The Observer Vol 20 Issue 17

The Observer An IIJNM publication

West Bengal traders face uncertain future amidst reduced sales due to surge in Covid cases | P 3

Vol 20, Issue 17

Thursday, May 4, 2021

IPL PUT ON HOLD

Balaji affected, entire CSK goes in isolation

By Abhishek Saini

T

News briefs Schools must reduce fees for online classes As the Covid-19 pandemic forced closure of schools with a shift to online classes, the Supreme Court said educational institutions must reduce fees as their running costs have come down as campus remains closed.

Oxygen tankers must have tracking device The centre made it mandatory for all oxygen tankers to be fitted with a vehicle location tracking device to monitor and to ensure no delay or diversion.

The suspension of IPL has left fans disappointed | Courtesy: iplt20.com being monitored by the BCCI and CSK medical teams. The rest of the Super Kings squad will remain in isolation as per IPL protocols,” the statement said.

IPL protocols demand a sevenday isolation period following the detection of a Covid-19 case.

With the Chennai Super Kings squad going in a week-long isolation, Wednesday evening’s match between CSK and Rajasthan Royals has been postponed.

The Economic Times reported that a source from the Sunrisers Hyderabad has confirmed the team’s wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha has tested pos-

@theweeklyobserver Epaper:https://issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs Website: http://www. theweeklyobserver.in

Cancellation of marriages adversely affects incomes of wedding hall owners in Sitamarhi | P 4

Several players and others test positive

he ongoing 14th edition of the Indian Premier League has been temporarily suspended after multiple players from various franchises tested positive for Covid-19.

“The Indian Premier League Governing Council (IPL GC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in an emergency meeting has (sic) unanimously decided to postpone IPL 2021 season with immediate effect,” IPL tweeted on Tuesday.

Speaking to ANI, BCCI vicepresident Rajiv Shukla said: “IPL has been suspended, we will see whether we can reschedule it. It is not cancelled. It is just suspended for now.”

This announcement comes after Chennai Super Kings released a statement saying their entire squad will remain in isolation after their bowling coach Lakshmipati Balaji and a member of the travel support staff tested positive for the virus.

“They have been isolated… are

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itive for Covid-19 as well.

These were the latest positive results to be detected among the players of IPL teams.

On Sunday, two players from Kolkata Knight Riders – Varun Chakaravarthy and Sandeep Warrier – had tested Covid positive. Due to this, match 30 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and KKR, scheduled for May 3, was postponed.

The suspension of the tournament has left cricket-lovers disappointed, though they feel it was a necessary decision.

“It was high time the IPL was suspended, keeping in mind the

number of cases in the country.

Once players started leaving the tournament, suspending the tournament became a matter of when, and not if,” said Ankit Sharma, a Chennai Super Kings supporter.

Namit Bhargava, an RCB fan, informed The Observer: “The only emotional escape during these tragic times has been taken away, but I feel it is a practical decision to postpone the match.”

Duttnath Thakur, an ardent cricket follower, said: “The suspension of the league is a reminder of the tragedy that we are surrounded by. I sympathize with the players who are having to deal with the psychological and physical pressures of isolation.”

After the 2020 edition of IPL in Dubai, BCCI decided to hold the current edition in India at six venues – New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata. The home-and-away format was done away with.

Ending with a note of thanks, the IPL statement read: “The BCCI would like to thank all the healthcare workers, state associations, players, support staff, franchises, sponsors, partners and all the service providers who have tried their best to organise IPL 2021 even in these extremely difficult times.” abhishek.s@iijnm.org

Manufacture of Remdesivir up three-fold, says minister

By Padmini Dhruvaraj

A

mid the increasing demand for remdesivir, the Centre on Tuesday said the production of the antiviral drug has achieved three times the production capacity.

Union minister for state chemical and fertiliser, Mansukh Mandaviya said India’s remdesivir manufacturing capacity, earlier 38.8 lakh vials per month, has now been increased to 1.16 crore vials per month.

Remdesivir is an anti-malaria injection used to treat symptomatic Covid-19 patients.

The DCGI approved the emergency use of remdesivir on June 1, 2020. Thereafter, it has been used widely in the country. Multiple scams, thefts and long queues outside hospitals, and pharmacies have been seen in the name of remdesivir.

India is registering more than 3,000 deaths every day. On May 1, India’s daily Covid-19 cases created a global record of four lakh.

The vaccination campaign for those aged 18 and up has started on a bleak owing to a vaccine shortage in the country. Ramping up remdesivir production could come as a hope topatients, experts say. padmini.d@iijnm.org

Didi to become CM for 3rd time today

By Upasana Banerjee Kolkata: Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee will be sworn in as chief minister of West Bengal for a third term at 10.45am on Wednesday.

Banerjee won the most important match of her life, which was popularised by the term “khela hobe” (We will play): Her party crossed the two-thirds mark in the 294-seat assembly and gained an unparalleled 48 per cent of the popular vote.

On Monday evening, she handed her resignation along with the list of newly elected MLAs to governor Jagdeep

Didi’s party won with 48 percent of the popular vote | Courtesy: KPN Dhanker at Raj Bhavan.

Though TMC witnessed a landslide victory, Banerjee lost to her associate-turned-rival Suvendu

Adhikari in Nandigram by a margin of 1,956 votes.

Political analyst and senior journalist Damodar Prasad informed The Observer: “She, being in politics for over 40 years, knows every nook and corner of Bengal and its various socio-political factors. Bengal has always maintained its great political leadership. Though it showed a declining trend for a few years, it has again picked up pace.”

“She should reform her party and become pro-people and include every section of the population, even those who voted against her, and implement better schemes for them,” Political

analyst, Prasad said.

Political experts say she should, expand the industrial sector along with rural schemes.

On Sunday, Banerjee said handling the pandemic would be her first priority. She asked her party workers to follow the norms of mask wearing and maintaining physical distancing.

After assuming the office, she is expected to provide a minimum basic income to around 1.6 crore families under government schemes. Under it, eligible general-category families will get a monthly cash transfer of Rs 500 every month.

Continued on page 4

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NATION

Fliers spend thousands in private facilities as random tests stop States ask for results not older than 72 hours

By Padmini Dhruvaraj Bengaluru: The BBMP’s decision to stop random Covid testing has forced people booked on flights to pay thousands of rupees to get tested in private facilities.

Bikram Mandal, a student at the Wisdom Correspondence College, Bengaluru, said: “I had to go back to Kolkata. Since airlines have made it mandatory to get a negative Covid-19 certificate, all my batchmates had to pay Rs 800 to get the RT-PCR test (done) as the government has stopped free (random) testing.”

As India battles the second wave of Covid-19, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Assam have made it mandatory for passengers to get tested before boarding a flight. A few other states test passengers after they land. The test results shouldn’t be older than 72 hours before travel.

Arunaditya Aima, a student of the Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media, said: “After the lockdown, I had to travel to Delhi immediately and had to pay Rs 1,600 for my RT-PCR test at a private hospital to get my report within 24 hours. As I had to leave immediately, I had no option.”

The Technical Advisory Com-

The Observer Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Words of the day Succumb:To yield to a superior force Conciliatory: intended to make someone less angry Abjure: to renounce, avoid, or reject solemnly Dross: Something of low value or quality Amicable: Characterized by friendly goodwill Herald: to announce or greet with enthusiasm Epicure: one who appreciates fine food and wine Boffice : a bed used as a workspace by someone who works from home Brewstered: “Wealthy, rich and very well off person.”

Amirite: is an informal variant spelling of the phrase 'am I right' Ecoanxiety: is a kind of anxiety caused by the dread of environmental perils

Across the nation

BBMP stopping random Covid tests in the city is burdening the common public | Courtesy - KPN mittee, which met on April 24, longer have to do random testing gen tests (RAT) from 7,000 in advised suspension of random in colleges, bus stands and rail- April first week to 14,000 in the testing until further notice. Pri- way stations. last week of April. vate labs charge Rs 800-1,050 for Dr Siddappaji, public health ofBBMP special commissioner the RT-PCR test, and the testing ficer (east), told The Observer (health) P. Rajendra Cholan, intime varies from two to five days. ,“It’s a little relief for us as our formed The Hindu: “The commuPriti Singh, a student at the doctors are overworked. But this nity spread has been confirmed, JSS Academy of Technical Edu- way we can ramp up vaccination so we decided to stop random cation, said they were tested for drives in the city .” testing. We have increased RAT free at a PHC on April 23, and According to state health de- to help us identify cases quicker.” she got her report two days later. partment data, Karnataka’s With the positive cases and “After this, free testing stopped. I Covid-19 tally leapt to 16 lakh on number of covid-19 deaths are had to pay Rs 1200 to get tested Sunday. Of these, 4.5 lakh were rapidly increasing every week in again in a private clinic.” active cases. The positivity rate the city, BBMP would have to With a lockdown in place, inter- rose to 14.3% in April from 2.3% ramp up testing and provide easy and intra-state travel via road in March. This is proof of commu- testing access to those waiting to has been stopped. PHCs in the nity transmission in Bengaluru. board domestic flights. city see this as a relief as they no The BBMP doubled rapid anti- padmini.d@iijnm.org

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Khelo India hockey left without a venue due to COVID-19

Shifting tourney to another city being considered

By Abhishek Saini

Panchkula: A delay in the construction of an astro-turf hockey ground due to the second wave of Covid-19 has left the 2021 Khelo India Youth Games hockey tournament without a venue.

“The astro-turf hockey ground has been proposed to be built at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex, but now due to the second wave and the lockdown, plans have come to a halt,” Rajinder Gupta, district sports and youth affairs officer, Panchkula said.

After the third edition of the Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati, Haryana was selected to host the fourth edition. The city of Panchkula, which houses the Tau Devi Lal Sport Complex, was chosen to host a majority of the events. It expects 10,000 players and officials to participate games.

“We already have a world-class multi-purpose hall and badminton hall. The hockey turf was also set to come up. Even funding was cleared by the ministry, but

The astro-turf hockey ground that was proposed to be built at Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex is now delayed due to the Covid -19 second wave | Courtesy: KPN now we have hit a roadblock,” rector, ministry of sports and are already planned to happen in added Rajinder Gupta. youth affairs, Haryana, said: “We Ambala. We spent close to Rs 6 With the games scheduled to be had earmarked a budget of crore on the Army complex that’ll held in November, Gupta hopes around Rs 6-8 crore for the host these two events. So we the second wave will subside at hockey turf. We were now could also shift the hockey tourthe earliest and work on the preparing to release the tender, nament to another city,” Sharma hockey turf can be resumed. aslo but the covid 19 second wave told The Observer.

As reported in The Indian Ex- has ruined our plans.”

However, he agrees that having press in June 2020, Haryana Sharma does not rule out the multiple events scheduled in difsports minister Sandeep Singh possibility of shifting the venue of ferent cities might lead to logistihad promised that any infrastruc- the Khelo India hockey tourna- cal problems for the organisers. tural shortcomings would be re- ment to any another city.

“We will try our best to get the solved before the games.

“Two events during the games turf built in Panchkula or go to Arunkant Sharma, deputy di- – gymnastics and swimming – the nearby city of Chandigarh.”

The lack of an astro-turf in Panchkula also proves to be a hindrance in training budding hockey players in the city.

Meena Siwach, a hockey coach at the Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector-7, Panchkula, said: “Our city does not have a proper hockey ground.

I am unable to give them proper training as an astro-turf requires a different technique than the surface we play on.”

Players from Siwach’s academy travel to Chandigarh to play competitive matches. They struggle on a different surface there.

Citizens of Panchkula are hoping that the games are successfully held in their city.

“I often go and watch football and cricket matches at the sports complex. It woud be great if the hockey turf is built and the tournament is held in Panchkula,” said Satbir Singh, a resident said.

The Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex has held various major sporting events like Indian Cricket League, Pro Kabaddi League and I-League in the past.

With the complex having all major sporting facilities available, the people of Panchkula now long to see a world- class hockey pitch built in the complex. abhishek.s@iijnm.org

NATION

The Observer Thursday, May 4, 2021

Partial lockdown in W Bengal has small merchants worried Fear they will incur more losses this year

By Upasana Banerjee Kolkata: A partial shutdown in West Bengal is making small merchants and owners of businesses anxious. They fear they will incur huge financial losses like they did last year.

The state government has announced stricter curbs to control the rising number of Covid-19 cases. This includes a complete closure of shopping malls, gyms, beauty parlours, restaurants, bars and sports complexes.

Ranjan Sarker, owner of Sarker Textiles, informed The Observer: “We anyway don’t get as many customers as we used to get earlier. Now if the government shuts us, where we will stand in the market. The traders who supply us material can’t reach us.”

The government has allowed half of the standalone shops in markets to remain open for two hours in the morning and the other half shops to open for two hours in the evening.

Milan Das, who runs a vegetable shop at the entrance of a market, said: “This two-hour

In the second Covid wave, people are more scared than they were during the first wave. Absence of hospital beds, and the scarcity of oxygen are making them anxious. | Courtesy: KPN slot a day will create more gym till further notice.” crowds and chaos, but the governIn the second Covid wave, peoment doesn’t understand. We ple are more scared than they have to feed our children. We are were during the first wave. The at a loss anyhow.” absence of hospital beds, and the The Kolkata Municipal Corpo- scarcity of oxygen and medicines, ration is looking to impose are making them anxious. They stricter measures. The contain- complain the partial lockdown is ment zones of Maniktala, causing them trouble.

Kankurgachi, Bhowanipore, BalRestricted times for shopping, lygunge and Dhakuria are under and the complete closure of most heavy alert with restricted move- public places, has left the shopment of people and vehicles. keepers despondent.

Raja Goswami, trainer and Rupa Banerjee, a homemaker, manager at Force Fitness Gym, said: “We have a lot of work at said: “We support the govern- home. Restricted time for shopment’s decision because health is ping has made things very hectic the most important thing now. for me, but to save our lives, we We have completely closed the have to abide.”

Passengers hit as IndiGo airline cancels its Kolkata-Shillong flights Carrier has now stopped flights till May 15

By Queeneerich Kharmawlong Shillong: The suspension of flights from Kolkata to Shillong has affected travellers badly.

Manesh Kumar Agrawal, director, Shillong airport, informed The Observer: “The Umroi Airport of Shillong is fully operational. However, there are no flights coming in.”

“We are getting phone calls regarding flight availability to Umroi as most of the Shillong residents prefer the comfort of Shillong airport due to safety precautions taken by the airport authorities. Also, it is less crowded than the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati, reducing the risk of getting infected by Covid19,” he added.

IndiGo, which suspended flights between Kolkata and Shillong for eight days last month, has now extended the suspension until May 15 due to the continuous rise in Covid cases.

The Shillong airport authority tweeted that IndiGo had ex-

The airport authority has advised fliers to approach the carrier with questions about flight rescheduling and refunds. IndiGo is the only airline that connects Kolkata to Shillong. | Courtesy: airbus.com tended the suspension of its Shillong operations until May 15, but did not give any reason. But sources at the authority said the decision was taken in view the pandemic situation.

Febbard Lyngdoh, a student at SRFTI, Kolkata, who recently travelled to Shillong, shared: “I had to come home urgently due to rising case of Covid-19 in Kolkata. My first choice was Umroi airport.” But there was no flight available to Umroi.

“Umroi aiport was much safer and convenient for me and my parents to reach Shillong easily,” Lyngdoh added.

IndiGo suspended daily flights

between Kolkata and Shillong for eight days starting April 22.

The airport authority has advised fliers to approach the carrier with questions about flight rescheduling and refunds.

IndiGo representatives were unavailable for comment on the suspension of flights.

IndiGo is the only airline that connects Kolkata to Shillong. According to an official, the private carrier resumed service on the route in February 2021 after closing it for nearly ten months due to Covid-19. The passenger load has increased to 90 per cent, the official added. queeneerich.k@iijnm.org

Traders and merchants who are yet to recover from last year’s losses are expecting fresh losses now. They fear that not much work can be done during a strict partial lockdown.

Sushil Poddar, president of the Confederation of West Bengal Trade Association, said: “We have requested the government to open markets slowly. We have asked our consumers to buy products, assuring them that enough stocks will be available. This is to ensure smooth running of industries.”

Asked whether the association will give small traders any financial help, he added: “It will not be possible for us to provide any such help; but if there is any small-scale trader who is in a poor condition, we might reach out to them.”

With the West Bengal assembly elections concluding, owners of small businesses are expecting that the re-elected Trinamool Congress government will bring an end to their misery and introduce better policies to revive their businesses in the midst of Covid.

In view of rising Covid-19 cases, the state government imposed a partial lockdown on April 28. It was on May 1 made stricter by bringing retail shops and standalone shops in the time bracket of 7- 10am and 3-5pm. upasana.b@iijnm.org

3 Quiz 1.Which organisation has released the ‘Global Forest Goals Report 2021’?

2. The SDRF contribution is released in two equal instalments to the states, as per the recommendation of?

3. Litani river and Qaraoun lake, which were making the news recently, are located in which country?

4. As per the recent SEBI Guidelines, what % salary of top executives be paid in mutual fund units?

5. Which type of mummy was discovered for the first time in the Warsaw Mummy Project?

6. Which Indian insurance company has featured in the top 10 list of most valuable insurance brands globally?

7. Which space agency has recently launched a new batch of 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit?

8. What is Patania II, which was seen in the news recently, for being stranded on the Pacific Ocean floor?

9. Which state has been permitted by the Civil Aviation Ministry to use drones for experimental delivery of vaccines?

10. Chota Char Dham is located in which state?

Answers on Page 4

Weather Maximum temperature: degrees celsius Minimum temperature: degrees celsius Precipitation: 1% Humidity: 68% Wind: 10 km/h

Statewise Covid-19 stats

33 21

NATION

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The Observer Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Cancellations hit Bihar marriage halls State govt has capped No. of attendees at 50

By Nishant Kumar Sitamarhi: The second wave of Covid-19 has adversely affected Sitamarhi’s marriage halls. With business faltering, owners of the halls are at their wits’ end.

According to the Bihar government’s new guidelines, not more than 50 people can participate in a wedding. The decision came into effect after the state recorded a spike in cases.

The owner of Ashirwad marriage hall, Amit Kumar, informed The Observer: “We have lost around 40 marriage bookings since the lockdown and had to return their money. As only 50 people are allowed, people have started to have weddings inside their own campuses which lets them save money.”

Marriage hall owners, who suffered huge losses in the past, say sanitization in the marriage has become a big challenge.

Birendra Yadav, whose daughter’s marriage was deferred due to the second wave of the pandemic, said: “I postponed the

Marriage hall owners say maintaining sanitation in the marriage venues is a big challange | Nishant Kumar marriage to the end of this year hoping that cases will go down.”

Almost every marriage hall, regardless of its size, gets at least 20 bookings every normal season.

Hall owners charge in the range of Rs 80,000-Rs 1.5 lakh.

“If I pay Rs 1.2 lakh on a marriage hall, then I would want to

call all my relatives which is not possible in the current situation,” added Yadav.

The state government has banned the use of musical bands in marriages, putting a lot of band companies out of businesses. The restrictions also have badly affected flower vendors,

Govt decision will make final-year medicos slaves: Resident doctors Statement says ‘government making doctors scapegoats’

mehendi artists, caterers and tent house providers.

Rajesh Kumar, owner of Sitamarhi’s Taj Band, said: “Even though the government has allowed marriage halls to be open, the use of musical bands is still prohibited since the first lockdown. Many of our competitors

Mamata plans for additional superspeciality hospitals Continued from page 1

E

ach SC/ST family will get Rs 1,000 monthly. This money will reach the women heads of families.

Besides, thousands of families will receive door-to-door ration supply from the state government for free. There are plans to renovate and construct more superspeciality hospitals in the state to fight against the Covid-19

Bengaluru: Resident doctors have condemned the Centre’s decision to make final-year medical students work as full-time doctors amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors, in a statement on Tuesday, said the decision will create a slave-like system for the medical students of final year.

The Centre’s measure will force final-year students to work as

“bonded labour” for the next six months during the second wave of Covid-19, the statement said.

They will work without scholarships, job security or waiving of exams. The statement, they posted, criticised the decision as ‘an act of heighest disgust.’

The government’s decision, which will lower the morale of doctors, “is the final nail in the coffin for medical education in India and brought at the time of Covid-19 pandemic”, the associa-

tion said in the statement.

“The tragedy for resident doctors is bigger than the pandemic itself with the government making doctors scapegoats,” the statement said.

Resident doctors of Karnataka marked Monday, the day the Centre took the decision, as a Black Day. The Observer tried to contact resident doctors of Bengaluru but to no avail. nishant.k@iijnm.org

Twitterati Talk Prashant Kanojia @PJkanojia

We can't ignore the potential point that Narendra Modi could have asked twitter to suspend her account. Because she called Modi ji responsible for 2002 Gujarat Muslim genocide. 2002 still haunts him. She asked Modi to become Monster once again. #KanganaRanaut

Sourish Mukherjee @me_sourish_

Tribals of Ausgram had to flee to nearby jungles to save their lives, and watched helplessly as their homes were torched. #BengalBurning

Quiz Answers 1. UN ECOSOC 2. Finance commission 3. Lebanon 4. 20 5. Pregnant mummy 6. LIC 7. SpaceX 8. Mining Robot 9. Telangana 10. Uttarakhand

According to the resident doctors, the decision will lower their morale | Courtesy: KPN

By Nishant Kumar

have already closed their businesses, but we somehow survived. Sometimes we play even in... small villages because there’s hardly any administration there.”

Indrabhushan Prasad, owner of Madhur Milan marriage hall, said: “We only had a few marriage ceremonies after the lockdown and business went downhill. To attract people, we even decreased our fees, but we still see no bookings.”

He added: “Previously I employed more than 30 workers who worked on a monthly basis, but I have had to let go of 20 of them as they were not required and had become an extra burden on my expenditure.”

Shivnath Kumar, owner of a catering business, shared: “Earlier, we used to have catering orders every single day but now we hardly get any in a month. Many of my colleagues have left this profession and are doing something else.”

Low business meetings and celebration parties denting the income of party hall owners.

But there is some hope of revival as few auspicious dates are available in November and December; most wedding halls, banquets, and pandals have already been booked for later dates. nishant.k@iijnm.org

Team Observer Mamata promised her workers to celebrate after Covid at Brigade ground | Prasant Kumar/Twitter Niladri Chakraborty, a TMC worker from South Dum Dum, said: “Mamata didi will start implementing all the major plans of action from the day she is sworn in. Her prime motto is to provide food, water and basic standard of living to all.” upasana.b@iijnm.org

Editor: Mahitha Owk Copy editors: Mahitha Owk, Nishita M. Agath, Nidhi Kajaria, Ashutosh Acharya, Abhisek Dutta Reporters: Abhishek Saini, Upasana Banerjee, Padmini Dhruvaraj, Nishant Kumar, Queeneerich K. Page editors: Mahitha Owk, Ashutosh Acharya, Nishita M. Agath, Abhisek Dutta