on February 19.
After weeks of refraining
from imposing lockdown or
quarantine measures, Tehran
decided on Wednesday to ban
all intercity travel until at
least April 8, but some in the
establishment have argued it
is too little, too late.
Health Ministry spokes-
man Kianoush Jahanpour said
at a daily news briefing that
117 more people had died
from the virus over the past
24 hours and 3,186 new cas-
es had been confirmed.
According to Jahanpour,
13,911 of those hospitalised
because of the virus have re-
covered, while 3,511 are in a
critical condition.
There is no official lock-
down in Iran’s cities although
the government has repeat-
edly urged Iranians to stay
home to contain the spread
of the virus.
“Coronavirus could have
been more quickly contained,
if the Health Ministry’s ex-
pert opinion regarding imple-
menting social distancing and
social limitations was consid-
ered sooner,” Iran’s judiciary
chief Ebrahim Raisi was quot-
ed by ISNA news agency as
saying. Raisi, an ultra-con-
servative who ran against
Rouhani in the 2017 presi-
dential election, added that
“time is of the essence” and
that people started “cooper-
ating” only after authorities
appeared serious. – AFP
Coronavirus couldhave been morequickly contained,if the healthministry’s expertopinion regardingimplementingsocial distancingand sociallimitations wasconsidered sooner
– Ebrahim Raisi
“
Wuhan’s virus ground-zeromarket hides in plain sight
WUHAN (China), March
30: In the Chinese city of
Wuhan, the wet market that
spawned the pandemic which
has brought the world to its
knees now slumbers quietly
behind a tidy-looking blue-
and-white partition.
But there are ample clues
that something toxic once
lurked inside the Huanan Sea-
food Market – police tape,
chest-high red barriers, and
staff in head-to-toe white haz-
mat suits lugging equipment.
Chinese disease control
officials have previously iden-
tified wild animals sold in the
market as the source of the
coronavirus pandemic that
has taken more than 33,000
lives worldwide so far and
rocked the global economy.
A price list issued by one
merchant at the sprawling
emporium, which circulated
on China’s internet in January,
contained a smorgasbord of
exotic wildlife including civets,
rats, snakes, giant salamanders
and even live wolf pups.
Markets such as this are the
final stop in what conservation-
ists say is a brutal trade in wild
animals that is fuelled in large
part by Chinese consumption.
It caters to an enduring
demand for wild animals as
exotic menu items or for use
in traditional medicines
whose efficacy is not con-
firmed by science.
The Wuhan market was
sealed and disinfected begin-
ning in January after the out-
break began to spread.
Now only disinfecting crews
go in and out. Long red ban-
ners stretch across the tempo-
rary blue wall, exhorting pas-
sersby to do their part in the
fight against the virus. – AFP
No resting placefor coronavirus
dead in IraqBAGHDAD, March 30: For Saad Malik, losing his father to
the novel coronavirus was only the beginning of his night-
mare. For over a week, cemeteries across Iraq refused to
allow the elderly man’s burial.
Fearing the respiratory illness could somehow spread from
the corpses to nearby population centres, Iraqi religious au-
thorities, tribes and townspeople have sent the bodies of
COVID-19 victims back to hospital morgues, where they are
piling up.
“We couldn’t hold a funeral for him and haven’t been able to
bury his body, even though it’s been more than a week since
he died,” Malik told AFP, his voice laced with bitterness.
Armed men claiming to be tribal leaders threatened Malik,
his family and his friends, saying they would set fire to his car
if they tried to bury the body in their area.
“Can you imagine that across this huge country Iraq, there
aren’t a few square metres to bury a small number of bod-
ies?” In Islam, a person must be buried as soon as possible
after death, usually within 24 hours. Cremation is strictly
prohibited.
Iraq has confirmed more than 500 COVID-19 cases and 42
deaths from the respiratory disease, but the real numbers are
likely much higher as few of the country’s 40 million people
have been tested. – AFP
Chinese disease control
officials have previously
identified wild animals sold in
the market as the source of
the coronavirus pandemic
Moscow begins lockdown, as Russiaregions prepare for confinement
MOSCOW, March 30:
Moscow on Monday im-
posed a lockdown in a bid to
slow the spread of the coro-
navirus as Russian Prime
Minister Mikhail Mishustin
asked regional authorities to
make similar preparations.
The enforcement of the
tough new rules, which were
suddenly announced by Mos-
cow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin
late on Sunday, coincide with
the beginning of a “non-
working” week declared by
President Vladimir Putin last
week.
Europe’s largest city an-
nounced the strict new isola-
tion measures after many
Muscovites refused to heed
official recommendations and
self-isolate at the weekend
and instead went to parks for
barbecues.
On Monday, the streets of
Moscow were deserted fol-
lowing the closure of all non-
essential shops, including
restaurants and cafes, but
traffic was still seen on the
roads in the city centre.
“I ask regional heads to
work on the introduction of
quarantines similar to the one
introduced in Moscow,”
Mishustin said at a govern-
ment meeting. – AFP
The streets of Moscow weredeserted following the closureof all non-essential shops,including restaurants and cafes,but traffic was still seen on theroads in the city centre
Israeli PM entersquarantine
JERUSALEM, March 30:
Israeli Prime Minister Ben-
jamin Netanyahu’s office said
on Monday that he will enter
quarantine after an aide on
Knesset affairs tested posi-
tive for coronavirus.
Neyanyahu’s office said the
step was a precaution and is
being taken even before the
epidemiological investigation
has been concluded, Haaretz
newspaper reported.
Israel is under total lock-
down with people not al-
lowed to even walk beyond
100 metres from their
homes and have been gener-
ally advised to go out only to
stock up food. So far, 4,347
Israelis have tested positive
for the coronavirus, with the
vast majority of cases mild
and 134 recoveries. Sixteen
patients have died and 95 are
in serious condition. One Is-
raeli tourist died in Italy, the
paper said. – PTI
Indian expat in Dubai emergesas unsung hero amid lockdown
DUBAI, March 30: An Indian ex-
pat in Dubai has emerged as one of
the unsung heroes in the time of coro-
navirus lockdown in the Gulf nation
as everyday he hits the road on his
bike to do food deliveries to ensure
that people don’t step out of their
houses during the closure.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE),
of which Dubai is a member, has re-
ported 570 cases of coronavirus and
three deaths. The UAE has extended
the nationwide lockdown till April 5.
Home deliveries of food items have
been exempted from the purview of
the lockdown.
Murali Shambantham, a delivery
man working in Dubai for the past 15
years, said he never thought that he
would have to face such unprecedent-
ed times.
However, the 42-year-old, who con-
tinued with his regular job amid the lock-
down, said he is grateful that he is being
able to support a family of four back in
Tamil Nadu’s Ariyalur town, the Kha-
leej Times reported on Monday.
“Someone needs to do this job and
is an essential item. How can you de-
prive someone of food? If we don’t
step up, how will people who do not
have running kitchens in their homes
eat?” he asked.
Shambantham, however, is aware
of the risk of exposure from people
who are seemingly asymptomatic.
Masks and gloves are his weapons
against the deadly viral infection as
he hits the road on his two-wheeler
to do food deliveries for a Dubai-based
Indian restaurant.
“I know it can be contracted
through cough droplets or by touch-
ing infected surfaces. Therefore, I
make sure to wear gloves and mask
to protect myself, apart from regu-
larly sanitising hands even after I park
my bike. I also maintain a certain phys-
ical distance and lean forward to hando-
ver the parcel,” Shambantham said.
He said food delivery men cannot
constantly keep feeling threatened.
They need to be committed to their
professions. – PTI
‘Tsunami of nCoV patients’ inUK hospitals soon
LONDON, March 30: The
UK’s government-run hos-
pitals are about to be flooded
with a “tsunami” of really
sick COVID-19 patients, an
Indian-origin doctor here has
said, sounding alarm that
mistakes at the highest lev-
els will result in a disaster.
Dr Guddi Singh, a paedi-
atrician who has been draft-
ed in to help adult patients
of COVID-19, said there is
huge anxiety in the Nation-
al Health Service (NHS),
over coronavirus and the
use of Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE), BBC re-
ported.
She said that the NHS, the
UK’s publicly-funded health-
care system, is about to be
flooded with COVID-19 pa-
tients.
The government says it is
increasing the capacity for
extra patients and placing
orders for PPE.
Singh said that mistakes at
the highest levels will result
in a disaster in the UK, the
report said.
“The NHS is about to be
flooded with a tsunami of re-
ally sick COVID-19 patients
that we do not have the ca-
pacity to deal with and there
is a huge amount of confusion
around the use and availabil-
ity of PPE,” she said.
“Hospitals in London are
overwhelmed, there is still
a serious shortage of PPE.
We have just been told to
close our eyes when any pa-
tient coughs. We feel com-
pletely helpless,” she quot-
ed some of her colleagues
as saying.
There is a massive lack
of clarity in guidance from
the high levels in NHS, she
added.
The UK’s health officials
have said that life may not
return to normal for six
months or longer as the
death toll reached more than
1,200. There are more than
17,089 confirmed cases in
the country.
Prime Minister Boris
Johnson, who is self-isolating
after testing positive for coro-
navirus, has written to eve-
ry UK household to ask peo-
ple to stay at home and fol-
low the social distancing
rules to fight the pandemic,
warning them things will get
worse before they get bet-
ter.
There have been at least
715,204 cases, including
33,568 fatalities in 183 coun-
tries and territories. – PTI
INTERNATIONAL
Prince Charles ...(Contd from page 1)
“Clarence House has confirmed today (Monday) that, hav-
ing consulted with his doctor, The Prince of Wales is now out
of self-isolation,” his spokesperson said.
His Clarence House royal office said the Prince was in “good
health” and was following the government’s restrictions as
he carries on working from home.
His wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, had tested negative
for the deadly virus at the same time, but the 72-year-old had
also been self-isolating separately in Balmoral. The royal cou-
ple were tested last Monday after they had flown out to Scot-
land in a jet and have remained there since then.
“It is not possible to ascertain from whom the Prince caught
the virus owing to the high number of engagements he car-
ried out in his public role during recent weeks,” Clarence
House had said at the time.
Prince Charles, who made international headlines as he
switched to the non-contact namaste as a form of greeting
just as the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic,
spent seven days of quarantine at his Birkhall home on the
royal Balmoral estate. – PTI
No community ...(Contd from page 1)
Underlining the importance of social distancing, he said even
one person’s carelessness can lead to the spread of this pan-
demic. He, however, said instead of panic, there is a need for
creating awareness about COVID-19.
“Technically, COVID-19 is still in the local transmission
stage in the country as there has been no community trans-
mission as of now,” he said, adding, “If there will be a commu-
nity transmission we will want to covey it to the community
through you (media) to increase the level of alertness and
management for COVID-19 at the field level.”
Speaking at the same press conference, Raman R Ganga-
khedkar, Head of Epidemiology and Communicable diseases
at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said 38,442
tests have been conducted till now, out of which 3,501 were
done on Sunday.
He said 47 private laboratories have been given approval
for conducting COVID-19 tests and in the last three days,
1,334 tests have been done in private labs, he said. – PTI
No plan to ...(Contd from page 1)
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the sudden lockdown has
created immense “panic” and “confusion”. He called for steps
other than a total lockdown announced by some developed
nations to tackle the deadly disease.
Gandhi said the number of poor people in India who are
dependent on a daily income is too large to unilaterally
shut down all economic activities in the wake of the pan-
demic. – PTI
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 3
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Janasanyog/D/12087/19
NATIONAL
NEW DELHI, March 30: Organisations
involved in social welfare can play a big
role in countering superstitions and mis-
information about coronavirus, Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi said on Monday.
In the name of belief, people have been
seen gathering in places flouting social
distancing norms. Hence there is a need
for educating them about the importance
of social distancing to check the spread of
the deadly virus, he also said.
Addressing organisations involved in
social work via video conferencing here,
Modi said they can play a huge role in
arranging basic necessities for the poor
and can also dedicate their medical facili-
Counter misinformation, superstitionon coronavirus: PM to social workers
ties and volunteers to serve patients and
the needy.
The nation is facing an “unprecedent-
ed crisis” and “needs the service of these
organisations and their resources like
never before”, the Prime Minister was
quoted as saying in a statement issued by
the PMO.
Highlighting that the nation needs both
short-term measures and a long-term vi-
sion to overcome the challenge posed by
the outbreak of the viral infection, Modi
observed that “these organisations have
three distinct specialities: humane ap-
proach, massive reach and connect with
people and a service mindset”.
“This is why they are trusted implicit-
ly,” he said.
Recalling that Mahatma Gandhi used
to say that serving the poor and the down-
trodden is the best way to serve the na-
tion, the Prime Minister praised the ded-
ication and commitment of the partici-
pating organisation towards serving hu-
manity, the statement said.
The organisations also talked about the
work being done by them currently to
meet the challenge through awareness
campaigns by digital means, distribution
of essentials, food packets, sanitisers,
medicines and provision of medical help
to those in need. – PTI
NEW DELHI, March 30:Stating that the course ofCOVID-19 tends to be moresevere in the case of the eld-erly population, resulting inhigher mortality, the UnionHealth Ministry has issued ahealth advisory, listing some‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ for reducingthe transmission of the virusamong the aged section.
The advisory said globally,COVID-19 has impacted sev-eral lives and is steadily in-creasing its reach.
While the Indian govern-ment has taken stringent ac-tions to contain the spread ofCOVID-19, including a nation-wide lockdown, it is also criti-cal for each one of us to followthe protocols and take neces-sary measures and precautionsto break the chain of transmis-sion of the disease, it added.
“Elderly people are at a high-er risk of COVID-19 infection
Police cordonoff area in
NizamuddinNEW DELHI, March 30:
The Delhi Police on Mondaycordoned off a major area inNizamuddin where severalpeople showed symptoms ofcoronavirus after taking partin a religious gathering a fewdays ago, an official said.
The gathering of around200 people was organised with-out permission from authori-ties. After we learnt that suchan event was organised, weserved notice to them for vio-lating prohibitory orders ow-ing to lockdown to contain thespread of coronavirus, a policeofficial said. “Several peoplehave been taken to hospital af-ter they showed symptoms ofcoronavirus and are being test-ed,” he said.
The Delhi govt had bannedreligious, social and politicalgatherings as well as protestscomprising more than 50 peo-ple till March 31 in view of thecoronavirus outbreak. – PTI
COVID-19: Health Ministryissues advisory for aged people
due to their decreased immu-nity and body reserves, as wellas multiple associated comor-bidities like diabetes, hyper-tension, chronic kidney dis-ease and chronic obstructivepulmonary disease.
“Also, course of disease tendsto be more severe in case ofelderlies, resulting in highermortality,” the advisory stated.
The ministry advised theelderly people to wash theirhands and face at regular in-tervals with soap, stay athome, avoid meeting visitorsat home and if such a meetingis essential, maintain a distanceof at least one metre.
It asked them to ensureproper nutrition throughhome-cooked, fresh, hot meals,hydrate frequently and takefresh juices to boost immunity.
The ‘dos’ also include exer-cising, taking the daily pre-scribed medicines regularly,
postponing elective surgeries(if any) like cataract surgeryor total knee replacement andcleaning frequently-touchedsurfaces with a disinfectant.
“If you develop fever, coughand/or breathing difficulty, im-mediately contact nearesthealthcare facility and followthe medical advice rendered,”the advisory said.
It also listed some ‘don’ts’,including not coughing orsneezing into bare hands orwithout covering the face andnot going near people suffer-ing from fever and cough.
It advised them against self-medicating and going to hospi-tal for routine checkups or fol-low-ups. “As far as possible,make tele-consultation withyour healthcare provider. Don’tgo to crowded places like parks,markets and religious places anddon’t go out unless it is abso-lutely essential,” it said. – PTI
Jamiat offers itspremises forquarantine
centresNEW DELHI, March 30:
Prominent Muslim body Jami-
at Ulema-e-Hind on Monday
offered premises under its
control in various parts of the
country to be used as isolation
and quarantine centres amid
the coronavirus outbreak.
Jamiat general secretary
Maulana Mahmood Madani, in
a letter to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, offered his or-
ganisation’s premises for isola-
tion and quarantine centers that
would be able to accommodate
approximately 10,000 people.
“On behalf of Jamiat Ulema-e-
Hind, its more than 12 million
members, and the countrywide
State and district level net-
work, allow me to express our
appreciation and gratitude for
your commitment and effort to
overcome COVID-19,” Mada-
ni said in the letter.
“We have activated all our
state and district units to offer
relief to the people in need
through thousands of locally
organised disaster manage-
ment and relief committees of
civilian volunteers,” he said.
“It has come to our knowl-
edge that the emerging cir-
cumstances might require
quarantining of a large number
of people to contain the spread
of coronavirus because of mi-
gration of large numbers from
cities to villages,” Madani said.
“We would like to offer the
premises under control of our
network in various parts of the
country. On a rough estimate
we can voluntarily accommo-
date up to 10,000 people,” he
said. – PTI
Akshya Patra serves over 1 lakhmeals since lockdown began
NEW DELHI, March 30:
With 55 kitchens spread across
the country, Akshaya Patra has
served around 1.17 lakh free
meals to the needy since the
nationwide lockdown due to
the COVID-19 pandemic be-
gan from March 24 midnight,
an official said on Monday.
The Bengaluru-based NGO
will be providing meals till the
duration of the 21-day lock-
down and even beyond that if
needed, Bharat Das, regional
president of the voluntary or-
ganisation said.
“Around 1.17 lakh free meals
have been provided to the
needy in different cities across
the countr since the lockdown
came into force,” he said.
Highlighting the foundation’s
efforts especially in Delhi-NCR,
Das said two kitchens opera-
tional in Badli and Mohan Co-
operative areas are feeding
food to 10,000 to 15,000 peo-
ple daily. “We are distributing
raw materials and ingredients
like rice, dal, masala, etc., that
can provide for a person’s needs
for 21 days of lockdown peri-
od,” Das said.
As many as 3,000 ration
boxes, carrying essential food
items, have also been distrib-
uted to poor people in various
cities he said.
Non-profit Akshaya Patra is
the world’s largest midday
meal programme, serving
food every school day to over
1.8 million children from
19,039 schools across 12 States
and 2 Union Territories. – PTI
Govt seeks feedbackfrom IAS officers
NEW DELHI, March 30: The Central government has asked
over 600 IAS officers to give feedback on a questionnaire relat-
ed to its preparedness against coronavirus pandemic, officials
said on Monday.
The officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of five
batches (2014-2018), who served as Assistant Secretaries at
Central government departments soon after completion of their
training, have been asked to give response to the question-
naire, they said. “They have been asked to reply to 23 ques-
tions in the questionnaire and share their response,” a senior
official said, requesting anonymity.
A comprehensive report based on the participants’ respons-
es will be shared with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), he
said. Over 400 IAS officers have already shared their response
to the questionnaire, the officer said. The exercise to seek the
response from the officers began on March 25. – PTI
IIT-Hyderabad calls for adoptingalternatives to ventilators
HYDERABAD, March 30: The Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT)-Hyderabad
on Monday suggested the Centre to con-
sider adopting ‘bag valve mask’ as an al-
ternative to meet any surge in demand
for ventilators, both in India and abroad,
to treat COVID-19 patients.
This suggestion was made by the insti-
tute director Prof BS Murty.
While the conventional ventilators are
expensive, hard to produce, and not port-
able, Prof Murty and Prof V Eswaran,
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering, IIT-Hyderabad, highlighted
that ‘bag valve masks’ are small devices.
They said the devices are used to deliver
breathing support in emergency situations.
Besides, the equipment is inexpensive, easy
to produce, and portable and have every
quality that is required in this crisis, a press
release from the institute said.
The two experts proposed that the
Central government, through the Depart-
ment of Science and Technology/Defence
Research and Development Organisation
or some other nodal organisation, consti-
tute a taskforce which would carry out
the tasks needed to start the production
of these low-cost ventilators, within a
maximum time-frame of two months.
The production rate thereafter would
need to be of several lakh units per week,
so the preparation has to be done at a
war-footing, under the direct scrutiny of
the highest levels of government, they
said in the release.
Of the 15 per cent of COVID-19 affect-
ed patients who may need hospitalisation,
around one-third (5 per cent) would like-
ly develop respiratory difficulties for
which ventilators for assisted breathing
would become necessary.
The professors said while bag valve
masks are currently hand-powered and
therefore not suitable for continuous use
as a ventilator, it would be easy to design
a similar device powered by an electrical
source, which could be a car battery, apart
from the conventional power supply.
It could be made portable, and there-
fore adopted in villages and other areas
without power supply and be inexpen-
sive enough to manufacture in bulk.
Elaborating on the advantages of this sys-
tem, the two professors said, “Our estimate
of the cost is that it can be manufactured for
less than Rs 5,000 or one-hundredth the cost
of a conventional machine. The cost is so low
that it can be considered a single-use device
that will be given over to single patient, and
never used again.” – PTI
PM appreciates Omar’scall for social distancingNEW DELHI, March 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
Monday condoled the death of Omar Abdullah’s uncle and ap-
preciated the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister’s call
to supporters to respect guidelines and not gather at either his
residence or the graveyard.
“Prayers from home will give peace to his uncle’s soul,” Ab-
dullah tweeted on Twitter on Sunday night while announcing the
death of Dr Mohammed Ali Mattoo in Srinagar following a brief
illness. The Prime Minister offered his condolences and said, “In
this hour of grief, your call to avoid any large gathering is appre-
ciable and will strengthen India’s fight against COVID-19.”
Replying to the Prime Minister, Abdullah said, “My family
joins me in thanking you very much for your message of condo-
lence jenab. Your prayers for the departed soul are much ap-
preciated.”
On Sunday night, Omar went on Twitter to say his uncle had
passed away after a brief illness. “At this difficult time the fam-
ily appeals to everyone to respect the guidelines to not gather
either at his residence or the graveyard,” he twitted. – PTI
NEW DELHI, March 30:
The Centre has asked automo-
bile manufacturers to use their
facilities to make ventilators to
boost the country’s capacity of
such machines in view of a
spike in COVID-19 cases in the
country. It also said that the
Defence Research and Devel-
opment Organisation (DRDO)
will begin manufacturing
20,000 N-95 masks per day
from the next week.
According to the health
ministry, over 14,000 existing
ventilators are earmarked for
COVID-19 patients in various
hospitals in the country, while
Automobile makers askedto make ventilators
there are 11.95 lakh N-95
masks in stock. An additional
5 lakh masks were distributed
during the last two days and
1.40 lakh will be distributed on
Monday, it said.
The ministry said 3.34 lakh
personal protection equip-
ment coveralls are available
with hospitals in the country
and another 3 lakh donated
coveralls will be received from
abroad by April 4.
“Automobile manufacturers
have been asked to manufac-
ture ventilators and they are
working towards this end,” the
health ministry said. – PTI
ALIGARH, March 30: The
Deoband-based Darul Uloom
on Monday offered to hand over
one of its buildings to the Uttar
Pradesh government to turn it
into an isolation ward for coro-
navirus-infected patients.
The offer was made by Vice
Chancellor Mufti Abdul Qasim
Nomani of the theological school
in a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The Durul Uloom’s Moht-
mim (vice chancellor) has
written to Chief Minister Adi-
tyanath offering a three-sto-
reyed hostel building, ‘Darul
Quran’, for housing COVID-
19 patients, Durul Uloom’s
Darul Uloom offers itsbuilding as isolation ward
spokespersons Ashraf Usma-
ni told PTI.
The head of the Deoband
school, in his letter to the Chief
Minister said, the hostel build-
ing of the school is located ad-
jacent to the main highway and
if the government finds it ap-
propriate, the school would
like to offer its services for
helping the country in the fight
against the COVID-19 pan-
demic, the spokesman said.
The building can accommo-
date up to 100 people, he said.
“We are ready to offer the
hostel as quarantine facility for
as long as the government
wants it,” he added. – PTI
4 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020
MESSAGE FOR TODAY
After all it really is that all of humanity is under
threat during a pandemic.
– MARGARET CHAN
Dark cloudsAt the moment dark clouds are casting their shadows on
humanity. The scourge called Covid-19 is running ram-
pant over Planet Earth, infecting and killing people and
coercing much of the global population to cower within their
domiciles in an attempt to ward off community contagion.
One hundred and ninety nine countries and territories, as
also the passengers and crew of two cruise ships, The
Diamond Princess and MS Zaandam, have been affected
by the novel corona virus. Latest figures show around 8
lakh cases of infection across the world, with fatalities quickly
approaching the 35,000 mark! Not surprisingly, given the
belated nature of her response, the US leads the list of
countries with recorded infections, though as far as fatali-
ties are concerned, Italy (around 11,000) and Spain (around
7,000) are at the top. Of equal concern for mankind has
been the threat of global economic collapse and recession
which could kill even more people than the tiny virus might
ultimately do. Given the sheer size of the country and her
population, the fact that India has only now crossed the
thousand mark in infection and has 29 recorded deaths, is
startling. However, many experts believe that these fig-
ures are deceptive and that there might be thousands of
unrecorded cases. The likelihood of such a scenario being
valid is great, especially because only a minuscule seg-
ment of the vast population has actually been tested.
As for Northeast India, the deadly virus has not yet sunk
its fangs onto this region. Yet, laudably, the administrations
in the States here are not showing complacency and fol-
lowing the ‘being prepared is half way to winning the bat-
tle’ philosophy. Dedicated facilities for treatment of Covid-
19 patients, as also spaces for quarantine, are being creat-
ed and made ready. A number of other steps, such as pro-
tecting our borders from unrecorded intrusion by infected
people, are being taken. However, the stark reality is that
no matter how prepared we might be, our system cannot
handle the kind of pressure that other places such as New
York are confronting. We simply do not have the person-
nel and equipment to tackle severe and widespread conta-
gion, which implies that we have to rely heavily on the
lockdown now being imposed throughout the nation. Our
salvation lies in our success in breaking the infection chain
and slowing down the rate of contagion so that we are able
to cope with the scourge and save lives with the limited
resources we have. This is the message which needs to
be reiterated so that the public in general become accus-
tomed to maintaining social distance and making it an as-
pect of their life for the time being. Each of us owe it to
society to behave responsibly even as we wait for the dark
clouds to pass and the sky become clear once again.
Shocking incidentsIncidents involving discrimination and violence against
northeasterners, especially students, in Delhi and other
metros have been a long-standing disturbing reality. Now,
even as the country is engaged in a collective resistance
against the deadly Covid-19, it is shocking that people
from India’s Northeast are again being subjected to racial
abuse in the metros. There have been a number of in-
stances of students staying at the metros denied entry
into shopping malls, physically abused, and trolled in so-
cial media. Many northeasterners are being taunted as
Chinese for their Mongoloid features and abuses hurled
upon them. These are clearly instances of racism at its
worst, and coming at this hour of crisis that, the trauma
endured by the victims is beyond any words. The matter
calls for prompt action by the police and the Chief Minis-
ters of the respective States must intervene in the mat-
ter personally. This is because we had seen in the recent
past how even the police was found disinclined to pursue
such cases and ensure safety to the northeasterners.
A noticeable rise in cases of hate crimes involving as-
sault and abuse of northeasterners has been discernible
for the past one decade or so but despite widespread
resentment and protests, the menace has not eased. Some
interventions have followed, especially after the death of
two students of the region in Delhi and Bangalore in 2012
but – as the growing number of racial assault on north-
easterners would testify to – the interventions have fall-
en short of making the desired impact. One reason could
be that discrimination against the NE students had in the
past manifested itself not just in acts of violence against
them but also in the matter of pursuance of the cases by
an insensitive government machinery. Instances are
there in which the police was reluctant even to register
cases for such offences. Regrettably, the discrimination
against students of the Northeast has been noticeable
even in educational institutions – something that had
prompted the then Union Human Resource Development
Minister Kabil Sibal in Parliament to urge the institutions
to provide an inclusive and harmonious platform for stu-
dents across the country. The MP Bezbaruah Commit-
tee, too, had come up with a number of recommendations
for curbing the scourge but many of those still await im-
plementation. While effective policing is a must to punish
the wrongdoers and also to act as a deterrent to some
extent, it is equally important to do away with the deep-
rooted societal prejudices ingrained in the mindsets of so-
called mainstream India which tends to profile the people
of the Northeast with racial insinuations. Such narrow-mind-
edness and intolerance is largely attributable to the wide-
spread ignorance, misconceptions, and even an unwilling-
ness to acquaint oneself with the basic facets of the region
and its inhabitants. The metropolitan media and social or-
ganizations as also the student community in general can
play a key role in shattering the myths about the Northeast
and project it in proper light.
y late mother Karuna
Sarma belonged to
Betiyoni, a village
about six km north of
Golaghat town. She had hardly
spent 16 or 17 years in her native
village when she got married. But
she had carried with her numer-
ous stories from that area. Those
included the presence of Ameri-
can soldiers who had camped near-
by during the Second World War,
of one of Assam’s earliest public
Bihu celebrations, of villagers of-
ten encountering Royal Bengal ti-
gers in their backyards, and of
course of kala-azar, an epidemic
that had wiped out numerous fam-
ilies in and around Golaghat.
Oh, what a coincidence! Even as I
was trying to dig some details about
Assam’s kala-azar epidemic in the
previous century, I found a Facebook
post last Friday by well-known ar-
chaeologist Hemendra Nath Dutta
which caught my attention. His post
was about his late father Narayan
Chandra Dutta, who had played a
crucial role when kala-azar had hit
Golaghat in the early 1940s. Dutta
also posted an article written by Dr
Dimbeswar Duarah, a first-batch
MBBS from Assam Medical Col-
lege, Dibrugarh, who recounted hav-
ing seen, as a schoolboy, many home-
steads abandoned in and around Gola-
ghat after the families were wiped
out by kala-azar.
Kala-azar has no resemblance or
connection whatsoever with the
coronavirus pandemic that has cur-
rently gripped the world. But then,
it will not be out of place to recall
how much havoc kala-azar had
caused in Assam about a century-
and-a-half ago. A number of books
M
Look at the death figures in the
province from 1881 to 1885 as
mentioned in the Sanitary
Report of Assam for the year of
1885. While altogether
5,72,656 deaths were reported
in Assam during 1881-85,
‘fevers’ – mainly kala-azar and
malaria – alone accounted for
as many as 3,09,274 deaths.
Lettersto the
EDITOR
Sanitizers in ATMs a must
Sir, – In the wake of the life-threatening coronavirus outbreak,it is now absolutely essential thatall the ATMs in the country areprovided with hand sanitizers asthey are the hotspots of possiblevirus transmission. The onus is onthe RBI to ensure that the banksdo the needful at the earliest.Yours etc., KABITA NATH,
Sorbhog.
Positive sideSir, – It may be totally insipid or
ridiculous for many people while
you see such a headline as the
positive side of a pandemic. The
entire world is reeling under the
Covid-19 impact. India became
standstill and will continue to be
so up to April 14 next. The
cumulative cost of this bandh has
been staggering. But at the same
time, my point is something
different. The entire world is now
almost pollution free. The
problem which couldn’t be solved
and remains a Herculean task
even after taking various stringent
and documents give vivid descrip-
tions of the kind of impact kala-azar
had on Assam. The Gazetteer of
Bengal and Northeast India, au-
thored by Edward Gait, BC Allen,
HF Howard and CGH Allen, had said
that while the “very deadly form of
malarial fever known as kala-azar”
had badly affected the Assam Valley,
“in one district, in which this dis-
ease broke out in an aggravated form,
the decrease of population between
1891 and 1901 amounted to no less
than 25&”.
The earliest reference
to kala-azar in colonial In-
dia dates back to 1824-25
in Jessore (in present-day
Bangladesh). A similar
disease that broke out in
Burdwan (in present-day
West Bengal) in 1854-75
was referred to as ‘Burd-
wan fever’. The first epi-
demic outbreak of kala-
azar however was in the
Garo Hills from 1875 to
1883, which had reported-
ly got it from the adjoin-
ing Rangpur district (of
present-day Bangladesh)
where it had left many
dead in 1871-76. So intense was the
outbreak that Dr JJ Clarke, the then
Sanitary Commissioner of Assam,
in a report in 1888 said that kala-
azar “is so inimical to life that large
tracts of hill country are being de-
populated in consequence”.
Surfing through the internet, I hit
upon an article called ‘A Report on
Kala-azar in Assam’ written by PC
Sengupta, then officer in-charge of
the Kala-azar Research Department
in the School of Tropical Medicine,
Kolkata. Carried in the Indian Med-
ical Gazette in June 1951, it gives a
detailed description of how kala-azar
had affected Assam in the last two
decades of the 19th century. “Kala-
azar affected Goalpara between 1882
and 87, extended southwards to
Kamrup and to some villages on the
north bank of the river Brahmaputra
and then reached Gauhati in 1888.
There was a road connecting Gauha-
ti to Mangaldai subdivision in Dar-
rang district and kala-azar appeared
in this area during the next year. The
spread of kala-azar eastwards along
the north bank of the river was slow
because of the lack of good roads.
But the neighbouring district of
Nowgong that was in direct commu-
nication with Gauhati (Kamrup dis-
trict) by the Assam Trunk Road was
badly affected by kala-azar during
1892-98. There was an outbreak of
kala-azar in Golaghat subdivision in
1899 and the extension of the dis-
ease to other parts of Sibsagar dis-
trict took place during the first two
decades of the present (20th) centu-
ry,” he wrote.
According to Sengupta, the ‘first
epidemic wave of kala-azar’ had dis-
astrous consequences on the de-
mography of Assam. In the Garo
Hills, large numbers of villages
were left abandoned as the people
either died or had fled. In Goalpara
(those days it covered five present-
day districts of western Assam), the
kala-azar deaths ranged between
9,000 to 13,000 per year; in Kam-
rup it was between 5,000 and 7,000
per year during those six to seven
years. In Nagaon district, about one-
third of the population perished be-
tween 1882 and 1898, he wrote.
Assam however had a history of
diseases for a long time, be it chol-
era, small pox, malaria or kala-azar.
Historians often refer to the fact that
the Brahmaputra Valley
had lost about two-thirds
of its population in the
18th and 19th centuries
due to the combined im-
pact of epidemics, floods
and earthquakes, and
three successive inva-
sions by the Burmese.
Look at the death figures
in the province from 1881
to 1885 as mentioned in
the Sanitary Report of
Assam for the year of
1885. While altogether
5,72,656 deaths were re-
ported in Assam during
1881-85, ‘fevers’ – main-
ly kala-azar and malaria
– alone accounted for as many as
3,09,274 deaths. This was 54% of
the total deaths that also included
deaths caused due to injuries, and
‘all other causes’. In two police cir-
cles of Salpara and Rongjuli, which
together had a population of a little
over 48,000 in 1881, there were
15,200 deaths during 1882-86
against about only 5,700 births. Such
was the scenario that kala-azar not
only came to be known in the scien-
tific world as ‘Assam fever’, but also
became synonymous with Assam,
as had become her tea.
Kala-azar had occupied consid-
erable space in the Census report
of 1891 too. It said that the mortal-
ity caused by kala-azar particularly
in Goalpara, Kamrup and Nagaon
was so terrible that thickly peopled
and prosperous villages were left
deserted and uncultivated. Whole
villages disappeared, and large are-
as of land were thrown out of culti-
vation. Today’s Orang National Park
in fact used to be a cluster of pros-
perous villages until kala-azar ar-
rived in the late 19th century, leav-
ing them depopulated or abandoned,
or both, leading to natural emer-
gence of a forest. Ponds, earthen de-
marcations of household boundaries,
and earthen homestead plinths are
still visible in many portions of the
National Park even today.
In Darrang, there was not a sin-
gle family which had not lost some
of its members to kala-azar in 1892-
93. Reports say, populous settle-
ments in Kamrup, Darrang, Goal-
para and particularly in Nagaon be-
came practically abandoned. In Bel-
tola mauza, which is now a posh area
of Guwahati, the population was re-
duced by about 10%.
Ronald Ross, who had won the
Nobel Prize in 1902 for his work on
pioneering malaria research, also had
an opportunity to study kala-azar. An
officer of the Indian Medical Service,
Ross in fact was sent to Assam as
head of a one-man Kala-azar Com-
mission in 1898. But then, though he
also worked in a lab set up in the
Labac tea estate near Silchar, he hard-
ly met with any success, and instead
thought the kala-azar parasite was
transmitted by a mosquito; later re-
search confirmed that the culprit was
the sand-fly. An exasperated Ross,
who was already a well-known name
in the field of malaria research, in fact
thus remarked before quitting As-
sam: “Columbus, having sighted
America, was ordered off to discov-
er the North Pole.”
Wuhan and the corona storys the 21-day lockdown
in India is under way, the
news reports from worl-
d over and also from
within India are getting more and
more worrisome and distressing.
On the whole 199 countries are
under the spell of the coronavirus
that till date has no antidote or a
preventive while the doctors and
scientists all over the world are
putting in their best to combat the
virus with almost without anything
as preventive or combative medi-
cine. The number of affected across
the world till date is more than
7,27,000 as of today. A total of
34,610 lives are lost that include
doctors, nurses and Hollywood ac-
tors, sportsmen and even a prin-
cess from Spanish royal family. The
British Prime Minister Boris John-
son, Prince Charles, heir apparent
to the British throne and the Cana-
dian Prime minister Justin Trudeau
and his wife Sophie Gregoire Tru-
deau are among the ones who have
tested positive.
In India the virus has yet to en-
ter the Stage 3 of infection; the
number of those hooked by the vi-
rus has crossed the 1000 mark and
29 have succumbed to the outbreak
n Bhaskar Phukan
till date. The number of cured pa-
tients in India stood at 85 who were
discharged from the hospitals. The
first case of corona infection and
death was reported from Kerala
and Maharashtra with Kerala lead-
ing the tally of infection.
One must thank the ceaseless
efforts on the part of the doctors
and nurses who have succeeded in
bringing a great number of the in-
fected to a normal state of being
but the opinions about a possible
relapse are also doing the rounds.
Some bioscientists are of the view
that the corona outbreak is going
to be a regular affair during the
winters till a deterrent is available.
These reports cast aspersion as to
the possibility of the disappearance
of the virus even in distant future.
In China, it appears that nearly 14%
of the patients who recovered have
relapsed.
Wuhan, the capital of Hubei prov-
ince in central China, an industrial
hub with its vast industrial base and
a huge number of industrial work-
ers, has been identified as the epi-
centre of the virus. The city, a most
populous one in China, is said to be
3,500 years old and its legacy dates
back to the Shang dynasty’s rule. A
convenient thoroughfare with ma-
jor transportation facilities with
dozens of railways, roads and ex-
pressways passing through the city,
Wuhan connects with most of the
important cities of China.
The coronavirus outbreak start-
ed on the first day of December
2019 through a 55-year-old man.
The symptoms shown initially
were somewhat akin to the lung
dysfunction called bronchitis cou-
pled with pneumonia. In the begin-
ning it was referred to as ‘unknown’
pneumonia. The person was later
declared to be the first casualty of
the Covid-19. The Wuhan city, true
to its reputation of a major trans-
portation hub, was quick in trans-
porting the disease to other parts
of the country as well.
In early and mid-January 2020,
the virus spread to other provinc-
es. It received a boost during the
Chinese Lunar New Year celebra-
tions that started on January 25.
With the period of travel known as
Chunyan during which the Chinese
travel within and outside the coun-
try en masse, the spread of the vi-
rus received another boost and
very soon the coronavirus turned
into an epidemic. By March it ac-
quired an uncontrollable magnitude
and with the spread of the epidem-
ic to countries like Italy, Spain, the
USA and the countries of the Mid-
dle-east and India, to mention a few,
the World Health Organization on
March 11 declared the coronavi-
rus-related disease as a pandemic.
The journey of the virus from
China to Italy makes an interesting
reading. Wuhan and Italy share a
distinct relationship. Most of the
industrial workers engaged in the
textile garment industry located in
North Italy hail from Wuhan and
its suburbs and Wuhan is aerially
connected to Italy through direct
flights for the benefit of the Chi-
nese workers. The one lakh-odd
Chinese industrial workers hailing
from Wuhan city and suburbs are
well treated and well respected by
the Italian mill owners to the ex-
tent that to express social accept-
ance and preference, the Chinese
are felicitated with a regular pro-
gramme called ‘Hug a Chinese’.
Many of the Chinese workers who
returned from home after the new
year celebrations carried with them
the deadly virus. This story how-
ever opens just one vista of the
transmission narrative of the virus.
Delay in lockdown, casual attention
by the population of the countries
under attack and the lifestyle of the
people of the most-affected coun-
tries, namely, China, Italy, the USA
and Spain, are separate narratives.
In the present day world, the
delay of the Chinese Government
in disclosing and declaring about the
outbreak of the Covid-19 is depre-
cated the most. And the number of
deaths officially declared is not
something that the world finds easy
to believe. Many suspect the
number to be much higher than the
official 3,248. President Donald
Trump tends to hold the Chinese
Government responsible for the
most devastating virus attack ever
worldwide for keeping the truth of
the outbreak of the pandemic un-
der the carpet and letting the peo-
ple roam around the globe. Even
North Korean premier Kim Jong-
un has nothing better than strong
words for the Chinese President
Xi Jinping and his government.
The virus was late in entering
India but the present stage of trans-
mission is the most dangerous one.
The end of the 21-day lockdown
only will give a clearer picture of
the volume of transmission and fu-
ture impact, and the government
action plan. It is for the people to
fully understand the gravity of the
situation, respect the lockdown
measures and adhere to it in the
right earnest.
A
measures by the government and
authorities concerned, a virus is
now sufficient enough to do that.
The air quality index in Delhi,
known as one of the most polluted
cities of the world, stood in the
satisfactory category with an
overall AQI of 72 (as reported on
March 26).
Today the birds are flying high
with a cheerful mind across the
blue sky. The trees and animals
breathe well. The rivers and
various other water bodies are no
longer the cesspool of industries
around. The busiest and most
luxurious cities like Milan, Tokyo,
Rome, New York became
standstill since they introduced
coronavirus lockdown. No doubt
the negative impact on all the
sectors, especially the laymen, is
quite significant. As a developing
country, India will also have a
debilitating impact on the
economy from the virus. But we
have no other choice to disrupt
the untamed rise of this phantom
called Covid-19. Therefore, we all
should stay at home and break the
chain of the virus. Yours etc.,
RITUMONI DUTTA, Jorhat.
Salute themSir, – The Covid-19 is an
infectious disease caused by a
deadly coronavirus. Millions of
people have been infected with
the Covid-19 virus worldwide.
More than 34000 thousand people
died in different countries. Many
of countries are now under total
lockdown. People are staying at
home. Amid this, a great salute to
all the medical staff, volunteers,
media persons and all those who
are dedicatedly doing their duties
in this time of a global emergency.
Yours etc., JAYANTA DAS,
Rangiya.
Meaning of lockdownSir, – The Covid-19, which is
caused by the virus SARS CoV-2,
perhaps doesn’t need any introduc-
tion regarding the virulence and
contagiousness of this sub-
microscopic agent, and the fatality
that it can bring to society in no
time. People are witnessing the
deadly spell of the virus in the TV
channels and in the newspapers. In
India, the 21-day lockdown has been
imposed on the people to break the
chain of transmission, and to bring
down the possible catastrophe that
it may cause in near future. But,
unfortunately, the people remain
very ignorant and are casually
comprehending the meaning of the
lockdown. The gathering of people
in the markets for the last two days
blatantly violated the norms of the
lockdown. Social distancing of one
metre has now become a joke!
People were seen in the markets
shoulder to shoulder, which
portends a great danger to society.
Once the disease enters the stage
of community spread, an unprece-
dented rise of infected cases will
happen, and the healthcare system,
which has now geared up for the
service of the people, will turn
helpless. The 21-day indoor stay is
for the greater good of our own
people and isn’t a Herculean task,
but the televised scenes of the
careless attitude of the people is
very frustrating. We, as healthcare
workers, appeal to the people to
stick to discipline in the truest
sense, and also urge the Govern-
ment to take stern actions against
the violators of this lockdown.
Yours etc., Dr DHRUBAJYOTI
BORA, Jorhat.
Appreciable standSir, – Through the columns of
your esteemed newspaper, this isto appraise the confidence ofassurance and action from thePrime Minister of our country atthis crucial hour to guide as wellas create awareness among thepopulation of a country like India.The Government has seemed toact gallant amidst the perilouspandemic of Covid-19, caused bya virus still novel to the medicalscience. Here in Assam, it’sreally satisfactory to witness theState Government machinery ledby the Chief Minister and theHealth Minister being up close tothe public. Yours etc.,DIPTARKA GOHAIN,Jyotinagar, Golaghat.
CorrigendumIn the ‘Healthwise’ column pub-
lished in The Assam Tribune, ‘Sun-
day Reading’ supplement on March
29, the name of Prof (Dr) PM Deka
was inadvertently left out. The er-
ror is regretted.
Articles (within 1000-1100 words) and
Letters to the Editor for publication in
the editorial page may be sent to the
email ID: [email protected].
Samudra Gupta Kashyap
Revisiting Assam’s kala-azar days
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 5CITY
WEATHER
GUWAHATILOCAL FORECAST:
Mainly clear sky to partlycloudy sky . Maximumand minimumtemperatures are mostlikely to be 36°C & 20°Crespectively on Tuesday.
TEMPERATURE:Max 35.8°CMin 18.4°C
CITY CORRESPONDENT
GUWAHATI, March 30: Due
to continuous demands from the
city residents, the Guwahati
Municipal Corporation (GMC)
has decided to cover the bylanes
of the city under its sanitisation
programme which has been un-
der way since March 24.
In a notification issued here
today, GMC said, “During this
period, the Corporation has re-
ceived huge demand from pub-
lic for sanitising their areas.
GMC will try to meet up the
request and cover maximum
possible area within its jurisdic-
tion.”
A source in the GMC said
that due to the limited manpow-
er and machinery it is difficult
to cover all the areas at one go.
“Earlier, there was no plan to
cover bylanes of the city. After
receiving the requests, it has
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, March 30: The
Kamrup (Metro) district admin-
istration will provide free ration
and other food items for seven
days to wage labourers, rick-
shaw pullers, cart pullers,
workers, stranded travellers,
etc., in the city. In a statement,
Deputy Commissioner Biswa-
jit Pegu said the distribution
drive will start from Tuesday
where officials concerned will
drop the food items at the door-
steps of these people.
In this connection, the DC
has asked the circle officers of
Guwahati and Dispur revenue
circles to collect the database
of such persons in their re-
spective areas. In this initia-
tive, the district administra-
tion will also engage members
of local NGOs. The DC also
directed the district food and
civil supply department to ar-
range adequate quantities of
GMC yields to publicdemands, to cover bylanes
Essential foodstuff being transported in a horse cart during the novel coronavirus-inducednationwide lockdown, in Guwahati on Monday. – UB Photos
Sanitisation drive in citybeen decided to cover them in
a phased manner. However,
GMC is giving more impor-
tance to the arterial roads of the
city,” the source added.
GMC, in collaboration with
the State Fire and Emergency
Services, started the second
phase of sanitisation on Mon-
day after completed its first
phase on Sunday. The second
phase aims to cover maximum
areas of the city including main
roads, shops, public parks, bins,
public toilets, markets, super-
markets, hospitals and schools
among other places.
Hatigaon road, Hengrabari
road, MLA hostel area, Deba-
daru Path, VIP road, Beltola
Bazar road and Sijubari Dargah
road upto Notboma were cov-
ered today. The sanitising
teams also covered several
market places and premises
during the drive.
Cattle roaming freely on the Chandmari flyover during the nationwide lockdown, in Guwahation Monday. Photo: – Samarendra Sarma
Week-long free rationfor poor from today
food items for the purpose.
On the other hand, sale of
vegetables at designated plac-
es in the city still remains un-
certain. Earlier, the State gov-
ernment had announced that
the district administration
would provide vegetables
through mobile vans at 66 des-
ignated places across Guwaha-
ti. But due to some technical
reasons the district adminis-
tration has deferred the plan.
“Without proper planning
to maintain social distancing
it is not possible to implement
the scheme. Especially in Gu-
wahati, it is very difficult to
maintain it. So we are trying
to formulate a plan,” a senior
official of the district admin-
istration said.
The district administration
has also started its online fa-
cility to issue e-passes for es-
sential services. The facility
is available on the website
www.kamrupmetro.assam.gov.in.
MAMATA MISHRA
GUWAHATI, March 30: Apex child
rights body of Assam ASCPCR has
asked all the child care institutions
(CCIs) of the State to not refuse to ac-
cept the children being sent to their
homes by the Child Welfare Commit-
tee, Juvenile Justice Board, police and
Childline, after apprehension among
some of the CCIs to accept new cases
of children in need of care and protec-
tion, in view of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Assam State Commission for
Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR)
has, however, passed instructions at var-
ious levels to ensure strict implemen-
tation of the health protocols and screen-
ing of the rescued children, street chil-
dren, children of migrant workers and
any other vulnerable sections, to elimi-
nate any fear of spread of infection
through the newly admitted children.
It needs mention here that the res-
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, March 30:
City-based real estate develop-
ers Royal Group, which also
runs Royal Global University
and Royal Global School, do-
nated Rs 1 crore to the Chief
Minister’s Relief Fund to fight
Covid-19.
A part of the donation will
also go to PM CARES Fund,
one part to Assam Arogya Ni-
dhi and one part to be spent di-
rectly on food, ration, etc., to the
COVID-19: Child care bodies asked to accept kids in needcuing agencies had a tough time reha-
bilitating two new cases of homeless
children in Kamrup (Metro) during the
lockdown period, when a number of
children’s homes refused to accept
them fearing spread of the disease.
One of the two minor girls rescued
by the Childline later got shelter in a
city-based orphanage, whereas the
other was sent to Swadhar home – a
shelter meant for destitute women.
“Rescued children are a reality and
they need more care and protection,
specially during the unprecedented
situations like the one we are facing
today. We can’t deny care and protec-
tion to them. At the same time, we
also need to adhere to all precaution-
ary measures. We have instructed the
child care institutions to move
through the Health department, be-
fore producing them to the child wel-
fare committees (CWC),” ASCPCR
chairperson Sunita Changkakoti told
The Assam Tribune.
Considering the health concerns,
instructions for mandatory screen-
ings have been given along with the
provisions for keeping suspected or
symptomatic children for three to
seven days in hospitals with separate
facilities for boys and girls, before
sending them to children homes.
“An unforeseen situation arising
out of the outbreak of COVID-19 has
posed new challenges for the agen-
cies engaged in protection of children.
Like in other cases, here too, we need
to put up a joint fight so that no seg-
ment is left out. Otherwise the en-
tire purpose of lockdown would be de-
feated,” she added.
Member secretary, State Child Pro-
tection Society, has been asked to in-
struct all CCIs in this regard, along with
specific instruction on screening of chil-
dren already staying in the CCIs to check
and stop the spread of COVID-19.
The commission has also written to
all the Deputy Commissioners and Su-
perintendents of Police to ensure im-
plementation of NCPCR advisory on
Covid-19 for care and protection of
children moving with migrant families,
children living on the streets and CCIs.
Besides, it has also apprised the State
Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krish-
na for necessary arrangement of sup-
ply of food items, hand wash, sanitis-
ers and masks for children and their
families living on streets, children liv-
ing in child care homes and those of
other vulnerable sections, even if they
are living with their parents.
As instructed by the Ministry of
Women and Child Development and
the NCPCR guidelines, the Commis-
sion has also asked the police and dis-
trict authorities to extend full admin-
istrative support and protection to the
rescue teams like Childline during the
lockdown period.
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, March 30: In view of
the inadequate number of coronavi-
rus testing facilities in the State and
the North East and the meagre
number of detected COVID-19 cases
in the region, a body of retired IAS
officers has suggested that the gov-
ernment authorities collect informa-
tion from cremation and burial
grounds about the symptoms and se-
quences before death.
“The very few number of COVID-
19 positive cases in the region may
have to do with the inadequate
number of screenings. Hundreds of
bodies are being cremated or buried
in the State every day and one has
reasonable ground to suspect that
Retired IAS officers’ body suggests infocollection from cremation, burial grounds
The very few number of COVID-19 positive cases in the regionmay have to do with the inadequate number of screenings.
Hundreds of bodies are being cremated or buried in the Stateevery day... some of the deaths could be linked to corona, says
ex-Chief Information Commissioner
some of the deaths could be linked to
corona. In the State, only 30 per cent
corona testing capacity is being uti-
lised. Underprivileged and vulnera-
ble sections may be succumbing to
COVID-19 without access to testing
facilities and without treatment. Even
hospitals will not have such data,
which needs to be gathered from bur-
ial grounds,” HS Das, former Chief
Information Commissioner of the
State said.
“Some indicative, if not confirma-
tory, information can be obtained from
a sample survey of all dead bodies at a
few cremation grounds located in high-
density population and other vulnera-
ble areas by using a pointed question-
naire. Hospital data can then be cross-
checked with this alternative data. It
will cost very little in terms of money
and manpower,” he added.
According to the association, if the
statistics show an abnormal spike in
the number of deaths following coro-
na-type symptoms and sequences,
the data can be used as an indicator.
“Such an exercise needs to be done
because the uneducated and poor
might lack access to testing facili-
ties,” it said, adding that such a pro-
cedure was being followed in some
countries.
The association said corona-rele-
vant information like name, address,
phone number, age, proximate cause
of death, any corona-like symptoms
prior to death, place of residence,
place of death - hospital or residence,
whether the deceased received any
medical treatment, recent travel his-
tory of the diseased or of family mem-
bers, occupation, and so forth, should
be collected.
Donations continue to pour inneedy people affected due to
lockdown, a press release said.
Enajoree-86, an organisation
of former students of Cotton
College Higher Secondary
1986-88 batch, contributed Rs
1 lakh to Assam Arogya Nidhi.
Bura Jame Masjid Commit-
tee, Ambari, donated Rs 1 lakh
to Assam Arogya Nidhi.
Noonmati Bihu Sanmilan
also donated Rs 25,000 to As-
sam Arogya Nidhi.
The officers and employees
of the Assam Higher Second-
ary Education Council (AH-
SEC) also contributed their one
day’s salary amounting to Rs
2,00,000 to the Aarogya Nidhi,
said Manoranjan Kakati, secre-
tary, AHSEC.
The All India Punjab Nation-
al Bank Officers’ Association,
NE Circle, also donated an
amount of Rs 5,35,000 to the
Arogya Nidhi.
KK Handiqui State Open
University also donated Rs 5
lakh to the government for
fighting the outbreak.
Childline rescues5 kids in 7 days
CITY CORRESPONDENT
GUWAHATI, March 30: Childline Guwahati, which pro-
vides support for child protection and child rights with its
24-hour helpline, has rescued five children in the last seven
days from various parts of the city.
According to the coordinator of Childline Guwahati Nir-
mal Deka, the rescued children include two 12-year-old boys,
two 12-year-old girls and a 16-year-old girl.
“We had intervened altogether seven child-related cases
in the last seven days. All of them were shifted to a shelter
home. They all came to the city before announcement of the
lockdown,” Deka said.
“The children, three girls and two boys, are from Karim-
ganj, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Chirang and Barpeta. We could con-
tact only a family member of the 12-year-boy from Sivasa-
gar. Moreover, Childline received calls related to Covid-19
and precautions and measures taken for it,” he added.
The Childline team has been working collectively with
the district administration, police and the Health department,
among others, to tackle child-related cases. “We urge the
people to use the Childline toll-free helpline (1098) in case
they come across any child-related cases,” he further said.
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, March 30:
State Bank of India Officers
Association (North Eastern
Circle) today urged the gov-
ernment to ensure safety of all
bankers at the time of the
coronavirus pandemic.
“We bankers have been ren-
dering our services for the pub-
lic at large jeopardizing our
lives. We have been trying eve-
ry possible action to ensure that
the basic banking needs of the
countrymen and the govern-
ment do not come to an abrupt
halt. However, in spite of
putting our all efforts, we have
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, March 30: Leader of the Op-
position in the Assam Legislative Assembly
Debabrata Saikia has urged Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to help evacuate people of As-
sam who are stranded in some neighbouring
states on account of the ongoing nationwide
lockdown.
Saikia has written to the Prime Minister in
this regard and sought help from the Central
government. “With a view to stopping the
spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in India you
called for a three-week nationwide lockdown
starting from the late evening of March 24. It
goes without saying that each and every mem-
ber of the Congress party is with you in this
endeavour to thwart the threat posed by the
pandemic,” stated Saikia.
He added that as the lockdown commenced
with immediate effect, crores of citizens
across the country were unable to prepare
properly for it. “This is especially true of the
economically challenged sections of our soci-
Govt urged to ensure safety of bankersbeen facing several constraints
in the course of our daily activ-
ities, like sufficient number of
hand sanitisers, masks, gloves,
etc., are not available in the
market and as such we have to
face the customers and handle
the bank notes without enough
protection. We have explored
all the possible avenues from
our end to get the mentioned
safety equipment but all our
efforts proved to be futile,” it
said in a statement.
The Association added, “Un-
der the given circumstances, we
understand that facing numer-
ous customers and handling
cash, which could be a major
carrier of germs, is a very risky
proposition. Here, we state in
clear terms that all the bankers
have risen to this occasion and
have been serving the custom-
ers flawlessly treating it as a
national call, but at the same
time no one can deny that the
bankers are in serious jeopardy
owing to the non-availability of
the safety equipment.”
It said the bank officers and
employees had to face the
wrath of the police deployed in
the streets. “Perhaps the police
personnel were not properly
counselled by the administra-
tion that our job comes under
the Essential Services Mainte-
nance Act and any restriction
in our movement will act as a
hindrance in rendering our
services. We wholeheartedly
appeal to the government and
the administration to initiate
the corrective measures in this
regard so that the necessary
safety equipment are made
available to us at the earliest,
so that we can work without
endangering ourselves to the
risks associated with the out-
break of the deadly COVID-19
virus. Further, we put forward
our request to make sure that
the bankers are not harassed
anywhere by the police while
commuting,” it added.
Cong urges PM to evacuate Assampeople stranded in other states
ety. Although petty vendors and daily wage
earners have been adversely affected, the
worst hit appear to be migrant labourers who
work on a contractual basis in states other
than their home state,” said Saikia.
He said that numerous such labourers have
not only been rendered unemployed, but are
also left stranded thousands of miles away
from their homes.
He added, “I would, therefore, like to request
you kindly to mobilise Army vehicles to trans-
port these stranded and cash-strapped people
to their respective homes. In case healthcare
imperatives pertaining to the lockdown pre-
clude their transportation at this stage, then I
request you kindly to issue instructions to en-
sure that all the stranded people are housed in
vacant schools and colleges till such time as
the lockdown ends, with adequate provision of
food, water, medicines, sanitisers, etc. In this
context, the Army may use the trains also un-
der supervision and arrange quarantine facili-
ties before letting these people go and join their
relatives in villages.”
OBITUARY
MunindraKumar BoraGUWAHATI, March 30:
Munindra
K u m a r
Bora, 79, a
resident of
Nizarapar,
b r e a t h e d
his last at
4.30 am to-
day due to a cardiac arrest.
He leaves behind his wife
Monika Bora, daughters
Manikarnika Bora and Prab-
alika Borah and granddaugh-
ter Mahika K.
Nurses pickedfor COVID-19training asked
to go backfrom GMCH
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, March 30: As
part of the preparation to fight
the COVID-19 pandemic, the
State government is organis-
ing special training for doc-
tors, nurses and other health
workers in different parts of
the State. Amid such a situa-
tion, about 30 BSc nurses
were made to wait since Mon-
day morning on the campus of
the Gauhati Medical College
and Hospital (GMCH).
A guardian of one of the
nurses alleged that the group
from Nalbari reached the
GMCH campus for a special
training on the corona pandem-
ic as per direction of the de-
partment. But throughout the
day, no official met with them.
By evening some officials di-
rected them to return to Nal-
bari as they could not arrange
lodging facilities for the group.
Reacting to the allegation,
GMCH Superintendent Dr Ra-
men Talukdar said, “It is war
time for us. We are all work-
ing to prevent the pandemic at
any cost in the State. So as a
health worker, every one of us
has to endure some trouble. By
bringing the allegation, the
person proved that she has no
intention to serve the nation
in a crisis situation.”
RamakrishnaMission Ashrama
aid to poorGUWAHATI, March 30:
Ramakrishna Mission Ashra-
ma, Guwahati, a branch cen-
tre of the Ramakrishna Math
and Ramakrishna Mission,
Belur Math, Howrah, has
come out to help the poor who
have been hit by the lockdown
in force to fight the coronavi-
rus pandemic, said a press re-
lease today.
Accordingly, during the last
two days the Ashrama distrib-
uted rice, dal, potato, salt, face
masks, hand sanitisers, etc.,
among more than 100 families
at Birubari and Lalganesh.
The Ashrama said its phil-
anthropic activity would con-
tinue in the days to come and
appealed to its devotees, well-
wishers and members of the
general public to make finan-
cial donations for the purpose.
The Ashrama has appealed
to donors to contact it on
Email: is [email protected]
and WhatsApp number +91
8258967031. It has also given
its bank account number –
10119237965 State Bank of
India, Vinobanagar Branch and
IFSC code – SBIN0009150 –
for anyone willing to help.
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, March 30: To
reach out to the grassroots to
counter the growing COVID-19
threat, the All India Radio Gu-
wahati is conducting daily pro-
gramme ‘Pratirodh’ involving
sharing of information and in-
teraction with the audience.
“The programme has re-
ceived positive response from
the listeners who we try to ed-
ucate and keep informed about
the various facets of the global
pandemic and the do’s and
don’ts for preventing a major
outbreak. We cross-check infor-
AIR running prog on COVID-19mation, play audio message and
try to reply queries through an
expert, connect officials and
ministers over phone, and pro-
vide one-line info – mostly on
the State,” Manas Pratim Sar-
ma, News Editor, said.
He said the recent interac-
tive sessions included commu-
nicating with the Air India staff
involved in the Wuhan rescue.
“On Saturday we talked to the
State Handloom & Textiles
Minister, who announced
measures for our weavers.”
AIR now being available on
the digital platform, it has man-
aged to reach larger audiences
across the globe. “With wider
penetration, we have reached
out to new segments of audi-
ences,” Sarma said.
AIR Guwahati will also
broadcast a novel radio learn-
ing programme of Sarva Shik-
sha Abhijan-Assam from April
6. “The aim of the programme
is to help students to be in touch
with learning activities during
the lockdown period,” he said.
AIR Guwahati is also doing
a regular live phone-in pro-
gramme ‘Dristipat’ focused on
COVID-19. Here, the listeners
are able to interact with senior
officials, health experts, etc.
6 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020
STATE
No. DME/78/2020/4765
NOTICEAs we prepare to confront the outbreak of COVID-19
pandemic, the employees of the Medical College & Hospitalsare in the forefront of all services to be given in view of theglobal health crisis. In this regard, the Medical College &Hospitals are being notified as the major health institutions fortreatment of COVID-19 patients.
In our endeavor to extend efficient & effective all-roundpatient-care services in view of the emergent crisis, it isimperative that all personnel, including Doctors/facultymembers, Nurses, Gr-III and Gr-IV staff of the Medical Collegeand Hospitals are present in their respective institutions/headquarters. Only the personnel who are on Maternity Leaveand leave on account of serious illness are exempted.
Sd/- Director of Medical Education, AssamSixmile, Khanapara, Guwahati-22
No.DME/78/2020/4777
NOTICEThe Doctors who have passed Post Graduate courses
from the Medical Colleges of Assam within the period of year2015 to 2019 under the ‘Post-Graduate Bond Conditions’ andhave not joined in any State Government or Central Governmentservices after the completion of P.G courses, are herebydirected to report to office of the National Health Mission, AssamHead Quarters (COVID-19 control Room), G.S. Road,Guwahati, immediately.
Sd/- Director of Medical Education, AssamSixmile, Khanapara, Guwahati-22Janasanyog/D/12079/19
NEWS IN BRIEF
Barpeta medical college lab getsICMR recognition
BARPETA, March 30: The laboratory of Fakharuddin AliAhmed Medical College in Barpeta has been recognisedby the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Theaccreditation will felicitate the laboratory to test COVID-19. This is the fifth such laboratory in the State.
15 inmates released: As many as 15 inmates of theBarpeta district jail were released on Monday as part ofthe process of decongesting of jails in the State to preventthe onslaught of COVID-19. According to official sources,the convicts were convicted in minor offence cases andhave been released on personal bail. – Correspondent
Salary donationJORHAT, March 30: The teaching and non-teaching staff
of the Assam Agricultural University (AAU) across theState donated one-day’s salary to the Assam Arogya Nidhi(AAN) of the State government as a contribution to thefight against the novel coronavirus pandemic. An AAUprofessor on behalf of the university authorities informedthis newspaper that an amount of Rs 52.5 lakh was trans-ferred to the bank account of the AAN on Monday. Theprofessor further stated that during the lockdown periodfaculty members of nine colleges across Assam of the AAUwere taking classes online of various courses of the uni-versity. The professor further said that the AAU authori-ties as per the instruction of the Jorhat district adminis-tration has kept ready three hostels at the institute’sJorhat campus at Borbheta to be used by the Health De-partment if needed, for housing COVID-19 patients or forkeeping suspected COVID-19 cases in quarantine. Mean-while, the teaching and non-teaching staff of the AssamWomen’s University at Rowriah in Jorhat decided to do-nate their one day’s salary to the Assam Arogya Nidhi ofthe State government as a contribution to fight againstthe pandemic, a press release by the media cell of AWUstated. According to release, the teachers of the universi-ty were continuing teaching to the students of differentprogrammes of AWU through online classes. – Staff Corre-spondent
5 held for smuggling liquorDIGBOI, March 30: As many as five persons were ar-
rested by Pengaree police late Sunday evening at Brah-majan for carrying out inter-State illegal liquor smugglingactivities. A section of notorious people along the Assam-Arunachal border areas covering Bordumsa, Pengaree andKakopather have been taking undue advantages of thenationwide lockdown and carrying out illegal activities.The accused have been identified as Bipen Moran of Ka-kopather, Krishna Neog and Utpal Sharma of Tinsukia,Harisankar Paul and his son Abhijit Paul of Bordumsa inArunachal Pradesh. According to police, they used anambulance attached to Tinsukia Civil Hospital to carry outthis heinous act. “We recovered three cases of Arunachal-manufactured liquor from the ambulance and arrested theaccused,” said Srikumar Neog, officer in-charge of Penga-ree. “Based on interrogation, two businessmen (father-son duo) were arrested on Monday from Bordumsa inChanglang district for selling the consignment to Assam-based smugglers,” Neog said. Serious lapses on the partof the Arunachal police check-gate in Bordumsa also raisedseveral questions, particularly when the border gates havealready been declared sealed by Arunachal Pradesh’s ChiefMinister Pema Khandu. – Correspondent
Vegetablevendors charging
high ratesat Gauripur
CORRESPONDENT
GAURIPUR, March 30:
Taking advantage of the lock-
down, a section of vegetable
vendors are seen selling veg-
etables at a very high price
in different places of Gau-
ripur town without facing any
restrictions from the depart-
ment concerned. No one
seems to be interested in
controlling the prices and, as
a result, the consumers have
had to surrender before the
vendors.
Cabbage is being sold at Rs
30 per kg, ridge gourd at Rs
80, egg plant Rs 25, papaya
Rs 50, bottle gourd Rs 40 per
piece (small size), bitter
gourd Rs 60, Rs 10 for two
bananas, cucumber at Rs 40
per kg, pumpkin (small) Rs
60, drumstick Rs 100 etc.
During the period of lock-
down, the administration has
allowed customers to pur-
chase their essential materi-
als during the scheduled time
and customers are in a hurry
to buy their essential mate-
rials including vegetables.
Taking the advantage, the
vendors are charging high
prices as there are a very few
vendors of vegetables in the
market. The presence of the
vendors is very limited and
some are selling vegetables
house- to-house and they are
charging high rates at their
own will.
Assamstudents shinein Zee TV quiz
OUR BUREAU
DIBRUGARH, March 30:
Two students of the Assam
Valley School, Balipara –
Aarav Jain and Vasumann
Lohia – became runners up
in a quiz show on the Zee TV,
a Hindi language channel.
This Hindi entertainment
channel conducted a pro-
gramme called ‘Mind Wars’,
where the participants were
school students from various
parts of the country. The two
other teams in the final round
were teams from Delhi and
Jharkhand. Aarav has his
home here in the city at Man-
cotta Road, while his team
mate Vasumann is a resident
of Guwahati.
Drive againstillicit liquorCORRESPONDENT
BISWANATH CHARIA-
LI, March 30: The Biswanath
police carried out a drive
against illicit liquor at Habid-
oloni, Behuwagaon under
Sootea PS in Biswanath dis-
trict. Excise department staff
also joined with the 100-
member police team led by
DSP (HQ), CI of Jamuguri
and O/C of Sootea PS while
the Quick Response Team
was led by Armed Branch In-
spector, Biswanath.
Circle Officer, Naduar
Revenue Circle also partici-
pated in the Operation. Dur-
ing the drive, more than 4500
kgs of fermented rice,
around 300 litres of illicit liq-
uor, 25 distilling apparatus
sets were destroyed.
Free ration distribution:
In the present COVID-19
scene, the business establish-
ments of Biswanath Chariali
and Gohpur namely, Sundar-
am Mahadeo and SM Market-
ing distributed around 300
packets of ration free of cost
to daily wages labourers and
very poor people who do not
have any means to buy ra-
tion. The rations were distrib-
uted through the Biswanath
district and Gohpur subdivi-
sional administrations.
PostponedGUWAHATI, March 30:
The 400th birth anniversary
celebrations of Guru Teg Ba-
hadur scheduled for March
31 to April 18 at the historic
Mataji Gurudwara at Chapar-
mukh, Nagaon has been in-
definitely postponed due to
the COVID-19 outbreak, a
press release said. – Staff
Reporter
DhubriGurudwara gives40 rooms for massquarantine facility
CORRESPONDENT
DHUBRI, March 30: Dhu-
bri Gurudwara Sri Teg Ba-
hadur Sahib has offered 40
rooms inside its premises to
the administration to be used
as mass quarantine facility, for
the suspected novel corona-
virus affected persons.
The Sikh Pratinidhi Board,
Eastern Zone (SPBEZ),
which maintains the Gurud-
wara, has also offered to pro-
vide three time meals from
their ‘Langar’ to the quaran-
tined persons in these
rooms.
The administration in-
formed that already 8 per-
sons from Bihar and UP have
been quarantined in this fa-
cility, who are being offered
food regularly by the SPBEZ
from their Langar. It was also
informed that they have giv-
en a complete building for this
mass quarantine facility,
which is a fully separate build-
ing from the main Gurud-
wara. “A guard has been kept
in this building and the meals
are being provided to this
guard, who is distributing it
among the quarantined per-
sons,” said an official.
Sardar Gurbindar Singh,
Manager of the Dhubri Gu-
rudwara, said, “We have
handed over the keys of that
building to the district admin-
istration for quarantine facil-
ity.” He also said that the
doors of the historic Gurud-
wara is now closed for pil-
grimage.
Ban onimpromptu
corona reliefOUR BUREAU
DIBRUGARH, March 30:
The district administration
here has put a spanner in the
efforts of NGOs, student bod-
ies and others move to pro-
vide relief to quarantined
households by banning such
adventures throughout Di-
brugarh district. The official
line is that the ban is to avoid
unnecessary crowding and to
maintain social distancing.
However, organisations may
seek permission to launch
activities. AASU and a few
other groups have recently
taken up voluntary relief dis-
tribution works in several
parts of the State, including
Dibrugarh district. AASU
members were going from
home to home, distributing
food and other material.
Meanwhile, people contin-
ue to get beaten up by police
in several parts of the dis-
trict, the reason being that
they are violating lockdown
orders. Many two wheelers
have been seized by the po-
lice from such violators.
Warning toblack
marketeersCORRESPONDENT
NALBARI, March 30 : In
order to prevent price hike
and artificial scarcity of es-
sential commodities, Depu-
ty Commissioner Bharat
Bhusan Dev Choudhury to-
day entrusted magistrates to
take stock of the availability
by visiting grocery shops at
Nalbari town.
It may be mentioned here
that the wholesalers at Nalbari
town have been hiking the pric-
es of grocery items taking the
advantage of nationwide lock-
down.
The Deputy Commission-
er today held a meeting of the
officials of Food and Civil Sup-
plies and Circle Officers after
receiving complaints of very
high price hikes of essential
commodities. The Deputy
Commissioner called upon the
officials of Food and Civil Sup-
plies department to strictly
monitor the prices. While talk-
ing to this correspondent,
Deputy Commissioner Dev
Choudhury said that stern ac-
tion will be taken if the whole-
salers or retailers make artifi-
cial scarcity of essential com-
modities in the district.
Vegetables, essentials sold throughvans, home delivery in Jorhat
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
JORHAT, March 30: Sale of
vegetables on vans along with
home delivery of essential
commodities was launched in
Jorhat district on Sunday
Additional Deputy Com-
missioner Bipul Das, who
looks after the Food, Civil
Supplies and Consumer Af-
fairs department, told The
Assam Tribune that as part
of efforts by the government
to ease difficulties of the peo-
ple due to the lockdown, the
administration started sale of
vegetables through vans lo-
cality-wise.
Das said vendors author-
ised by the district adminis-
tration went to different lo-
calities on Sunday morning
and sold vegetables.
The Additional Deputy
Commissioner said that the
response of people has been
by and large satisfactory as
they maintained gaps unlike
the heavy rush and over-
crowding witnessed in mar-
kets on earlier days.
He, however, said that in
some areas, there were long
queues and civil defence vol-
unteers were deployed to en-
force social distancing. Das
said the arrangement will con-
tinue on a daily basis during
the lockdown and urged peo-
ple not to go for panic-buying.
The Additional Deputy
Commissioner said a process
was on to make the same ar-
rangements in villages and all
Revenue Circle officers
were working in this regard.
He said the administration
was also taking steps to make
vegetables available in Amar
Dukans (government-noti-
fied shops that sell essential
commodities at reasonable
prices) in rural areas.
Das said home delivery of
grocery items too started in
Jorhat town on Sunday. Au-
thorised grocery shops and
shopping malls made deliv-
ery at doorsteps on orders
received over phone by en-
gaging delivery persons who
were granted passes after un-
dergoing screening tests for
novel coronavirus. The au-
thorised shops were grant-
ed permission to run the
service within a 4-km radius
from the location of the es-
tablishment.
Das said that to prevent
rush of retailers at the whole-
sale grocery market, the ad-
ministration has directed the
retailers to place orders over
phone. Delivery of grocery
items to retailers will be
done through vehicles grant-
ed passes by the administra-
tion, he stated.
Plea to people: Mean-
while, Additional Deputy
Commissioner Damodar
Barman, who looks after the
District Disaster Manage-
ment Authority, has urged
people to cooperate in en-
forcing the lockdown. Bar-
man said the administration
was making all efforts to pro-
vide essentials and vegeta-
bles at doorsteps locality-
wise on vans and there was
no reason to worry as the ar-
rangement will continue
during the lockdown.
Complete lockdown in Karbi AnglongCORRESPONDENT
DIPHU, March 30: Mar-
kets, offices and other com-
mercial establishments were
mostly closed across East
Karbi Anglong and West Kar-
bi Anglong districts on Mon-
day, the day six of the 21-day-
long national lockdown to
contain the spread of corona-
virus in the country.
However, the decision of
the authority to allow sale of
fish and meat proved wrong
as hundreds of people hov-
ered over the marketplace
making travesty of social dis-
tancing, not to mention un-
ruly youths, who made it a
point to demonstrate bike
stunts in the otherwise de-
serted streets of market ar-
eas and residential colonies.
In Baithalangso, police ar-
rested a youth for violating
the rules of lockdown on
Thursday. However, people
were seen rushing to the gro-
cery shops to buy their es-
sentials. As shopkeepers
struggled with large crowds,
the district administration
asked customers to maintain
at least one metre of distance
with each other, use sanitiz-
ers and masks while stand-
ing in the queues.
Through an order, the dis-
trict administration has asked
the grocery shop owners to
avoid gatherings and use
minimum staff. The district
administration has also fixed
opening hours for grocery
shops from 8 am to 4 pm and
has ordered the grocery
stores to sell vegetables,
eggs, fruits etc., from the
same sale point. Meanwhile,
the administration is ponder-
ing about the possibility of
providing food at the door-
steps of quarantined people.
On the other hand, the
West Karbi Anglong district
administration fixed the open-
ing hours of grocery shops
from 10 am to 3 pm.
Police and district admin-
istration, Diphu Municipal
Board (DMB) and Greater
Diphu Bazaar Committee
carried out spraying of disin-
fectants in Diphu market af-
ter a thorough wash with
hose pipe of local fire-ten-
ders. A team of fire-fighters
sprayed disinfectants on
buildings and roads.
DMB chairman Rah Kro
said, “Today the DMB and
Greater Diphu Bazaar Com-
mittee have jointly carried out
the spraying of disinfectants
in Diphu market. The areas
which are not covered today
will be covered the next day.”
In Baithalangso, a youth
named Basa Hanse (23) was
arrested for violating the lock-
down under Section 188 of
IPC. A case no. 30/2020 was
registered at Baithalangso
police station in this regard.
In West Karbi Anglong, a
quarantine camp is being set
up at Kuthepi. Police have re-
stricted the entry of outsid-
ers in all entry points of in-
ter-district and inter-State
borders. The police have
stepped up vigil at Forest
Gate Bazaar of Kheroni in
West Karbi Anglong district
bordering Hojai district.
Meanwhile, a few house-
holds with medical emergen-
cies have been facing difficul-
ties. An elderly man was
seen carrying his wife to a
pharmacy located a few kilo-
metres away from Kheroni
Chariali on a bicycle.
CM in Bongaigaon to assess preparednessCORRESPONDENT
BONGAIGAON, March
30: Chief Minister Sarbanan-
da Sonowal on Monday visit-
ed Bongaigaon to assess the
preparedness of the admin-
istration and the Health De-
partment on the preventive
measures taken against the
spread of novel coronavirus
in the district.
The Chief Minister first
reached Bongaigaon Civil
Hospital at Majgaon and in-
spected all the arrangements
made for suspected COVID-
19 patients. He also interact-
ed with members of the med-
ical teams in the hospital.
From there, he came to the
Deputy Commissioner’s of-
fice here and chaired a meet-
ing with officials of the Health
Department and the admin-
istration. In the meeting,
Sonowal announced the re-
lease of Rs 200 valued gift
coupons for the poor. Admin-
istration will sell these cou-
pons and with the money, es-
sential items will be provid-
ed to babies, mothers and
families of poor families, a
press release issued by the
district administration stated.
Chief minister, in his brief-
ing, thanked the media and
medical teams for their serv-
ice during the lockdown peri-
od. He termed the incidents
of violation of lockdown at
some places as unfortunate and
made an appeal to all to follow
the lockdown rules and main-
tain social distance to check the
spread of the dreaded virus.
For the normal supply of
essential items and medi-
cines, all the Deputy Commis-
sioners were instructed to
make necessary arrange-
ments, Chief Minister said.
Claiming that his government
took all possible steps to bring
back people of the State from
other States, he appealed to
the people not to believe in
rumours circulated by some
in the social media.
Civic officials distributing vegetables, in Lakhimpur on Monday. – UB Photos
Home delivery of LPG cylinders during the nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, at Tezpur on Monday. –UB Photos
Awareness drive on COVID-19TEZPUR, March 30: The 12th Assam Rifles stationed at
Charduar in Sonitpur district organised COVID- 19 aware-ness programmes at Chardwar, Tarajuli, Bihuguri andTezpur town on Monday simultaneously. During the aware-ness programme, people were informed about the symp-toms of COVID-19, which is a highly contagious diseaseand explained how the virus spreads. The programmealso aimed to provide impetus to the instructions issuedby the State and Central governments to combat the threatof coronavirus. The civilians through public announcementsystem were informed not to panic and instead follow theinstructions of lockdown. – Correspondent
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 7NORTH EAST
The Super Hercules plane carrying medical equipment at the Dimapur Airport, on Monday. – Photos: Bhadra Gogoi.
CORRESPONDENT
DIMAPUR, March 30: A C-130 Super Hercules plane ofthe IAF with emergencymedical equipment, personnelprotective equipment, handsanitisers etc. landed inDimapur today to help com-bat COVID-19 in Nagaland.
This is the second consign-ment, which also includesequipment for disaster man-agement and emergency re-quirements for all the districts
Plane with medical supplies tofight COVID-19 lands in Nagaland
of the state, to have reachedthe state in preparation tocombat the endemic.
“C-130 Super Hercules air-craft landed at Dimapur withthe second consignment ofemergency equip. & alsoequipment for disaster mngt.through the support of@IAF_MCC,” Nagaland ChiefMinister Neiphiu Rio tweeted.
Rio said the state govern-ment would ensure that itreaches every district inNagaland on time. He said the
state had received medicalequipment consisting of triplelayer masks, personnel pro-tective equipment, BD univer-sal viral transport and swabsticks and additional medicalequipment.
He added that 33 ventilatorsare also expected within thisweek.
The state health and familywelfare department said thereare 173 isolation beds availablefor any possible COVID-19cases in the state in addition to
175 isolation beds in identifiedCOVID-19 hospitals. Thenumber of quarantine facilitieshas been increased to 1,043 inthe state.
The department also said allthe 22 samples which weresent for testing till Sundaytested negative forcoronavirus. Nagaland sendsswab samples of suspectedpatients either to Dibrugarh inAssam or Imphal in Manipursince the state has no testinglaboratory.
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG, March 30: Shillong MP Vin-cent Pala released Rs 1 crore from his MP Lo-cal Area DevelopmentScheme for urgent procure-ment of ventilators, masks andother medical equipment re-quired by health officials.
The amount was released tothe East Khasi Hills district ad-ministration with the recom-mendation that any item thatthe Director of Health Serv-ices feels necessary for pro-curement could be donethrough the released fund.
Pala in his letter said that therequired items may be pro-cured within 45 days after proper scrutiny. TheMP said that he may be kept informed on thework implementation.
On the other hand, the State Governmenthas informed that it is coordinating with farm-ers in the rural areas to get their produce tothe market through an initiative called
Pala releases funds formedical equipment
“1917iTEAMS.”The team has been working closely with the
deputy commissioners of different districts ofthe State to ensure that vegetables and fruits
are made available to the pub-lic.
Farm produce from Laitjemand Mawkriah from East KhasiHills were procured and dis-tributed across different locali-ties of Shillong under the su-pervision of Rangbah Shnongs.
The team has been sellingthese vegetables and fruits indifferent localities of the Statein vehicles. However, therehas been a spike in the cost ofthese items.
The “1917iTEAMS” is aninitiative of the Government of Meghalaya thatis working in the current crisis situation byprocuring farm produce from the farmers andmaking it available in different parts of the State.
Meanwhile, the Education Department hasnotified today that educational institutions wouldremain closed till April 15.
Vincent Pala
CORRESPONDENT
IMPHAL, March 30: TheManipur government is plan-ning to set up a new 200-bedquarantine facility within thenext 10-15 days at LangthabalPhumlou Loukol in Manipur’sImphal West District as partof immediate measures takenup to tackle Covid-19 in thestate, official sources said.
Chief Minister N BirenSingh along with MLAs LSusindro (Khurai) and ThSatyabrata (Yaiskul) today in-spected the proposed site un-der Imphal West District,thesource said.The new centre isto be set up in addition to theexisting temporary centres
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh along with MLAs and officials inspecting the proposed site for construction ofquarantine facility on the outskirts of Imphal, on Monday.
Manipur Govt to set upquarantine facility soon
being opened in different dis-tricts of the State.
The new quarantine centrewill be constructed in an areameasuring around one pari,
which is equivalent to one hec-tare of land. Half of the landwould be donated by the landowner of the area while an-other half would be acquiredby the state government asper the existing system.
The whole idea of the initia-tive is to develop a permanenthealthcare centre by the stategovernment in order to addressthe public demand in case of anyemergency or outbreak of epi-demic or natural calamities.
The Chief Minister also in-structed Chief Secretary Dr J
Suresh Babu and DGPManipur LM Khaute alongwith other officials of the stateto complete construction ofthe centre within 10 to 15days. He also instructed theDC Imphal West to begin sur-vey of the land immediately.
Principal Secretary(Health) V Vumlunmang,Manipur Police Housing Cor-poration Ltd. Managing Direc-tor C Doungel, Health Serv-ices Director Dr K Rajo,JNIMS Director Dr Th Bhimoand other high-ranking offi-cials of the state government,besides the local womenfolkwere also present during theinspection.
It may be mentioned that
different quarantine centreshave already been opened inalmost all the districts of theState to accommodate thosewho have returned from af-fected states and countries.
CM’s Relief fund: In themeantime, donations to therecently opened Chief Minis-ter’s COVID-19 Relief Fundare coming from different sec-tions of the society.
Many individuals and organi-sations have contributed a to-tal of Rs 10,26,500 to the fund.
Chief Minister N BirenSingh thanked all those indi-viduals and organisations whohave generously donated tothe Chief Minister’s COVID-19 Relief Fund till date.
CORRESPONDENT
DIMAPUR, March 30: The Opposi-tion Naga People’s Front (NPF) todaysaid it was appalled by the decision ofthe People’s Democratic Alliance(PDA) government in the state to de-duct a day’s salary of the employees ofcertain departments, especially thepolice personnel, towards the ChiefMinister’s Relief Fund to combat thecoronavirus.
In a release, the party said it is of thestrong view that police personnelshould come within the parameter offrontline workers who are fightingagainst the dreaded global pandemic.
Calling the setting up of the ChiefMinister’s Relief Fund a laudable ini-tiative, the NPF said this will providean avenue to the people from all walksof life to contribute towards the wel-fare of the society. The party, however,said the donations should be voluntaryand nobody should be coerced into con-
NPF questions salary deduction for CM’s Relief Fundtributing to the fund, which is tanta-mount to extortion.
The party fully acknowledged andappreciated the selfless efforts beingrendered by the healthcare commu-nity and the police personnel towardspreventing the outbreak of the diseasein the state. However, it expressedconcern over the preparedness of thestate government to tackle the virusand questioned the theory of salarydeduction from the public servants.
The NPF said even though the en-tire state is under total lockdown, theassignments and duties of the policepersonnel have in no way lessened andtherefore their welfare has to be takeninto consideration. The party said spe-cial incentives to the sanitation work-ers, doctors and nurses and any otherindividuals or agencies who are en-gaged in combating the dreaded pan-demic in the state should be given bythe government rather than deduct-ing their salaries.
The party also expressed concernover the reported shortage of someessential commodities, including rice,in many districts of the State.
It is in fact disheartening to note thatthe PDA government is asking thecommon people to deposit threemonths’ money in advance to get theirshare of PDS rice, the NPF said.
“This kind of policy and approach onthe part of the PDA government isvery shallow and unthinkable,” theparty said.
It suggested that the state governmentuse the Rs 17 crore which it had re-cently withdrawn from the Village De-velopment Board matching grant on es-sential commodities and later on reim-burse from the relief fund on COVID-19 from the central government.
The party urged the government toensure supply of essential commodi-ties to the common people, besidesurging the government to utilise vari-ous government revenue, including
those from Goods and Services Taxwhich amounts to crores of rupees, atthis critical juncture instead of beggingfrom the poor public and showing help-lessness on the pretext of paucity offund.
The NPF said though the govern-ment keeps claiming that the state isfully prepared to tackle COVID-19, theground reality is that everything is in ashamble sans the required facilities.
It said the government is expectedto be more transparent in tacklingCovid-19 as the lives of the citizens ofNagaland cannot be put at risk due toits negligence.
The Dimapur Naga Students’ Un-ion also questioned as to how couldthe Food and Civil Supplies Depart-ment ever think of asking the priorityhousehold agents to deposit threemonths’ money in advance at this cru-cial period of time when the poor peo-ple are going through a gruelling pe-riod.
Maharajganj Bazar in Agartala witnessed an acute shortfallof fish supply following the nationwide lockdown, onMonday.– Photo: Agartala Correspondent.
CORRESPONDENT
TURA, March 30: The Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) has appealed to the NPP-ledEC of the Garo Hills Autonomous Dis-trict Council (GHADC) for the release ofpending salaries of the employees of theCouncil in view of the current lockdown.
As per the party, the NPP-led EC hadsought a loan from the NITI Aayog for anamount of Rs 24 crores to clear at least 6months pending salaries of the GHADC
Plea to release salaries of GHADC staffemployees.
The demand from the BJP comes inthe backdrop of the nationwide lockdownagainst Covid–19 and the condition of theemployees who have been without sala-ries for over 24 months now.
“The nationwide lockdown has broughtnormal life to a standstill and no majorwork has been taken up by the GHADCat the moment. It would be a positivegesture on the part of NPP and BJP toclear atleast 6 months’ salary to the em-
ployees,” said party spokespersonBernard Marak.
As per the BJP, recently a major amounthad been transferred to the GHADC ac-count by the BJP government, but theNPP-led EC despite assurances to theemployees, did not discuss the salary mat-ter with the BJP MDCs. The BJP has 8members in the 30-member House.
“BJP does not want any employee toface hardship,” added Marak in a pressrelease.
CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR, March 30: ArunachalPradesh Assembly Speaker PasangDorjee Sona today attended a reviewmeeting on COVID-19 preparedness inhis home district Shi-Yomi with the DC,SP, district medical officer and otherstakeholders at Mechuka, the headquar-ters of the newly-created district.
Sona rushed to Shi-Yomi district onSunday to oversee the post COVID-19situation amid reports of food scarcity inMonigong and Pidi circles in the wake of
Arunachal Speaker reviews COVID-19 scenethe 21-day nationwide lockdown imposedto contain the spread of the deadlycoronavirus pandemic.
The Speaker said that the district ad-ministration, police and health departmentsare doing their best with all the availableresources in the district. He informed thathe had suggested them that there shouldbe no delay or negligence due to financialcrunch as funding is not a problem as ofnow. He assured the district administra-tion of all possible help and told them toapproach him for any assistance.
Sona, however, expressed concern
over reports that a section of the publicwas not supportive towards the adminis-tration in some places of the district.
“What I got to know is the public needto cooperate with the administration,police and health workers,” said Sona,adding that whatever they are doing isfor everyone’s safety.
He fervently appealed to the people ofthe district to follow the government’sadvisories/instructions as the only key topreventing the COVID-19 pandemic isawareness, maintaining social distancingand personal hygiene.
CORRESPONDENT
AIZAWL, March 30: TheMizoram government wouldprovide food and shelter to mi-grant workers who are strandedin the state due to the nation-wide lockdown, a state HomeDepartment official said today.
The move was taken in pur-suance to the Centre’s direc-tive to provide food and shel-ter to the migrant workersduring the 21-day lockdown,he also said.
The official further said thatthe Union Home Ministry au-thorised respective states touse Disaster Response Fund(DRF) for providing reliefmeasures to migrant workersduring the nationwidelockdown in view of thecoronavirus pandemic.
According to the official, alldistrict-level task forces wereinstructed to monitor relief
Mizoram to provide food,shelter to migrant workers
measures for migrant work-ers, industrial workers andother workers of unorganisedsector in their respective ar-eas. Expenses for relief meas-ures would be borne from thestate exchequer which wouldbe later recovered from theState Disaster Response Fund(SDRF), he also said.
“Respective district-leveltask forces on COVID-19 willprovide food and shelter tomigrant workers, industrialand unorganised sector work-ers,” he said.
Meanwhile, sources saidthat thousands of migrantworkers, contractors and un-organised sector workersmostly from Assam arestranded in Mizoram due tothe lockdown. Police said thatthe actual figure is yet to bedetermined as compilation isunder process.
As per the latest information,about 940 migrant workershave reported to the state gov-ernment. Of these, 697 peopleare based in Kolasib districtbordering Assam, 136 peoplein Aizawl district, 47 inSerchhip district and 30 each inHnahthial and Mamit districts.
Earlier, the Union HomeMinistry had written to stategovernments requesting themto immediately set up reliefcamps for migrant workers.
Forecast for NE: Weather is
most likely to remain dry over
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Meghalaya, Nagaland,
Manipur, Mizoram and
Tripura.
Warning: Nil
Temperatures:
Max (°C) Min (°C)
Dibrugarh 31.3 20.0
Tezpur 35.2 21.4
Silchar 35.4 18.5
Dhubri 32.9 20.8
Jorhat 33.0 18.0
N Lakhimpur 34.1 20.0
Shillong 26.2 18.1
Cherrapunjee 24.7 14.4
Aizawl 28.1 NA
Kohima NA 13.2
Pasighat 29.6 19.9
Itanagar 33.6 19.0
Imphal 30.8 16.7
Agartala 35.9 20.1
WEATHER
NORTHEAST
8 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020STATENEWS IN BRIEF
19 inmates freed in GolaghatDERGAON, March 30: As many as 19 inmates were freed
on personal recognised bond from the Golaghat jail on Sun-day. As per directions of the Supreme Court, the Under TrialReview Committee of Golaghat granted bail to the inmates,including a woman. A meeting chaired by District LegalService Authority secretary SK Sarmah and attended bydistrict magistrate Bibhash Chandra Modi, chief judicial mag-istrate Kiranlal Baishnab, additional district magistrateKhanindra Das, DLSA member secretary N Koiri and jailsuperintendent MN Sarmah granted bail to those under trialfor punishment less than seven years, as part of prepared-ness for a possible COVID-19 outbreak. – Correspondent
Midday meals distributedGOSSAIGAON, March 30: Midday meals were distribut-
ed to students of lower and upper primary and high schoollevels on Monday. Students of classes 6, 7 and 8 of Bhag-neswari Deka Memorial ME School, Shastri VidyapeethME School and Gossaigaon HS School were each given theirshare of 5 kg rice and 2 kg dal. – ANN Service
Disinfection drive in MangaldaiMANGALDAI, March 30: Amid the lockdown over a pos-
sible COVID-19 outbreak, the Mangaldai Municipal Boardhas been carrying out disinfection drives continuously. OnSunday, municipal staff and fire and emergency servicespersonnel sprayed disinfectants in public places. The longprogramme was monitored by Manik Shil Sarma, chairman ofthe civic body. An official said that each day, nearly 100 litresof disinfectants were being sprayed. – Correspondent
45 inmates released in NalbariNALBARI, March 30: The Nalbari district jail on Sunday
released 45 undertrials of Nalbari, Kamrup Rural and Baksadistricts, in view of the situation in case of a coronavirusoutbreak. The inmates included 10 from Nalbari district, 20from Baksa district and 15 from Rangia. The jail authoritiesdropped the inmates at their homes due to the lockdown.The jail has now 369 prisoners, of which 63 have beenconvicted, against the facilities available to keep 155 pris-oners. – Correspondent
223 home-quarantinedTIHU, March 30: A total of 223 people have been home
quarantined for 14 days after they came from Kerala, Chennai,Odisha, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, etc. Four surveillance teams,led by Samir Choudhury, circle officer of Chamata, are visitingvillages like Pub Kalakuchi, Pahlongpara, Janigog, Kakaya,Belsor, Solmara, Jagara, Phulguri, Kaithakuchi, Barnaddi andPakowa and checking on the people. Dr Moinul Houque, healthofficer of Chamata subdivision, said the government healthinitiatives were going on smoothly. – ANN Service
Patowary visits hospitalNALBARI, March 30: Industries and Commerce Minister
Chandra Mohan Patowary on Sunday visited the Swahid Muku-nda Kakati Civil Hospital and directed the superintendentto vacate it and turn it into a COVID-19 hospital. He directedthe immediate shifting of the patients to private hospitals.The Minister said 200 additional beds will be provided invarious hospitals of the district on Monday, and added thatthe district has facilities to accommodate 5,000 people inquarantine. He held a meeting with district administrationofficials and was informed that the district has enough fooditems for the next 20 days. The meeting was attended byMLAs Ashok Sarma and Narayan Deka and Deputy Commis-sioner Bharat Bhusan Dev Choudhury. – Correspondent
MLA assures helpBAIHATA CHARIALI, March 30: Kamalpur MLA Satya-
brat Kalita visited the Mahatma Gandhi Model Hospital andtook stock of measures in case of a COVID-19 outbreak.SDM&HO Dr Dimbeswar Sarma said 66 villages were underthe hospital’s jurisdiction, and a number of pilgrims and stu-dents studying in Kerala, Bengaluru, Delhi and other placeshave come back home and health workers were monitoringthe situation. He said hand-stamping was done on 217 per-sons and they have been advised home quarantine. Labour-ers, truck drivers and helpers have also been advised to stayin isolation. The MLA assured that he will take steps toprovide the equipment required by the hospital. He alsovisited Bihdia BPHC, Puthimari MPHC and Guiya SD, andsaid rice, pulses, potato, etc., will be provided to the poorpeople free of cost through fair price shops. – ANN Service
A disinfection drive being carried out in Hailakandi town onSunday. – Photo: Satananda Bhattacharjee
CORRESPONDENT
DOOMDOOMA, March 30: At a
time when the country is fighting to
control the spread of COVID-19 by
observing a lockdown, the Tinsukia
district administration issued an or-
der on March 26 allowing the Per-
sonal Product Factory (PPF) of Hin-
dustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) to oper-
ate the factory, which led to strong
resentment among the workers and
the public. Following strong public
criticism, the district administration
had to cancel the permission.
According to information, the
manager of the factory urged the
district administration through a
letter on March 26 to allow them to
operate the factory. Accordingly, the
Additional District Magistrate is-
sued an order on the same day, al-
lowing them to undertake only
emergency services and manufac-
turing of essential commodities in
two shifts – from 6 am to 2 pm, and
2 pm to 10 pm – subject to the con-
dition that the employees required
for the essential services must be
carried by company vehicles.
The order also stated that the
staff engaged in the manufacturing
unit must maintain social distance
and due hygiene norms.
After receiving permission, the
factory management started calling
the workers over phone to start the
factory from Friday morning. But,
majority of the workers were re-
luctant to go for duty. The manage-
ment on Friday held a discussion
with the two unions of workers af-
filiated to CITU and INTUC, but
failed to convince the workers.
Talking to the media, the union
leaders said they informed the man-
agement that the workers would not
come for duty during the lockdown.
“If any worker is willing to attend
duty, we have no objection. But, the
management should not force them
to work,” they added.
The public and several organisa-
tions expressed strong resentment
over the decision of the company as
well as the district administration.
Many said that the government or-
der mentioned only the manufac-
ture of essential commodities. But
this factory manufacturers only
items like toothpaste, shampoo, hair
conditioner and fairness cream,
which by no means are essential
commodities.
A few organisations lodged a
complaint with the Tinsukia Depu-
ty Commissioner, and finally, the
administration by a new order dat-
ed March 28 cancelled the permis-
sion order on Saturday with im-
mediate effect.
Home quarantine violator
booked: Though the government
in clear terms had announced that
people who had stamps on their
hands should be home quarantined,
and any violation of this rule would
invite strict action under the Disas-
ter Management Act, but some peo-
ple having such stamps on their hands
have been moving around in several
parts of Tinsukia district.
A few such cases have come to light
in Tinsukia and Doomdooma. In one
such case, the Tinsukia district admin-
istration has taken suo motu cogni-
zance against one Rakesh Agarwal, a
pharmacist and owner of Aran Medi-
cos. An FIR has been filed against
Agarwal at the Tinsukia PS, with or-
ders to shut down the pharmacy until
further orders.
Agarwal had recently visited Ra-
jasthan and returned on March 22.
Though he was stamped for home
quarantine, he went to the pharma-
cy on March 24. Police registered a
case under Section 188 and 271 of
the Indian Penal Code.
It has also been alleged that in
some places, youths engaged in jobs
in various states of India had re-
turned home recently and concealed
themselves indoors without any
medical check-up. Though a few such
cases have been reported in differ-
ent police stations, some cases are
yet to be attended to.
Some people were also found loi-
tering on the roads defying the lock-
down in various places including
Tinsukia, Doomdooma, Digboi,
Margherita, Kakopothar, Talap,
Dholla and Sadiya. Police and para-
military forces had to use baton to
send back such violators home.
The Tinsukia district administra-
tion has designated some vegeta-
ble hawkers to carry out doorstep
delivery of vegetables in the 10
wards of Doomdooma Municipal
Board area from 7 am to 3 pm on
alternate days.
The administration made this
provision only for residents under
the Doomdooma Municipal Board.
A large number of people living in
rural areas on the outskirts of the
town like Beesakopie, Rupbon
Rupai Siding, etc., who are com-
pletely dependent on the Doom-
dooma town market have urged the
administration to make similar ar-
rangements for them.
Tinsukia dist admin cancels permission to operate HUL factory
Order givenafter publicresentmentfollowinglockdown
Workers of the Teok Municipal Board and fire service personnel disinfecting a market area at Teok on Sunday.– Photo: Medinee Kamal Borah
Veterinary feedsupply badly hit
by lockdownAJIT PATOWARY
GUWAHATI, March 30:
All is reportedly not well in
the state’s veterinary sector
following the lockdown due
to the coronavirus outbreak.
Those engaged in the live-
stock business in remote ar-
eas of the state are facing a
lot of hardship, as the animal
feed supply chain has been
badly affected.
According to information,
though the state government
has permitted movement of
concentrated feed produced in
firms located outside the
state, the law enforcement
agencies are not aware of the
fact that animal feed supply is
also an emergency service.
This has stood in the way of
continued supply of animal
feed to private livestock farms
located in remote areas.
Moreover, official sources
said that though the Veteri-
nary Department is required
to provide emergency serv-
ices in times of need, its serv-
ices are yet to be declared
essential like medical serv-
ices. This was why, when a
crisis arises, the stakehold-
ers, along with service pro-
viders in this sector, face all
sorts of problems.
Every month, the state
needs 28,000 Metric Tonnes
(MTs) of feed for its 80 lakh
of broiler chicken replace-
ments, 1,155 MTs of feed for
3.5 lakh of commercial lay-
ers, 35,690 MTs of feed for
3.95 lakh of exotic and cross-
bred cattle and 31,500 MTs
of feed for 7 lakh commer-
cially reared pigs. Thus, the
total animal feed required by
the state in a month stands at
96,345 MTs.
The Assam Livestock and
Poultry Corporation (ALP-
CO) feed plant at Sonapur has
a 3-4 MT Per Hour (MTPH)
capacity palate feed unit and
a 1.5 MTPH capacity mesh
feed unit. It is under opera-
tion with full capacity and is
supplying to the Veterinary
Department’s farms and pri-
vate entrepreneurs. Its
monthly average production
is about 1,200 MTs.
In all, there are 16 feed
plants operating in the state
with a total production capac-
ity of 120 Tonnes Per Hour
(TPH), and they are produc-
ing 45,000 MTs of animal feed
per month. The rest of the
state’s feed requirement is
imported from other states.
Godrej Agrovet is the ma-
jor animal feed producer in
the country. It holds the high-
est share in the country’s
animal feed production. The
other major brands include
Maha Feeds, Unnat, Anmol,
Sona Gold, Shiv Shakti Am-
rit, Kamdhenu, and Japfa,
among others.
Sonitpur admin taking stepsto combat COVID-19 threat
CORRESPONDENT
TEZPUR, March 30: The Sonitpur
district administration is taking all nec-
essary steps to ensure that it is well
equipped to face the challenges and
threat posed by the growing pandemic
of COVID-19. With active support of the
people, the Health department, other
line departments and NGOs, it has been
working round the clock to prevent the
spread of the virus locally empowering
the citizens with the right information
and taking of precautions as per the ad-
visories being issued by Ministry of
Health & Family Welfare. Meanwhile,
assembly of five or more persons in
public places without the permission of
the district administration has been
banned under Section 144 of the CrPC.
On the preparedness regarding the
burning issue, the Superintendent of
Tezpur Medical College and Hospital,
Dr Madhab Chandra Rajbongshi said that
under the guidance of the Ministry of
Health & Family Welfare and Assam
Government, every possible measure
has been taken to fight COVID-19 in
the district.
“A total of 5848 people coming back
to their homes in the undivided Sonit-
pur district (Sonitpur 3207 + Biswa-
nath 2641) from other States and abroad
are in home quarantine and their regu-
lar medical supervision is being carried
out,” he said. Doctors, paramedical per-
sonnel, nurses and ASHA workers with
the full support of the media, police and
different NGOs are involved in the anti-
coronavirus fight with total dedication,
sources said.
However, it is alleged that despite
repeated requests from the govern-
ment, district administration, media and
the police administration, in some inte-
rior areas like Panchmile near here,
Bandarmari, Khelmati, Bahbari and
Gorokhia Pukhuri area under Bandar-
mari, Phulaguri and Bahbari panchayats
in the district, some unscrupulous and
politically-motivated people are alleg-
edly provoking the ignorant people to
disobey the lockdown creating an awk-
ward situation. Appealing to the district
administration to check these areas
properly, the village headman of Bandar-
mari area Tribeni Boro mentioned that
some youths coming back from Kerala,
Maharashtra and Goa to their native plac-
es are roaming openly. “It is very unfor-
tunate that even some educated people
are seen violating the lockdown, by or-
ganising community works like fishing,
gambling and feasts in the area," he said.
A socially vocal physician Dr Rupam
Das, a noted paediatrician in Tezpur urg-
ing all to maintain hygiene and obey the
lockdown said that alongwith him, the
private doctors will dedicate their serv-
ices for the lives of the people as and
when called for.
The district administration has also di-
rected that no person shall come out of
his/her home except for procurement of
groceries, medicines and other essential
services or for any emergency medical
treatment. The movement of all private
and public passenger vehicles (including
two wheelers) has been restricted. The
district administration has also fixed the
timings of operation of all shops/ estab-
lishments dealing in grocery items. All
wholesale shops will function between 8
am to 4 pm, while retail shops will remain
open between 9 am and 6 pm. Selling of
dairy/ milk products will remain open be-
tween 6 am to 9 am in the morning and
between 3 pm and 5 pm in the evenings.
The shopkeepers are also to ensure social
distancing norms among customers.
Bimala Deka: atribute
Our mother, Bimala Deka She passed away suddenly
on March 21 last leaving her family and well-wishers in a
state of shock.
Born on April 23, 1955 at Dimou, Rangia, she got mar-
ried at a very young age and thereafter moved to Guwa-
hati where she spent the rest
of her life. Despite her noble
background and limited re-
sources, she took life as a chal-
lenge and with sheer hard
work and dedication made a
name for herself in the medi-
cine industry. With sheer grit,
determination and persever-
ance she managed to raise her
own business establishment
and can rightly be regarded as
one of the pioneer woman en-
trepreneurs.
An amiable, friendly and social lady she was stern on
one hand and extremely loving on the other. A doting
mother and an extremely loving grandmother she loved
socialising and travelling. She leaves behind her husband,
Bhaben Deka, two daughters, a son besides a host of grand-
children and relatives. Today, on her adyasraddha, we pray
for her eternal peace.
– Rimi Saloi Deka
Leopard attacks manSTAFF CORRESPONDENT
JORHAT, March 30: A leopard strayed into a village under
Pulibor PS on the outskirts of Jorhat on Monday morning and
injured a person, creating panic among the villagers. Police
received information that a leopard entered a house in Da-
Gayangaon and attacked a person. Policemen immediately
went to the village and found that Nitu Dutta was injured in
the waist when the big cat attacked him when he went out to
fetch water from a tubewell. Police made arrangements to
take the injured person to hospital.
The leopard later moved to an adjoining house and went
inside the space between the tin roof and the ceiling. As news
spread, people came in large numbers to the spot. Police sent
back the crowd, asking them to follow the lockdown direc-
tive. A Forest Department team arrived at the spot and in-
formed the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conserva-
tion at Borjuri near the Kaziranga National Park. A team from
the CWRC with veterinary doctors arrived at the site and
tranquilized the leopard.
OBITUARY
Rupam GoswamiGUWAHATI, March 30:
Rupam Gos-
wami (Son-
moni), eldest
son of Late
Jogen Gos-
wami and
Preety Goswami of Silpukhu-
ri here passed away on
March 29 last at his daugh-
ter’s residence in Pune after
a brief illness. He was 74.
Educated and trained
mostly at Delhi, he was a re-
tired employee of RRL
Jorhat. A man of strict disci-
pline, Sonmonida was social-
ly very active and loved to
be among his friends and rel-
atives.
He leaves behind his
wife, a son, a daughter,
grandchildren and a young-
er brother.
Heroin seized fromambulance
CORRESPONDENT
NORTH LAKHIMPUR,
March 30: Police recovered
heroin hidden inside an am-
bulance amidst the threat of
COVID-19 pandemic.
The incident took place at
Narayanpur on Sunday night
when DSP-HQ Runa Neog
along with Narayanpur PS
Officer-in-Charge James V
Simte intercepted the ambu-
lance (AS-07-AC-8374),
which was carrying a patient
from Nagaon to Bihpuria in
Lakhimpur. A search led to
the seizure of 35 grams of
heroin, two plastic soap cas-
es, three plastic tobacco con-
tainers and 57 small finger-
sized containers. Police arrest-
ed four persons, including Ji-
abur Rahman (40) from Kam-
pur, Nagaon, Arup Borah of
Bihpuria, Jamiruddin (35)
from Bihpuria and Niranjan
Konwar (30) of Bandardewa.
Two phones were also seized.
Police also seized 263 SP-
SPHEN tablets (Tramadol
Hydrochloride, Acetami-
nophen) and 6 Nitrazepam tab-
lets from two persons – Rajiv
Saikia (24) of Parbatipur and
Leonard Pegu of Parbatipur –
from Budhbaria Bazaar, Par-
batipur in Banderdewa.
CORRESPONDENT
BISWANATH CHARIALI, March 30:
In view of the present scenario of lock-
down called by the Government of India
due to outbreak of COVID-19 in the coun-
try, the Deputy Commissioner of Biswa-
nath has decided to accord permission for
selling of vegetables and fruits through
home delivery by the selected vendors at
price rate fixed by the district adminis-
tration from 7 am to 4 pm daily.
The vendors will collect vegetables
and fruits from the specified farmers and
distributors fixed by the district author-
ity under the direct supervision and
monitoring of the officials of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, Biswanath.
The fair price shop owners will also
collect the vegetables and fruits directly
from the vendors and sell it following
Sale of vegetables atdoorsteps in Biswanath dist
government norms. The district admin-
istration has also permitted a number of
bakeries and confectioneries to sell their
bakery items through home delivery on
fixed rates.
Meanwhile, disinfectant spraying, pay-
ment of wages, distribution of groceries
etc., are being carried out smoothly at
various tea estates in Biswanath district
maintaining social distance and other ade-
quate precautionary measures under the
constant monitoring and supervision of
the district administration.
The respective Officers-in-Charge of
police stations and the District Transport
Officer (DTO), Biswanath have been au-
thorised to issue Essential Service Pass-
es in order to facilitate the movement of
persons and vehicles from Exempted Cat-
egories during lockdown in consultation
with the executive magistrates.
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 9BUSINESS & ECONOMY
MankindPharma pledge
NEW DELHI, March 30:Mankind Pharma todaysaid it is donating Rs 51crore to CM relief funds ofvarious States in order tohelp them fight thecoronavirus pandemic.With growing number ofCOVID-19 cases in India,the company joins thefight by donating Rs 51crore to CM relief funds tomanage this disaster,Mankind Pharma said in astatement. The fundswould be utilised forprocuring ventilators,personal protectiveequipment (PPE) andmedicines for the Statesreporting maximumnumber of positive cases,it added. – PTI
TRAI call totelcos
NEW DELHI, March 30:Sector regulator TRAI hasasked telecom operatorsto extend the validityperiod of pre-paid usersto ensure that subscrib-ers get uninterruptedservices during the 21-day nationwide lockdown.Telecom RegulatoryAuthority of India (TRAI)has also sought details ofthe steps being taken toensure availability ofuninterrupted telecomservices to suchcustomers on a “prioritybasis”. – PTI
Shopkeeperpolicy
NEW DELHI, March 30:BharatPe has partneredwith ICICI Lombard to rollout ‘COVID-19 ProtectionInsurance’ for shopkeep-ers. According to thepolicy, on diagnosis ofCOVID-19, the policy-holder will be paid 100 percent of the sum insured,irrespective of thehospitalisation expenses.BharatPe’s endeavour is‘first of its kind’ product forretailers. The ICICILombard health cover isreasonably priced. Thepremium starts at Rs 199and provides Rs 25,000sum insured and othervalue-added benefits. It willcover all in the age groupof 18-65 years. – PTI
Maruti Suzukiservice
NEW DELHI, March 30:Maruti Suzuki India (MSI)today said it has extendedwarranty and servicetimelines of customervehicles in the wake of thecoronavirus pandemic.“For customer vehicles,whose free service,warranty and extendedwarranty are scheduled toend in the period fromMarch 15, 2020 to April30, 2020 are now beingextended up to June 30,2020,” MSI said in astatement. – PTI
CAPSULE
AJIT PATOWARY
GUWAHATI, March 30: The tea in-
dustry here is hopeful of deriving some
support for its workers from the Rs 1.7-
lakh crore package announced by Un-
ion Finance Minister Nirmala Sithara-
man on Thursday for the poor, needy
and downtrodden people. The package
announced by the Union Finance Minis-
ter came within 36 hours of the lockdown
declared by the Union Government to
break the chain of coronavirus spread and
the tea industry has hailed it as a highly
appreciable move.
However, there is a problem concern-
Tea industry hopes to benefit from Centre’s stimulus packageing the benefits of Provident Fund (PF),
which demand a joint effort by the gov-
ernments and the tea industry to work
out a solution beneficial for the workers of
the ailing tea industry.
The tea garden workers of the State
can avail the benefits from the PM Garib
Kalyan Yojana, PM Jan-Dhan Yojana
(PMJDY) and the PM Ujjwala Yojana.
While under the PM Garib Kalyan Yoja-
na (PMGKY), each of the tea garden
workers is already getting 5 kg of rice
under the National Food Security Act
(NFSA), now each of them would be able
to get an additional 5 kg of rice free for
the next three months, said Bidyananda
Barkakoty, adviser to the North Eastern
Tea Association (NETA).
Each of the tea garden workers’ fami-
lies would also get 1 kg of dal free for the
next three months. Moreover, the wom-
en account holders of the PMJDY would
get an ex gratia of Rs 500 per month for
the next three months, he said.
Under the PM Ujjwala Yojana, gas cylin-
ders would be provided free of cost for the
next three months to the beneficiaries.
The tea industry is, however, ponder-
ing over as to how it could ensure the
benefits from the package announced by
the Union Finance Minister for the organ-
ised sectors, to its workers.
The Union Finance Minister’s an-
nouncement for the organised sectors in-
clude a proposal to pay 24 per cent of the
monthly wages to the Provident Fund (PF)
accounts of those workers and employees
who earn below Rs 15,000 per month in
the businesses having less than 100 work-
ers, for the next three months.
The announcement also states that the
Employees’ Provident Fund regulations
would be amended to include pandemic as
the reason to allow a non-refundable ad-
vance of 75 per cent of the amount or three
months of the wages, whichever is lower,
from the employees’ accounts.
The tea industry is analysing how these
benefits can be derived by the tea garden
workers and management. Because, all tea
gardens employ more than 100 workers
and in Assam, tea gardens contribute to
the PF (at the rate of 12 per cent employ-
ers’ contribution plus 12 per cent employ-
ees’ contribution) through the Assam Tea
Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation
(ATEPFO), and not through the Employ-
ees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO),
like the other industries.
However, the tea industry is hopeful
that both the Union as well as the State
governments would find out a solution to
the above problem within a short time,
Barkakoty said.
NEW DELHI, March 30: Industry
bodies have appealed to the government
seeking extension of the current finan-
cial year, ending March 31, by at least
three months till June-end, citing the
present economic situation amid the
coronavirus pandemic.
Representatives from industry cham-
bers including CII, FICCI and Assocham
met officials of the Ministry of Corpo-
rate Affairs here last week and apprised
the government of the issues being faced
by them, and gave various suggestions.
“In the current scenario, any financial
statement prepared for April 2019 to
March 2020 will not give true and fair
view as it does not represent one com-
plete business cycle of the entity. Hence,
it is imperative to increase the given pe-
riod to disclose the correct picture of
business performances of a company,” the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
told the ministry in its submission.
MUMBAI, March 30: Credit information
company TransUnion CIBIL today assured
borrowers that data reporting will be aligned
to RBI’s moratorium announcement and
there will not be any dent to credit histories
as a result of it.
The move came after the RBI announce-
ment of a 3-month moratorium for servicing
all the term loans as a measure to contain the
economic fallout due to the lockdown to con-
tain coronavirus spread.
“We would work closely with our member
banks and credit institutions to define the data
reporting framework basis (after) the an-
nouncements made by the RBI Governor, so
that during the moratorium period there is
no adverse impact on the credit histories and
CIBIL score of borrowers,” the company said
Coronavirus pandemic
Industry bodies seek extensionof financial year till June 30
It further argued that the current eco-
nomic situation in India and the world over
has resulted in impaired valuations of all as-
sets like commodities, financial assets, etc.
CII also called for allowing companies to
pass circular resolutions for restricted mat-
ters without the requirement of conduct-
ing a board meeting for approving such
matters for a period up to June 30, 2020.
“With the current backdrop of corona-
virus, the entire economy is getting stag-
nated for at least a couple of quarters
which are kind of missing quarters for
corporates. Further, to view the annual-
ised financial statement of any corporate
entity, one has to appropriately factor in
the impact of current quarter,” it said.
As follow-up of the meeting, Assocham
has submitted a representation to the Min-
istry of Corporate Affairs stating that ex-
tension by 3/6 months for finalisation of an-
nual accounts would be needed to reflect the
true and fair statement about businesses.
“This once-in-century kind of an event
like virus attack would hopefully recede
in the next few weeks or months. It would
be only after normalcy returns in the econ-
omy that the companies would be able to
resume their regular operations. Return
to normalcy is required for any fair state-
ment of accounts,” Assocham Secretary
General Deepak Sood said.
The chamber’s letter to Minister of Fi-
nance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sith-
araman and the MCA Secretary Injeti Srin-
ivas recommended that forbearances be
given under the Companies Act, 2013.
“AGM for all companies should be al-
lowed to be held within six months of 30th
June, 2020, or 30th September 2020, i.e.,
latest by 31st December, 2020 or 31st
March 2021 respectively, and on case-to-
case basis. Subsequent relaxation is also
desirable in terms of extension of time for
filing income tax returns for companies,”
Assocham said. – PTI
NEW DELHI, March 30:
Punjab National Bank (PNB)
has unveiled a new logo as it
merges United Bank of India
and OBC with it, with effect
from April 1.
The new logo will bear dis-
tinct signages of all the three
public sector lenders.
With this, PNB is set to
become the second largest
lender in the country.
“#PunjabNationalBank is
here with #Oriental-
BankofCommerce & #Unit-
edBankofIndia in an all-new
avatar. Be a part of the #To-
getherForTheBetter jour-
ney with us and experience a
smoother and smarter way
of banking,” PNB said in a
tweet today.
PSB merger
PNB unveils new logo
Assuaging concerns re-
garding the merged entity,
PNB also said there is no rea-
son to worry as the three
banks are coming together
to be better, bigger and
stronger.
“Together we are bigger,
stronger & faster. People &
banking will now be closer
than ever before. You will
have products fine-tuned to
your needs,” it said in anoth-
er tweet.
PNB also appealed to its
customers to stay indoors
due to the coronavirus out-
break and access its services
through net banking and PN-
BONE app.
“Now, pay your tax, get
interest certificates, track
your investments and more
with just one app. Have you
downloaded #PNBONE app
yet? #BankFromHomeAnd-
StaySafe #COVID-19,” the
lender said.
Ten state-owned banks are
to be merged into four big-
ger and stronger banks with
effect from April 1. – PTI
Data reporting to be in line withRBI order: TransUnion CIBIL
Moratorium guidelinesin a statement.
The RBI announcement came as a relief to
the borrowers and affirmed commitment to
provide a comprehensive picture of each per-
son so they can be reliably and safely repre-
sented in the marketplace.
The company, the biggest among three play-
ers in the CIC (credit information companies)
market, said it is also working with members
to ensure more frequent and near-real-time
data reporting during these unprecedented
times.
“Reporting and monitoring daily nuances
of consumer behaviour trends will yield deep
insights for the industry to adjust policy and
lending. This will ensure support to consum-
ers and enable the lending bodies to transact
with confidence,” it said. – PTI
NEW DELHI, March 30:
Healthcare major Apollo
Hospitals today said it has
launched ‘Project Stay I’ with
500 rooms in select hotels
across the country in the first
phase with light medical su-
pervision for quarantine.
This effort is aimed at cre-
ating isolation and quarantine
facilities and reducing the
burden on hospitals provid-
ing acute care.
In partnership with HUL,
SBI,OYO, etc., Apollo Hospi-
tals plans to scale up this capac-
ity to up to 5,000 rooms where
patients can stay in isolation.
MUMBAI, March 30: In-
dustrialist Harsh Mariwala
today said he is spearhead-
ing a Rs 2.5-crore effort to
find solutions to limit the
impact of the coronavirus
pandemic.
Mariwala, along with two
non-profits, has set up the
corpus to find solutions for
fighting the spread of the vi-
rus within the next one
month.
Marico Innovation Founda-
tion (MIF) has invited med-
tech entrepreneurs, corpo-
rates and innovators to solve
the med-tech challenges
faced in the wake of ongoing
COVID-19 crisis with a prize
of Rs 2.5 crore, FMCG firm
Marico said in a statement
earlier in the day.
“We will look for solutions
that can be scaled up fast to
cover a large section of pop-
ulation, are affordable and can
be quickly implemented giv-
en that we are already in the
middle of things,” Mariwala
told PTI.
The solutions can be in
manufacturing ventilators,
personal protective equip-
ment, masks, etc., he added.
“Marico Innovation Foun-
dation is inviting med-tech
entrepreneurs, corporates
and innovators – in fact, any
person – who can provide
innovative solutions for two
Healthcare providers
New IndiaAssurance to offer
Rs 50-lakhinsurance coverage
NEW DELHI, March 30:
State-owned New India As-
surance has been entrusted
to provide insurance cover of
Rs 50 lakh to about 22 lakh
healthcare providers, who
are on the front-line of the
battle against coronavirus.
This was part of the Rs 1.70-
lakh Pradhan Mantri Garib
Kalyan package announced by
Finance Minister Nirmala Sith-
araman last Thursday.
“As announced by Finance
Minister Smt @nsitharaman
on March 26, @NewIndAs-
surance has issued detailed
guidelines for providing in-
surance cover of Rs 50 lakh
per person for 22.12 lakh
healthcare providers across
the country,” a tweet by the
Finance Ministry said today.
Doctors, nurses, paramed-
ics, sanitation workers and a
few others working in hospi-
tals under Central and State
governments will be covered
under the scheme. – PTI
MUMBAI, March 30: The Reserve Bank
today proposed to change the convenors of
State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) in
view of the merger of 10 public sector banks
into 4 with effect from April 1.
With the mega merger, 6 public sector
banks will cease to exist from April 1, neces-
sitating changes in the convenorship.
The convenorship of merged banks will be
transferred to anchor banks.
The government on March 4 notified the
amalgamation scheme as part of its consoli-
dation plan to create bigger and stronger
banks in the public sector.
As per the scheme, Oriental Bank of
Commerce and United Bank of India will
be merged into Punjab National Bank
(PNB); Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank;
Allahabad Bank into Indian Bank; and And-
Eye on scaling up capacity to 5,000 rooms
Apollo Hospitals launches projectwith 500 isolation rooms
‘Project Stay I’ (Stay Isolat-
ed) is a part of its ‘Project Ka-
vach’ announced last week by
Apollo Hospitals Group Chair-
man Prathap C Reddy to fight
the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Apollo along with our part-
ners commits to add up to
5,000 rooms where patients
can stay in isolation. These
will be 5,000 telemedicine,
medically supervised beds so
that those who are in isola-
tion stay in isolation and don’t
spread the infection to oth-
ers,” Apollo Hospitals Group
Joint MD Sangita Reddy said.
Isolation is not possible in
many Indian homes where 5-
7 people stay in the same
room and where they share
a bathroom, she said.
“So we realised for those
who can’t afford, there was
need to find capacity to cover
the cost, and HUL, SBI and
Deutsche Bank have come for-
ward and said for those who
cannot afford it they will cover
the cost of care,” she added.
“Apollo Hospitals is not charg-
ing for the the telemedicine
network or our medical super-
vision. Only the medicines will
be charged at actual costs and
the MRPs,” Reddy said. – PTI
Rs 25-cr contributiontowards PM-CARES
Fund announced
Patanjali to setup quarantine
centres inGuwahati, 4other places
NEW DELHI, March 30:
Ramdev-led Patanjali Ayurved
today announced a contribution
of Rs 25 crore and setting up
of five quarantine centres with
a total capacity of 1,500 beds
across the country to fight the
coronavirus pandemic.
The camps would be set
up in Haridwar (Uttara-
khand), Sadhupul (Himachal
Pradesh), Modinagar (UP),
Kolkata (West Bengal) and
Guwahati (Assam).
Besides, the employees of
Patanjali Ayurved, Patanjali
Dairy and Ruchi Soya (the
company acquired recently)
and other group companies
would also donate one-day
salary in the Prime Minis-
ter’s Citizen Assistance and
Relief in Emergency Situa-
tion Fund (PM-CARES
Fund), according to a state-
ment by the company.
“Yogi Ramdev has an-
nounced contribution of Rs
25 crore in the Prime Minis-
ter’s relief fund,” said the
statement.
It also said that Rs 1.50
crore from salary of staff of
Patanjali Ayurved, Patanjali
Dairy and Ruchi Soya will be
contributed to the fund.
It would also work in re-
search for finding solution to
the pandemic, it said. – PTI
RBI changes SLBC convenorshra Bank and Corporation Bank into Union
Bank of India.
Following the merger, PNB will become
the SLBC convenor of Delhi. Currently, the
responsibility rests with Oriental Bank of
Commerce, RBI said in a notification.
For Tripura and West Bengal too, conven-
orship will be transferred to PNB from Unit-
ed Bank of India, it said.
The new SLBC convenor for Andhra
Pradesh will be Union Bank of India as And-
hra Bank is being amalgamated with the
Mumbai-based lender.
Even for Karnataka, Syndicate Bank will
transfer the responsibility to Canara Bank
which is going to acquire the former.
Similarly, district lead bankers would also be
revamped. As many as 111 districts will see
new lead bankers beginning next fiscal. – PTI
Finding healthcare solutionagainst COVID-19
Marico announcesRs 2.5-cr prize
of the most dire needs today
in the country, namely low-
cost ventilators/respiratory
solutions and personal pro-
tective equipment.
“I, too, am making a
pledge in my personal capac-
ity, making the total grant
value to Rs 2.50 crore,” Mari-
wala said.
The window for the chal-
lenge is open for 30 days
starting March 29, 2020.
A team of evaluators has
been formed which will be
looking at the proposals and
choosing the ones to get the
grant.
Start-ups and entities that
are “launch-ready” will be
shortlisted by jury members
chaired by RA Mashelkar.
MIF will be supporting them
over the immediate and long-
er term.
“COVID-19 pandemic has
created an unprecedented
global crisis. We must create
and deploy breakthrough
technologies on a war foot-
ing and on a huge scale. We
at Marico Innovation Foun-
dation have fuelled purpose-
ful innovations in all walks of
life in India for close to two
decades now. But this pan-
demic requires specific solu-
tions here and now,” said
MIF Governing Council
Chairperson Raghunath
Mashelkar. – PTI
SEBI tells CRAs not to considerlockdown-linked loan repayment
delays as defaultNEW DELHI, March 30: Markets regulator SEBI today
asked credit rating agencies (CRAs) not to consider as default
any delay in payment of interest or principal loan amount
arisen solely due to the nationwide lockdown conditions.
The move follows a three-month moratorium on payment
permitted by the Reserve Bank of India to mitigate the bur-
den of debt servicing due to disruptions caused by the corona-
virus pandemic and to ensure continuity of viable businesses.
In a circular, the Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) said a differentiation in treatment of default, on a case-
to-case basis, needs to be made as to whether such default
occurred solely due to the lockdown or loan moratorium.
“Based on its assessment, if the credit rating agency is of
the view that the delay in payment of interest or principal has
arisen solely due to the lockdown conditions creating tempo-
rary operational challenges in servicing debt, including due to
procedural delays in approval of moratorium on loans by the
lending institutions, CRA may not consider the same as a
default event,” SEBI said. – PTI
10 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020
LEISURE & LIFESTYLE
07:45 Pratham Xongbad
14:00 Biyolir Headline
16:00 Abelir Khabar
16:30 Superfast Prime Time100
17:00 City18
18:00 Prime Time18
19:00 Dintur Shironam
20:00 Porjyobekhyon
21:30 Aparadh Nama
22:00 North East Scan
22:30 Noixo Xironam
08:30 Devotional Music
08:45 Swachh Bharat Batori
08.50 Batori
15:00 Vigyan Prasar
15:30 Classical Music
16:00 Abelir Batori
16:05 Akholor Juti
16:30 Chiphung
17:00 Nimishote Batori
17:02 DD Kisan TV Serial in Hindi
17:30 Krishi Darshan
18:00 Dharabahik
18:30 Batori
18:45 NE News
12:00 Teleshopping
13:00 Johnny Bravo
14:30 Haddi Mera Buddy
16:00 Dexter's Laboratory
17:30 Teleshopping
19:00 Lamput
19:30 Ben 10
20:00 Oggy And The ...
23:30 The Tom & Jerry Show
12:00 Chhota Bheem
12:30 Grizzy And The ...
13:30 Chhota Bheem
14:30 Grizzy And The ...
15:30 Chhota Bheem
16:00 Chhota Bheem Chatpat
16:30 Grizzy And The ...
17:30 Chhota Bheem
18:30 Chhota Bheem - Dholak-
pur to Kathmandu
20:00 Chhota Bheem
21:00 Grizzy And The ...
22:00 Mr. Bean: The Animated
23:00 M.A.D.
23:30 Teleshopping
LOCKHORNS
THE PHANTOM ® By Lee Falk
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE
BLONDIE
Know your DAYBy JACQUELINE BIGAR
HAPPY BIRTHDAY for Tuesday, March 31, 2020:
This year, you boost your earnings in a way that also expands some other
area of your life. You receive a bonus or unexpected insurance or royalty
check, and that person finally repays the money they owe you. If you are
working at something you love, you benefit the most. If single, your romantic
options burgeon. If attached, your love life is infused with excitement and
harmony. TAURUS is extra stubborn.
The Stars Show the Kind of Day You’ll Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-
Average; 2-So-so; 1-Difficult.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
HHH You’re building foundations for your creativity. It’s best to work
behind the scenes and avoid conflicts and confrontations. A change in
the home, an adjustment, is needed now. Clear up a situation that has lingered
too long. Tonight: Hold a family meeting.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)HHHH It’s a good day to express yourself through writing. Take what
you know and share it with others. As you go about your everyday life
look to the big picture. Expect an invitation to a social event. Tonight: Get
together with new and old friends.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
HHHHH You get a fresh start today. Be independent and avoid
negative people. You’re feeling a sense of abundance, and you expand
your horizons with a new purchase or new money arrives. You’re in a fortunate
position. Tonight: Start something new with your partner.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)HHHHH You’re at the top of your cycle with more energy released for
your career. Surround yourself with creative and adventurous people.
Trust your hunches and don’t be afraid to turn in a new direction. You’ve moving
forward. Tonight: Ask out a new friend.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
HHHH You gain insight into a matter from the past. Emotionally you
are feeling exceptionally well. You have deep access to your dreams.
Psychic experiences may come your way. Give yourself time to rest in between
working. Tonight: Go to bed early.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)HHHH You benefit as a result of social contacts, and friends play an
important role in your day. You are warm and receptive to what others
say, especially those involved in a group. Your charm and wit are appreciated.
Tonight: Surround yourself with creative people.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
HHHH Professional concerns take priority. You gain favor from the
bosses or the public. It’s a good day for sales and dealing with people.
You’re more responsive to the needs of others, especially co-workers. Tonight:
Write some serious career emails.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)HHHH Visualize the future and set your goals. An old cycle is ending
and a new one is about to begin. Look beyond the immediate. Search
for a new approach and perspective. Spiritual values surface, and your priori-
ties become super clear. Tonight: Take the night off.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
HHHH You take a renewed interest in matters of life and death, and
what comes afterward. You investigate and dig deep. While you may
read an interesting book on the subject, much of what you conclude comes
through your intuition. Tonight: Listen to a fascinating podcast.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)HHHHH New opportunities come your way related to a business
partnership. Your ideas are ripe. It’s a good time to start a new project
with another. A Taurus woman plays a prominent role. You might even want to
sign a contract. Tonight: Go out and celebrate.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
HHH You might be interested in changing your diet and taking on a
new exercise regimen. Stock up on herbs and vegetables. You are
ready to stretch out those muscles and joints in new ways and learn to breathe
deeply. Tonight: Make a tasty nutritious meal.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)HHH Be yourself, and be emotionally honest. In love there is greater
depth to a relationship. Your feelings tend to overpower your intellect
today. You are in touch with your creativity. You are also more nurturing toward
children. Tonight: Special time with family.
H H H
Thought for the dayYour struggles develop your strengths. When you go through
hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.– ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
Hope is only the ___ __ ___. – Henri-
Frédéric Amiel (4,2,4)
Words: Obese, spoil, vilify, vivify.Answer: Hope is only the love of life.
– Henri-Frédéric Amiel
Given below are four jumbled words. Solvethe jumbles to make proper words and movethem to the respective squares below. Selectthe letters in the shaded squares and jumblethem to get the answer for the given quip.
JUMBLED WORDSHEALTH CAPSULES®
by Bron Smith
Health Capsules is not intendedto be of a diagnostic nature.
CROSSWORD - 6857
Across: 1 Buddha, 5 Cry, 8 Asea, 9 Enol, 10 Nomads, 11 Jewel-
lery, 13 Lyre, 15 Gay, 16 Relax, 17 Cadge, 20 Bel, 22 Nee, 23 Sudsy,
24 Fauna, 26 Men, 27 Adam, 28 Affluence, 31 Adieus, 32 Ilks, 33
Loki, 34 His, 35 Etudes.
Down: 1 Bundle, 2 Demurred, 3 Hadj, 4 Assegai, 5 Cagey, 6 Yell,
7 Courage, 12 Wax, 14 Eels, 18 Anna, 19 Deadhead, 20 Buffalo, 21
Pancake, 24 Fen, 25 Amuses, 26 Meals, 29 Lash, 30 Edit.
SOLUTION
12:00 Deadly Game
13:00 Wild Families
14:00 World's Deadliest
15:00 Survival Of The Fittest
16:00 Dangerous Encounters
17:00 Wild Families
18:00 Wild Hunters
19:00 India's Lost Worlds
20:00 Survival Of The Fittest
21:00 Africa's Deadliest
22:00 Wild Amazon
23:00 Dangerous Encounters
12:00 Investigates: Lost Treas-
ures Of The Maya
13:00 Adventure: Primal ...
14:00 Adventure: Snakes in ...
15:00 Science: Street Genius
16:00 Adventure: Primal ...
17:00 Investigates: Airport Se-
curity Madrid
18:00 Science: Brain Games
18:30 Science: Science of ...
19:00 Science: Street Genius
19:30 Science: Science of ...
20:00 Wildlife: Animals Gone ...
20:30 Wildlife: Animal Fight Club
21:00 Adventure: Primal ...
22:00 Adventure: Running Wild
With Bear Grylls
23:00 Investigates: Banged up
Abroad
07:00 Breakfast Live08:00 Live at 809:00 Good morning Assam10:00 Assamese news11:30 Kotha Barta (R)12:00 Mid Day Live13:00 Assamese Telefilm14:30 Afternoon Prime17:30 Guwahati Bisesh18:00 Guwahati Live18:30 Breaking @ 6:3019:00 Assamesse Prime Time20:00 Discussion Show21:00 Super Prime Time22:00 Live at 1022:30 Noixo Guwahati
23:00 Noixo Batori
1700 Xopun1730 Barala Kai1830 Xopunor Aasutia Rang2000 Jonaki Kareng2030 Xopun2100 Oi Khapla2130 Bah Amarawati Bah2200 Borola Kai
13:00 Vivo IPL HLs
13:30 Vivo IPL – Themed
14:00 ICC Cricket WC
21:30 Best of ICC CWC
22:00 Vivo IPL HLs
23:00 Best of ICC CWC
23:00 Hero ISL HLs
13:00 Hero ISL HLs
13:30 Vivo IPL Heroes
14:00 Vivo IPL HLs
14:30 Vivo IPL – Themed
15:00 ICC Cricket WC
22:30 Best of ICC CWC
23:00 Vivo IPL HLs
13:30 Impact Wrestling
15:30 Beyond the Boundaries
16:00 Best of Ashes
16:30 Great Centuries
17:00 Impact One Night Only
18:00 The Olympics on the Record
18:30 India’s Finest
19:00 Impact One Night Only
20:00 Nail-Biting Finishes
21:00 India’s Finest
21:30 Memorable Masterstrokes
22:00 Colour Me Blue
22:30 Masters of Oz
23:00 Great Centuries
23:30 Impact One Night Only
13:00 UEL HLs14:00 WWE Smack Down15:00 March of Champions15:30 NBA HLs16:00 Formula E Street Racers16:30 Mobil 1 the Grid17:00 UCL HLs18:00 UEL HLs19:00 March of Champions19:30 Best of Serie A20:00 March of Champions20:30 Best of UCL HLs21:00 WWE Smack Down
11:10 Zaalim
13:45 Kahin Pyaar Na Ho
Jaaye
16:55 Champion
19:55 Sangharsh Aur Vijay
22:45 Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
11:30 Terminator 3: Rise of theMachines
13:50 League of Gods16:10 Bad Boys II18:50 Resident evil: Afterlife20:50 The Hobbit: The
Desolation of Smaug
11:00 Journey to the Center of
the Earth
12:40 Transformers: Age of
Extinction
15:30 Godzilla: King of the
Monsters
18:00 San Andreas
20:00 The Dark Knight
22:40 No Strings Attached
10:40 Hotel for Dogs
12:50 Crazy Rich Asians
14:25 Green Lantern
16:00 Cradle 2 the Grave
18:00 Cats & Dogs
19:25 After the Sunset
21:00 Catwoman
22:30 The Peacemaker
13:00 Cars 215:00 Kingsman: The Secret
Service17:10 The Lion King18:45 IP Man 220:45 Primeval22:30 The Hills Have Eyes 2
STAR MOVIES
22:30 The Hills Have Eyes 2
12:15 Deewane Huye Paagal
15:00 Beta
17:40 Commando 2
19:45 Hitler
22:15 Loafer the Hero
11:40 Holiday: A Soldier is
never off duty
14:40 Laadla
17:50 Businessman 2
20:55 Bruce Lee – The Fighter
23:40 Sardaar Gabbar Singh
12:00 Best Of Crime Patrol
19:00 Mere Sai - Shraddha Aur ..
19:30 Vighnaharta Ganesh
20:00 Isharon Isharon Mein
20:30 Patiala Babes
21:00 Beyhadh 2
21:30 Tara From Satara
22:00 Mere Dad Ki Dulhan
22:30 Crime Patrol Satark
23:30 Best Of Crime Patrol
12:00 Guddan Tumse Na ...
12:30 Kumkum Bhagya
13:00 Kundali Bhagya
13:30 Tujhse Hai Raabta
14:00 Guddan Tumse Na ...
14:30 Dil Ye Ziddi Hai
15:00 Choti Bahu
16:00 Pavitra Rishta
17:00 Kumkum Bhagya
17:30 Kundali Bhagya
18:00 Guddan Tumse Na ...
18:30 Tujhse Hai Raabta
19:00 Yeh Teri Galiyaan
19:30 Dil Ye Ziddi Hai
20:00 Guddan Tumse Na ...
20:30 Tujhse Hai Raabta
21:00 Kumkum Bhagya
21:30 Kundali Bhagya
22:00 Ishq Subhan Allah
22:30 Manmohini
23:00 Guddan Tumse Na ...
23:30 Kumkum Bhagya
12:30 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai
13:00 Yehh Jadu Hai Jinn Ka!
13:30 Kasautii Zindagii Kay
14:00 Kahaan Hum Kahaan Tum
14:30 Dadi Amma.. Dadi Amma ...
15:00 Diya Aur Baati Hum
16:00 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya
17:00 Sasural Genda Phool
18:00 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai
18:30 Sanjivani
19:00 Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala
19:30 Dadi Amma.. Dadi ...
20:00 Kasautii Zindagii Kay
20:30 Yehh Jadu Hai Jinn Ka!
21:00 Kahaan Hum Kahaan Tum
21:30 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai
22:00 Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke
22:30 Yeh Hai Chahatein
SOLUTION TO TRIBUNE CROSSWORD – 6857
11:40 Sketch
14:00 Baghban
18:10 Tadakha
20:55 Jersey
11:30 Hulchul14:50 Raid17:30 Coolie No. 119:55 Dumdaar Khiladi22:40 Khatta Meetha
Across
1 Indian
religious
leader (6)
5 Sob or weep
(3)
8 On the briny
(4)
9 Organic
compound (4)
10 Wandering
tribes (6)
11 Bracelets,
earrings, etc
(9)
13 Ancient
Greek
instrument (4)
15 Merry and
bright (3)
16 Loosen up
(5)
17 Beg (5)
20 Ten decibels?
(3)
22 Born in
France? (3)
23 Lathery (5)
24 Flora’s partner
(5)
26 Adult males (3)
27 First man (4)
28 Wealth (9)
31 Goodbyes (6)
32 Kinds, types
or sorts (4)
33 Norse god of
mischief (4)
34 Belonging to
him (3)
35 Musical
studies (6)
Down
1 Package (6)
2 Took exception
or raised
objection (8)
3 Trip to Mecca
(4)
4 African spear
(7)
5 Secretive (5)
6 Bellow (4)
7 Bravery (7)
12 Cerumen (3)
14 Snake-like
fishes (4)
18 Dancer
Pavlova (4)
19 Dullard (8)
20 Large wild
oxen (7)
21 Flapjack (7)
24 Marsh (3)
25 Entertains (6)
26 Repasts (5)
29 Whip (4)
30 Prepare for
press (4)
12:00 Forged In Fire
12:30 Pawn Stars
13:30 Storage Wars
14:00 Food Tech
15:00 OMG! Yeh Mera India
16:00 Forged In Fire
17:00 Storage Wars
17:30 Shipping Wars
18:00 Modern Marvels
19:00 Car Jackers
19:30 Pawn Stars
20:00 OMG! Yeh Mera India
21:00 Forged In Fire
22:00 Pawn Stars
22:30 Storage Wars
23:00 Forged In Fire
12:30 Jewels Of The Natural ...
13:00 Animal Planet Exclusives
13:30 Living With Maneaters
15:00 Fierce Fighters
16:00 The Beauty Of Snakes
17:00 Wild Africa: Rivers Of Life
18:00 Into The Wild India
19:00 Animal Planet Exclusives
20:00 Fierce Fighters
21:00 The Lion Kingdom
21:30 Jewels Of The Natural ...
22:00 Wildest Survival
23:00 Expedition Mungo
12:00 Happu Ki Ultan Paltan
13:30 Santoshi Maa Sunaye...
14:00 Ek Mahanayak Dr. B. R.
14:30 Gudiya Hamari Sabhi ...
15:00 Laal Ishq
19:00 Santoshi Maa Sunaye...
19:30 Happu Ki Ultan Paltan
20:00 Gudiya Hamari Sabhi ...
20:30 Ek Mahanayak Dr. B. R.
21:00 Santoshi Maa Sunaye...
21:30 Kahat Hanuman Jai ...
22:00 Happu Ki Ultan Paltan
22:30 Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain!
12:30 Naati Pinky Ki Lambi ...13:00 Choti Sarrdaarni13:30 Vidya14:00 Bigg Boss - Weekend ...16:00 Choti Sarrdaarni
16:30 Naati Pinky Ki Lambi Love17:00 Naagin Bhagya Ka ...18:00 Naati Pinky Ki Lambi Love18:30 Shubharamabh19:00 Vidya19:30 Choti Sarrdaarni20:00 Shakti Astitva Ke ...20:30 Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush21:00 Shubharamabh21:30 Naati Pinky Ki Lambi ...
STAR GOLD
19:55 Dumdaar Khiladi
Secretsof IPL
A new book on
the T20
revolution looks
into the failure
of teams like
RCB, and
success of CSK
Why is Royal Challengers Bangalore
one of the worst-performing teams in
the Indian Premier League (IPL),
despite having a batsman like AB de Villiers
and being captained by Virat Kohli? On the
other hand, why is Chennai Super Kings
(CSK) one of the best-performing teams,
despite boasting fewer superstars and an
ageing MS Dhoni as skipper?
The secret could lie in the teams’
captaincy styles. But more importantly, it
lies in the way T20 teams plan, strategise
and build themselves around a core group,
which CSK has done.
In this edition of Cricket 2.0: Inside the
T20 Revolution, Tim Wigmore and Freddie
Wilde take the reader on a whirlwind tour
of the cricket format that has taken the
world by storm.
From its inception when T20 was
accepted by a narrow vote of the Maryle-
bone Cricket Club, to its current global
popularity, from its original superstar Chris
Gayle to newcomers like Rashid Khan and
Sandeep Lamichhane, T20 has become a
phenomenon that has resurrected the game
of cricket.
From the sunny beaches of Trinidad and
Tobago, which gave the world a West Indian
team feared by its contemporaries, to the
HBO
20:00 The Dark Knight
WB
22:30 The Peacemaker
23:00 Best of Serie A23:30 Best of UCL HLs
13:00 Dana White Tuesday Night..15:30 UFC Ultimate Knockouts16:00 Unforgettable Moments16:30 Best of UCL17:00 March of the Champions17:30 NBA HLs18:30 March of the Champion19:00 UFC 20020:00 Serie A Golazo20:30 Olympic on the Record21:00 Best of UCL21:30 March of the Champions22:00 UFC 20023:00 Best of UCL
raucous stadiums of the IPL – today, one of
the world’s most valuable sport tourna-
ments, from India’s original rejection of T20
to ultimately embracing it, signalling a shift
in world cricket, Wigmore and Wilde break
down how T20 has changed the game
entirely, and why it may be the future of
cricket.
Wigmore is a journalist for the Daily
Telegraph, ESPNcricinfo, New York Times
and The Economist, specialising in cricket,
sports analytics and the business of sport. He
is also a weekly columnist for ‘i’ newspaper
(published in London by DAILY MAIL and
General Trust). He is also a former winner of
the CMJ Young Cricket Journalist of the Year,
and runner-up for the Ian Woodbridge Young
Sports Writer of the Year award. His first
book, Second XI: Cricket in its Outposts, was
named one of Guardian’s sports books of the
year for 2015.
Wilde works as an analyst and is on the
editorial team at the cricket data analytics
company CricViz, which provides services
to broadcasters, professional teams and
players. He is also a freelance journalist,
specialising in T20 cricket. He has written
for Cricket Monthly, All Out Cricket,
Cricbuzz, Wisden India and others.
(Source: IANS)
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020
SPORTSTHE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 11
LONDON, March 30: Eng-land captain Harry Kane saidthe Premier League seasonshould be cancelled if it cannotbe completed by the end of Junebecause of the coronavirus pan-demic.
The English top-flight is cur-rently suspended until at leastApril 30 due to the COVID-19outbreak, with a likely furtherdelay to be announced soon.
There is no clear idea aboutwhen or if football will be ableto resume, but Euro 2020 hasbeen cancelled, which opens awindow to bring domestic sea-sons to a conclusion in the sum-mer.
But Tottenham striker Kanedoes not want Premier Leaguechiefs to let the current cam-paign go past June or even thestart of what would be the 2020-21 season in August, as has
TOKYO, March 30: The Tokyo Olym-pics will open next year in the same timeslot scheduled for this year’s games.
Tokyo organisers said on Monday theopening ceremony will take place on July23, 2021 almost exactly one year after thegames were due to start this year.
Last week, the IOC and Japanese organ-isers postponed the Olympics until 2021because of the coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s games were scheduled toopen on July 24 and close on August 9.But the near exact one-year delay willsee the rescheduled closing ceremony onAugust 8.
There had been talk of switching the Olym-pics to spring, a move that would coincide withthe blooming of Japan’s famous cherry blos-soms. But it would also clash with Europeansoccer and North American sports leagues.
After holding out for weeks, local organ-isers and the IOC last week postponed theTokyo Games under pressure from athletes,national Olympic bodies and sports federa-tions. It’s the first postponement in Olym-pic history, though there were several can-cellations during wartime.
Both Tokyo organising committee pres-ident Yoshiro Mori and CEO Toshiro Mutohave said the cost of rescheduling will bemassive. Local reports estimate billions ofdollars with most of the expenses borne byJapanese taxpayers.
Muto promised transparency in calculat-ing the costs, and testing times decidinghow they are divided up.
Since it (the Olympics) were scheduledfor this summer, all the venues had given
KOLKATA, March 30: In-dian football icon BhaichungBhutia on Monday offeredshelter to migrant workers ofSikkim to tackle the ongoingcrisis arising out of the 21-daynationwide lockdown in thewake of the COVID-19 pan-demic.
Migrant workers of unor-ganised sectors, desperate toreturn home, have been bad-ly hit after the lockdown wasimposed from midnight onTuesday.
“The people who are affect-ed the most during the lock-down are migrant workers.There was a huge cue in Sik-kim border yesterday. I’ve gota new unfinished building inGangtok (Lumsey, Tadong). Itshould accommodate about100 people,” Bhutia told PTI.
Mary Komdonates one
month’s salaryNEW DELHI, March 30:
Six-time world championboxer MC Mary Kom onMonday said she will donateher one month’s salary as Ra-jya Sabha MP, amounting toRs 1 lakh, to the Prime Min-ister’s Relief Fund to combatthe COVID-19 pandemic inthe country.
“In view of the COVID-19pandemic, I wish to donate myone month’s salary to the PM’sNational Relief Fund. So,please debit an amount of Rs1,00,000 from my account,”Mary Kom said in a letter tothe bank where her salary ac-count is maintained.
The Manipuri, who is also aCommonwealth and AsianGames champion, became aRajya Sabha MP in 2016.
She recently qualified for hersecond Olympic Games, whichwas postponed to 2021 due tothe deadly outbreak. – PTI
Originating from Japan,
‘su do ku’ is a mind game
and a puzzle that can be
solved with proper
reasoning and logic. Fill
the grid with digits in such
a manner that every row,
every column and every
3 x 3 box accommodates
the digits 1 to 9 without
repeating any.
Solution of last problem
SU DO KU
SHANGHAI, March 30: Os-car and Hulk jetted in just in timebut fellow Brazilian Paulinho re-portedly heads a long list of for-eign stars locked out of China asthe country attempts to stopimported coronavirus cases.
There are no suggestions thatformer Barcelona midfielderPaulinho has the deadly disease,but China closed its borders atthe weekend to returning for-eigners, even those with workand residence permits.
Former West Ham Unitedstriker Marko Arnautovic is alsoamong the more than 30 over-seas players and coaches stillabroad, reports say, dealing an-other blow to hopes that theChinese Super League (CSL)season could begin any timesoon. Arnautovic’s ShanghaiSIPG had more luck with Os-car, Hulk and new signing Ricar-do Lopes, hastily chartering asmall aircraft to fly them backfrom Brazil.
They landed in Shanghai onFriday night along with theirfamilies, according to local me-dia, having departed Sao Pauloand making a brief stop in Maltato refuel.
IOA promisessupport
NEW DELHI, March 30:The Indian Olympic Associa-tion (IOA) on Monday prom-ised “support and contribu-tion” towards the country’sbattle to contain the deadlyCOVID-19 pandemic, sayingits member national federa-tions and state affiliates willalso step in to aid the cause.
In a statement posted on thebody’s Twitter handle, IOASecretary General RajeevMehta said, “We are deeplygrateful to all the front-lineworkers who are risking theirlives to fight this pandemic.”
In another tweet, the IOAsaid the cycling federation andthe Indian Golf Union have al-ready promised monetarycontributions to fight the out-break.
“The #Cycling fraternity iscommitted to the need of thenation in fighting the severityof COVID-19 crisis. @Official-CFI Chairman Mr OnkarSingh pledged a support of 1Lac Rupees on behalf of CFIfor this noble cause,” the IOAtweeted. – PTI
Pakistani squashgreat AzamKhan dies
KARACHI, March 30: Pa-
kistani squash legend Azam
Khan has died of coronavirusin London, his family said.
Azam, who won the British
Open title successively be-tween 1959 and 1961, had test-
ed positive for COVID-19 last
week and died at London’sEaling Hospital on Saturday.
He was 95.
Younger brother of the leg-endary Hashim Khan, Azam is
widely regarded as one of the
best squash players in theworld. He left playing due to
an Achilles tendon injury and
the tragic death of his 14-year-old son in 1962.
Even though he recovered
from his injury two years lat-er, Azam said he could not get
over the death of his son.
Born at Nawakille, a smallvillage outside Peshawar,
which is known for producingsquash world champions like
brothers Jahangir and Jansher
Khan.Azam had settled in the UK
in 1956. – PTI
NEW DELHI, March 30:The postponement of TokyoOlympics has come as a ray ofhope for injury-ravaged Indiangymnast Dipa Karmakar, whois preparing for another shotat qualification after a nigglingknee problem hampered herearlier bid to make the cut.
Karmakar, who finishedfourth at the 2016 Rio Olym-pics, has been struggling withinjuries ever since she under-went a surgery to treat an An-terior Cruciate ligament(ACL) injury in 2017. ACL isa key ligament that stabilisesthe knee joints.
Her comeback in 2018 wasshort-lived as the knee trou-bled her again at the ArtisticGymnastics World Cup inBaku last year. She was forcedto withdraw from the DohaWorld Cup as well and failed torecover in time for the World
ITTF suspendsall events till
June 30NEW DELHI, March 30:
The International Table Ten-
nis Federation (ITTF) has sus-pended all planned events till
June 30 and froze the world
rankings due to the upheavalcaused by the dreaded COV-
ID-19 pandemic.
The ITTF Executive Com-mittee met on Sunday to dis-
cuss the effects of the coronavi-
rus outbreak on the internation-al table tennis events schedule.
“Due to the continued un-
certainty caused by COVID-19 pandemic and postpone-
ment of Tokyo 2020 Olympic
and Paralympic Games, theITTF Executive Committee
reached the following deci-
sions: Suspension of all cur-rently planned ITTF events
and activities that involve in-
ternational travel until 30 June2020,” ITTF said in a state-
ment. – PTI
Scrap season if it can’t be finishedby end of June, says Kane
been suggested in some quar-ters.
“I know the Premier Leaguewill do everything they can tofinish the season, and that they
are looking at every optionpossible,” Kane said in an In-stagram Live conversation withformer Liverpool star JamieRedknapp.
“I think, for me, we do needto try to finish the season. Butthere needs to be a point whereenough is enough.
“Playing into July or August
and pushing next season back Idon’t see too much benefit inthat. But obviously I don’t knowtoo much about behind thescenes and financially.
“Probably the limit for meis the end of June. If the sea-son is not completed by theend of June we need to lookat the options and just look
forward to next season.” Pre-mier League matches couldpotentially be staged behindclosed doors in a bid to com-plete this campaign once the
Playing into July orAugust and pushingnext season back I don’tsee too much benefit inthat. But obviously Idon’t know too muchabout behind the scenesand financially.
– Harry Kane
“
current lockdown in Britainis over.
Kane does not think draggingout the season will help anyonethough, especially if it delays thenext term.
“The further this season ispushed on, it would have such abig knock-on effect for nextseason, with the Euros in 2021,and even World Cup 2022. Butthat’s just my opinion,” he said.
“Football is secondary at themoment. I know there stillhave to be plans in place, andI’m sure everyone is trying todo that.
“All that is out of my handsthough, there’s nothing I cando personally, so from my pointof view we’ve just got to waitand see what happens. Hope-fully this clears up as soon aspossible, and we can try to getback to normal.” – AFP
up hosting any other events during this time,so how do we approach that? Muto asked.
“In addition, there will need to be guar-antees when we book the new dates, andthere is a possibility this will incur rent pay-ments. So there will be costs incurred andwe will need to consider them one by one.I think that will be the tougher process.”Katsuhiro Miyamoto, an emeritus profes-sor of sports economics at Kansai Univer-sity, puts the costs as high as $4 billion. Thatwould cover the price of maintaining stadi-ums, refitting them, paying rentals, penal-ties and other expenses.
Japan is officially spending $12.6 billion toorganise the Olympics. However, an auditbureau of the Japanese government says thecosts are twice that much. All of the spend-ing is public money except $5.6 billion froma privately funded operating budget.
The Switzerland-based International Ol-ympic Committee is contributing $1.3 bil-lion, according to organising committeedocuments. The IOC’s contribution goesinto the operating budget.
Bach has repeatedly called the TokyoOlympics the best prepared in history. How-ever, Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso alsotermed them cursed. Aso competed inshooting in the 1976 Olympics, and was bornin 1940.
The Olympics planned for 1940 in Tokyowere cancelled because of World War II.
The run-up to the Olympics also saw IOCmember Tsunekazu Takeda, who also head-ed the Japanese Olympic Committee,forced to resign last year amid a briberyscandal. – AP
Tokyo Olympics rescheduledfor July 23-August 8 in 2021
Tokyo Games postponement rekindles Dipa’s Olympic hopes
I willgivemy bestto return to form andhopefully I can do well andqualify. But having said that,what is important right nowis that we defeat thiscoronavirus, that is thepriority.
– Dipa Karmakar
“
Artistic Gymnastics Champi-onship in October, 2019.
“There were eight WorldCups but now there are onlytwo left, which were sup-posed to happen in March butgot postponed to June due tocoronavirus outbreak,” Kar-makar told PTI in an interview.
“Given the situation theyperhaps will happen next year.So it gives me more time torecover and prepare for thetwo events,” she added.
The COVID-19 pandemic,which has killed thousands andinfected lakhs worldwide,forced the postponement ofthe Tokyo Games last week.Karmakar hoped the extratime to get back to form willcome in handy for her.
“I will give my best to re-turn to form and hopefully Ican do well and qualify. Buthaving said that, what is im-
portant right now is that wedefeat this coronavirus, that isthe priority,” said the 26-year-old, the first Indian fe-male gymnast to compete inthe Olympics.
Karmakar’s long-timecoach Bishweshwar Nandialso said this postponementhas renewed Karmakar’shopes.
“She is fit now. Shehas completely re-covered from the in-jury but in gymnas-tics, you have to slow-ly start the process oftraining and Dipa hadstarted her basic prac-tice late last monthwhen this coronavi-rus outbreak hap-pened,” the Dronach-arya awardee said.
“She will be backto her best in 3-4
months and since there arestill two events left, we cantake another shot at the Ol-ympics. See, in gymnastics,injuries happen a lot but I’mhopeful that she will take it asa challenge.
“She will need two silver orone gold and a silver in the twotournaments. We will not leaveany stone unturned and I hope
she will be able to perform.”Karmakar, who won a gold
at the 2018 Artistic Gymnas-tics World Challenge Cup inTurkey, supported the post-ponement of the Olympics andurged people to stay home tofight the coronavirus out-break.
“I appeal to the peopleto stay home and main-
tain hygiene, wash hands regu-larly. It is extremely importantto follow the lockdown proper-ly, so that we can win this fight,”said Karmakar, who was con-ferred the Rajiv Gandhi KhelRatna award in 2016. – PTI
Bhutia offers shelter tomigrant workers
“I’ve offered any migrantworker who does not have anyhouse to stay there. We willalso provide them some basicration. I’m also working withthe local authorities to see howit can be done. We can supportand work together.”
Bhutia further said he’s intouch with the local adminis-tration to arrange for medicalservices.
“Not a single case of coronapositive as of now. So that they(migrant workers) are safefrom corona. Doctors can alsocheck. We are trying to re-quest the government. At leastthey will be safe from the coro-navirus in the house when theborders have been shut andlocked. They are badly hit theydon’t have anywhere to go.”
Bhutia also posted this on his
official Facebook page with aphone number of his club Unit-ed Sikkim’s senior managerArjun Rai. – PTI
Paulinho locked out of China
The trio will now spend 14days in isolation as required bythe Chinese government for allarriving foreigners, whichshould also prevent any poten-tial spread of coronavirus to therest of the SIPG squad.
But Brazilian internationalPaulinho, 31, and compatriotAnderson Talisca failed to makeit back to CSL championsGuangzhou Evergrande, theGuangzhou Daily said.
Shanghai Shenhua’s Colom-bian international Gio Morenois another stranded at home af-ter many international airroutes were suspended be-
cause of the virus outbreak.Marouane Fellaini, Shan-
dong Luneng’s former Man-chester United midfielder, isthe only known coronaviruscase in the CSL, having recent-ly returned to China.
It is unclear when China willlift its restrictions on the entryof foreigners, having announcedthe “temporary” measure onThursday. It also slashed thenumber of international flightsserving the country.
Fabio Cannavaro, the ItalianWorld Cup-winning captain andEvergrande coach, is in Chinaand posted pictures of himselfriding his bike at the weekendhaving completed a period ofquarantine.
The CSL season was sup-posed to begin on February 22but was indefinitely postponedafter the coronavirus emergedin the central Chinese city ofWuhan in December.
It has since developed into apandemic, killing or infectinghundreds of thousands of peo-ple across the world, althoughthe number of locally transmit-ted cases in China has suppos-edly dwindled. – AFP
MELBOURNE, March 30:Spin great Shane Warne onMonday picked his fierce ri-val Sachin Tendulkar as thebatsman to bat in any condi-tions and called his formerskipper Steve Waugh a matchsaver rather than a match-winner.
One of the greatest spinnersto have played the game, Warnewas engaged in an Instagramlive session with his fans.
When the discussion turnedto the best batsman in his time,the 50-year-old Warne said, “IfI have to choose any batsmanto bat in any conditions, it is areal toss-up between Ten-dulkar and Lara, but I wouldjust choose Tendulkar.”
“If we have to chase 400runs on the last day, I woulddefinitely pick Lara,” added theleg-spinner who ended his il-lustrious career with over 700Test wickets.
“There were these twoguys, then there was daylightand after that, the rest of thebatsmen came.”
Tendulkar played a worldrecord 200 Tests andamassed 15,921 runs with anaverage 53.78 while in 463ODIs, he tallied 18,426 runsat 44.83.
While Lara played 131 Testsand scored 11,953 runs withan average of 52.88. In 299ODIs he accumulated 10,405runs. – PTI
KARACHI, March 30: Paki-stan batsman Umar Akmal hasdecided against challenging theshow cause notice issued to himby the Pakistan Cricket Boardin which the governing body ac-cused him of breaching theAnti-Corruption Code.
A source close to the bats-man said he had submitted hisreply to the show cause noticeissued to him earlier this monthand he had not challenged thecharges against him.
“Umar has not challengedthe charges and admitted thathe made a mistake in not fol-lowing the adopted procedurein such cases,” the source said.
The PCB Anti-Corruption
officials had charged Umar within two separate cases of notreporting an approach made tohim to spot fix matches in thePakistan Super League 5.
Umar, who was provisional-ly suspended on February 20and barred from playing in thePakistan Super League for hisfranchise Quetta Gladiators,has been charged for breach-ing Article 2.4.4 of PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code.
“The code pertains to failingto disclose to the PCB Vigilanceand Security Department(without unnecessary delay) fulldetails of any approaches or in-vitation received by the Partic-ipant to engage in Corrupt Con-
duct under the Anti-CorruptionCode.”
The Pakistan board had giv-en Umar until March 31 to re-spond.
According to the Anti-Cor-ruption Code Article 6.2, therange of permissible period ofineligibility for those chargedand found guilty for a violationof Article 2.4.4 is a minimum ofsix months and a maximum ofa lifetime.
Umar, 29, has had a cheq-uered career since making hisdebut in August, 2009 and hassince just managed to play 16Tests, 121 ODIs and 84 T20 in-ternationals despite making acentury on Test debut. – PTI
Umar Akmal not to challengePCB’s show cause notice
Tendulkar is my batsman tobat in any conditions: Warne
12 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2020
Printed and published by Ganesh Ch. Das on behalf of Assam Tribune Pvt. Ltd. at the Tribune Press, Tribune Buildings, P.O.- Assam Tribune, M.R.D. Road, Chandmari, Guwahati-781003. Tel. 0361-2660102 (EPABX), 0361-2661360, 0361-2668807 (News Desk), FAX 0361-2666396. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]. Editor: Prafulla Govinda Baruah
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