The Managing Trustee of Mathuradas Mathur Charitable Trust, Vishal Mathur, observed the auspicious day of Avtar Divas by donating oxygen concentrators to Shri Gurdwara Sahab in Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur, amid the Covid-19 crisis.

“Our Sikh brothers and sisters always come first to serve the people of India whenever there is any calamity and it’s time to serve them as a small token of appreciation,” he said.

More oxygen concentrators shall be provided to hospitals and community centres as and when they are arranged, he added.

Mathur is also engaged in distributing nutritious meals for paramedics and frontline workers in some leading hospitals in Jaipur. Hardeep Singh Arora, Mathur’s friend who owns the restaurant Suryamahal, is supplying meal boxes to hospitals to support this philanthropy.

Vishal Mathur is currently working with SES Satellite as Senior Sales Director for Asia Pacific and residing in Singapore. He is the grandson of the late Mathuradas Mathur, former Finance and Home Minister for Rajasthan.

In January 2020, Vishal also organized the Mathuradas Mathur Memorial Polo Cup to promote the sport amongst special schoolchildren. War windows were also honoured at the event, which was attended by Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot among other dignitaries.

TDP chief and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu demanded a full-fledged inquiry into the alleged ‘third degree’ methods used by the CID against Narsapuram MP K. Raghurama Krishnam Raju.

Naidu asked whether the senior officials were violating the laws of the land and resorting to third degree methods against a Member of Parliament only to see happiness in the eyes of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. If anything would happen to the life of Raghurama Raju, the Andhra government should be held responsible, he said.

In a statement, the TDP chief said that a high-level probe should be ordered into the third degree methods used against the MP and required action should be taken against the CID officer concerned. “The injuries inflicted on Raju in CID custody would hold a mirror to the oppression being perpetrated by the government in the state. How can an honourable MP be put to physical punishment while in police custody?” he questioned.

The TDP chief said that it was inhuman on the part of the police to use third degree methods despite the Supreme Court’s orders against the same. “It would be understandable how the police treated Raghurama Raju since he was not even able to walk with comfort. All the democratic-minded people should condemn this incident and good medical treatment should be given to the MP immediately,” he demanded.

Naidu also said that the Andhra police went in crowds, violating the Covid guidelines issued by the Central Government. “The sole purpose of the state police was to arrest and harass Raju. As per the law, the police had no right to beat up even a common citizen. In this case, a Member of Lok Sabha, elected by lakhs of voters, was subjected to physical punishment. The incident would remain a blot on the entire police machinery in the state,” he said.

Naidu said that such incidents were only exposing how a faction-ridden system would perpetrate injustice on people of all sections. If the police physically attacked a person of MP status, then the plight of a common citizen in the state would be unthinkable, he claimed.

Stressing the need to avoid the kind of situation prevailing in the villages of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday announced a unique Covid Fateh programme as part of a ‘Corona Mukt Pind Abhiyaan’ to tackle the worrying spread of Covid in rural areas.

Terming it a war that needed the involvement of all sections of the community, the Chief Minister directed the Health and Rural Development departments to spearhead the campaign with large-scale mobilisation of the community in the state’s villages.

The entire staff should be utilised to spread awareness among villagers about the dangers of Covid, he said, adding that Health & Wellness Clinics should become the fulcrum, and Community Health Officers, panchayats, school teachers, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, village police officers, youth volunteers etc. must be mobilised on a large scale to steer the programme.

The Guardians of Governance and the police force should work closely to make this programme a success, he said, adding that the idea is not just to spread awareness and dispel any myths but also ensure that there is adequate sampling and vaccination carried out in the rural areas as well as early identification of infected people to ensure early treatment.

Symptomatic persons should be given basic medicines like paracetamol and cough syrup, and Vitamin C, at their doorsteps, he directed, and said they should be encouraged to get tested and supported in home isolation if they test positive. He directed the Health Department to provide additional Rapid Antigen Test kits exclusively for the purpose of testing in rural areas.

The department should also consider opening Covid Care Centres (L1) whereever required with the support of NGOs, he said.

With the state continuing to report high Covid positivity and CFR, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday ordered the extension of all existing restrictions up to May 31, with directions for their strict enforcement.

The Chief Minister said the DCs will continue to determine the opening of shops in a staggered manner and enforce other curbs to check the spread of Covid-19, especially in rural areas. They can also make suitable amendments based on local conditions as long as they do not dilute the state’s overall restrictions, said the Chief Minister.

The district authorities shall continue to ensure strict implementation of all the directives of the MHA/state government on Covid-appropriate behaviour, including social distancing norms, regulating crowds in marketplaces and public transport, and the imposition of penalties prescribed for violation of norms.

Reviewing the state’s Covid situation at a high-level meeting, the Chief Minister said that while the restrictions so far had shown results, with some decline in day-on-day positivity and cases coming down from to 6000 in this period, there was a need to extend them in view of the high positivity rate of 13.1% and 2.4% CFR.

Singh also directed the district administrations to investigate complaints of private hospitals overcharging patients and directed the police department to crack down on those found hoarding or black-marketing any Covid-related essentials or medicines.

The Chief Minister also expressed concern over the spread of the new fungal disorder associated with Covid and directed the health department to ensure that medicines to treat it are procured beforehand and to re-examine the SOP to see if there is anything that can be done to prevent the disease from occurring.

On the availability of oxygen, the Punjab CM said that while the state, through judicious measures, had been able to prevent any mishap, the situation should be closely monitored by the Health Department. The state government had successfully arranged for PSA plants, oxygen concentrators, etc. which will further help tackle oxygen shortages, he added. The state is expecting over 2500 oxygen concentrators on the ground within this month, he said, directing the department to ensure the best use of the same.

Captain Amarinder further directed the Health and Medical Education departments to continue to ensure that there is no problem at any point with respect to hospital capacity, especially with regard to L-3 beds.

He asked the DCs to ensure that food kits are delivered to those in quarantine, reiterating that nobody should be allowed to go to sleep hungry. He also complimented the DGP on the successful launch of the `Bhojan Helpline’.

The Chief Minister also directed DGP Dinkar Gupta to ensure strict compliance of the restrictions, while appreciating the efforts of various departments.

Several young boys were arrested across Srinagar after they participated in pro-Palestine protests. The J&K Police also arrested a local artist and preacher along with the youths.

Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti reacted on Sunday by calling Kashmir an “open prison”. Mehbooba in a tweet said “People all over the world are protesting against the atrocities committed by Israel on Palestine. But in Kashmir its a punishable offence where an artist is booked under PSA & a preacher is arrested simply for expressing solidarity with Palestinians.”

In another tweet on Sunday, Mehbooba said, “Kashmir is an open air prison where people’s thoughts are being monitored & they are punished for it. There is no outlet left to express one’s opinion & this is a deliberate attempt to push Kashmiris to the wall.”

17 boys who had been picked up by the police for indulging in protests over the Israel-Palestine situation have since been counselled and handed back to their families. The move aims at avoiding harsh punishment so the boys’ futures are not spoiled.

The boys had been arrested for participating in protests in violation of Section 51 of the DM Act during the ongoing Corona Curfew in Kashmir, which has been extended to 24 May.

A police spokesperson said that the parents of the young boys assured that they will guide their children not to engage in any activities which are against the law and can lead to the spread of infection in times of Covid.

SSP Srinagar Sandeep Chaudhary appealed to the youngsters to concentrate on their studies and career building. He told them that there is a section in society who manage to have the best facilities and life opportunities for themselves and their families but use boys from humble backgrounds as fodder for furthering their careers and agendas. “Those who push young boys on the path of violence never show up to help the parents of those whose careers get destroyed through engaging in illegal activities,” he said.

He also assured the parents that the Jammu and Kashmir Police are duty bound to release their wards after counselling in a transparent manner. “The larger goal of preventing youngsters from taking a greater leap of criminality is the sole motto of the ‘community bond’ because parents and elders of the localities take responsibility for better conduct on the part of these boys,” he said.

SP South Srinagar Sajjad Shah, SP North Srinagar Mubashir Bukhari and other officers of district were also present during the interaction.

In downtown Srinagar, a local journalist working with an English daily and some young boys were also arrested by the police after a Friday prayer protest against Israel. According to family members, Safakadal police station of Srinagar booked them under various sections and, despite assurances by the respectable locals in the city, the police refused to release them.

Shayib Bhat, who is working very actively in the field for the local English newspaper, is still under detention in the Safakadal police station. The locals say he was performing his duties while the protest was going on in Srinagar.

Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) Covid hospital has played a pivotal role in the Maximum City’s long fight against the deadly infection. A 2,000-bed makeshift hospital, which was built in just 14 days during the first wave of Covid-19, is the first of its kind in India and the second transit Covid hospital. The Sunday Guardian took a look at the jumbo facility to see how it is functioning.

Amid the surging number of Covid-19 cases and considering the demand for a dedicated isolation treatment facility, the BMC took the bold but necessary decision of building a transit hospital at BKC, MMRDA Grounds, in a short span.

Built on BKC’s largest grounds, this massive facility houses 2000 Covid-19 beds, including 108 ICU beds, 12 dialysis beds, and oxygen and ventilator facilities. Having treated over 22,000 cases, the hospital has 330 doctors and 330 nurses, working round-the-clock to help Mumbai beat the virus. It has already successfully treated more than 10,000 patients without any mortalities.

Dean Dr Rajesh Dere, while speaking to TSG, explained the whole process followed at the jumbo Covid hospital, from registration at no-contact cubicles, the observation department, to complete treatment and follow-up.

“I, or anyone here, never had an experience of coming up with such a transit setup and working on it. It was the biggest challenge and not an easy task, but we could do it. My whole team is the reason for such a massive setup and

its functioning. While treating doctors and nurses undoubtedly play an important role, it’s also my admin team that has put in relentless efforts, managing and coordinating everything. Since day one, thousands of corona-infected patients have been treated and discharged from the centre, with a low mortality rate. The number of patients admitted for treatment is high.”

Dr Dere added, “Once a patient comes and gets themselves registered, they are taken to the observation room. This is a unique technique like casualty wards in hospitals. The patient is observed and then accordingly he’s shifted to oxygen, non-oxygen, ICU or ICU with ventilator wards, which range from Ward A to Ward Z, with separate wards for male or female and geriatric ward for senior citizens. After this their medical treatment is decided and if someone requires it as per their symptoms, related medication is given. All these patients are monitored minutely on CCTV cameras. There’s a control war room, from where senior consultants monitor and evaluate each patient’s medical condition remotely.”

Talking about the rise in cases of black fungus, Dr Dere said, “We don’t have such cases now but all protocols given by BMC are followed.”

Besides handling the second Covid wave, the centre has also come up with a vaccination centre which has received a massive response with more than 241,000 vaccinated, including HCWs, FLWs, elderly citizens as well as citizens above 45 years of age. However, that has been halted right now due to Cyclone Tauktae. There is a separate team which is working on this.  

Recently, Bharat Ratna awardee and singer Lata Mangeshkar lauded the work of BMC’s ‘jumbo’ Covid hospital at BKC by writing personalised handwritten notes which read, “You are working day and night for Maharashtra. May God bless you all forever.” Dr Dere said that it gave strength to the whole staff to serve patients better.