Exclusive: Where are the Mumbai beggars gone?

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April 15, 2020

During lockdown in April, male beggar aged 50 was found unconscious on a footpath in the jurisdiction of Azad Maidan police station. As per the police the man who is a beggar was believed to be dead because of coronavirus. However, once the body was discovered, the cops asked the pesticide staff to spray the body and sent it for post-mortem. Clarifying the doubts, zonal DCP Sangramsingh Nishandar stated the death of the beggar was not due to coronavirus. Now amid lockdown if you go on Mumbai streets, you will find no beggars around, the big question where they have gone and who is taking care of them?

BMC has made arrangements for beggar homes and shelters but so far, no beggars turned out to these shelters. There are many beggars on the streets having various deceases and mutilated bodies, they come in contact with travelers and tourists too. These people can be the carriers of virus in future, so far, no such mechanism where beggars are taken for COVID-19 test, or quarantined somewhere.

The social justice and empowerment ministry has asked the civic bodies in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Indore, Patna, Nagpur and Lucknow to start the feeding programme. Ministry secretary R. Subrahmanyam said the Centre also planned to rehabilitate beggars by providing them skill training, shelter and education for their children.

“We have plans for a comprehensive rehabilitation scheme for beggars from next month,” Subrahmanyam said.

Subrahmanyam added: “In the current situation of lockdown to check the spread of COVID-19, many beggars would be facing difficulties in getting food. As a precursor to our comprehensive plan, the feeding programme will be carried out (now).”

The 2011 population census had counted 4.13 lakh beggars and vagrants in the country. Most of them were found in cities and towns. Under the rehab plan, the civic authorities will engage NGOs to identify beggars through a survey. NGOs will take the beggars to the existing shelter homes. The civic bodies will build new shelter homes if the existing ones aren’t enough. A shelter home will accommodate up to 100 beggars. In spite of all these provisions, no one knows where the city beggars disappeared and where they are sheltered.

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Only essential services allowed in ‘hotspot’ zones, say new lockdown guidelines

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Afternoon Voice

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April 15, 2020

Essential Services, Containment Zone, Hotspot Zone, Coronavirus, MEA, MHA, Guildlines, Lockdown Guildlines — Photo: Akshay Redij / Afternoon Voice

No unchecked movement of people except for those maintaining essential services and providing medical care will be permitted from the COVID-19 ‘hotspot’ zones, according to the new lockdown guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday.

The ministry emphasized that even the activities allowed under the new guidelines will not be permitted in the ‘hotspot’ zones, or the areas/clusters with high occurrence of COVID-19 cases.

The ‘hotspots’ will be determined as per the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). In these hotspots, containment zones will be demarcated by states/UTs/district administrations as per the guidelines of MoHFW. In these containment zones, the activities allowed under these guidelines will not be permitted, the MHA guidelines said.

“There shall be strict perimeter control in the area of the containment zones to ensure that there is no unchecked inward/outward movement of population in these zones except for maintaining essential services (including medical emergencies and law and order related duties) and government business continuity,” it said.

Several hotspot zones have been declared by various state governments to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The MHA has given a detailed list of services which will be allowed from April 20 in areas not demarcated as ‘hotspots’. There, multiple services will be allowed with conditions.

The MHA guidelines came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of lockdown till May 3 amid surging coronavirus cases in the country.

Airlines in India decline refund to customers for cancelled tickets

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Afternoon Voice

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April 15, 2020

With the nationwide lockdown extended till May 3, domestic airlines have again decided not to refund customers in cash for their cancelled flights and instead have offered them rescheduling of tickets for a later date without any additional fee.

India had imposed a 21-day lockdown from March 25 to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Consequently, all domestic and international commercial passenger flights were suspended for this time period.

However, most of the airlines had been taking bookings except national carrier Air India for domestic flights for the period beyond April 14.

Aviation consultancy Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) India said the civil aviation ministry should instruct airlines to “halt unfair practice of taking advance bookings until resumption is certain and an interim transition schedule has been established”.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of lockdown till May 3, aviation regulator DGCA issued a circular stating all international as well as domestic flights will remain suspended during the lockdown.

“Following orders from the Ministry of Civil Aviation issued to all airlines, we have extended the suspension of our operations until May 3, 2020.

“We are in the process of cancelling the affected bookings and we will offer customers free of charge rescheduling to another date until December 31, 2020,” a Vistara spokesperson said in a statement.

The customer, however, will have to pay the fare difference, if any, at the time of rebooking, the airline said.

A GoAir spokesperson said that it has already “factored in” these types of scenario and that the airline will review its earlier scheme of providing rescheduling free of cost at a later date while protecting their existing bookings for one year.

“In accordance with the Prime Minister’s instructions and the DGCA’s circular, GoAir has suspended all its flights till May 3,” GoAir said in a statement on Tuesday.

The airline also said it is extending its ‘Protect Your PNR’ scheme till May 3, 2020 wherein customers are eligible to reschedule their flight by May 3, 2021.

The airline had on Monday announced that it was extending the Protect Your PNR scheme till April 30, 2020.

The civil aviation ministry should instruct airlines to “halt unfair practice of taking advance bookings until resumption is certain and an interim transition schedule has been established”, the CAPA said in a series of tweets.

With the lockdown extended till May 3, passengers who have purchased tickets for the April 15 to May 3 would “once again only be offered credit for future travel, rather than a refund,” it said.

In case of train travel, the railway ministry has said there will be no advance bookings on trains until further notice.

According to the consultancy, this continues to be unfair on consumers who have purchased a service that the airlines cannot deliver, albeit through no fault of their own.

Some passengers may not have a need to travel in future during the validity of the credit and will lose their money, it noted.

“Some carriers have opened full schedule for sale from 04-May. Even if flights resume from that date, which is not certain, it is highly unlikely that full operations will resume from day 1.

“Further flight cancellations almost inevitable, resulting in more pax funds in credit,” it said in another tweet said.

It may be mentioned here that the then customers of the erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways could not recover their money which the two airlines had amassed on account of advance bookings only after their going belly up.

CAPA in its March 18 report had stated that amid COVID-19 and in the absence of government support “several Indian airlines may shut down operations by May or June due to a lack of cash.

Within hours of the government extending lockdown to May 3, budget carrier IndiGo announced resumption of flight services though in a phased manner from May 4.

Announcing that all its flights are cancelled till May 3, IndiGo said, it is in the process of cancelling the reservations.”Your ticket amount is protected in the form of credit shell in the PNR, which can be utilised within one year of the issued date.”

“In its endeavour to reconnect critical air corridors post the lockdown, IndiGo, India’s leading airline, will resume flight operations from May 4, 2020,” IndiGo said in the statement.

Gurugram-based spiceJet also said the amount from the cancelled ticket will be maintained in a credit shell.

“We are cancelling the reservation of those who booked tickets for travel till May 3, 2020. Upon cancellation your entire amount will be maintained in credit shell and the same may be used for fresh bookings and travel till February 28, 2021, for the same passenger,” it said.

Mamata Banerjee’s officials failing to enforce lockdown be shown the door: WB Governor

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Afternoon Voice

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April 15, 2020

Unhappy over the way the lockdown is being enforced in West Bengal, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Wednesday the police and administrative officials not following the protocol be shown the door and depoloyment of central paramilitary forces be considered.

“Lockdown protocol has to be thoroughly implemented to ward off #coronavirus. Police and administration @MamataOfficial failing to effect 100% #SocialDistancing or curbing religious congregations be shown door,” Dhankhar tweeted.

“Lockdown must succeed-examine central para forces requisitioning!” the governor added.

The Union Home Ministry had also recently flagged “gradual dilution” of the lockdown in some parts of the state.

Most of these localities are minority-dominated, and the state BJP unit has repeatedly alleged that lockdown was not being properly enforced in these areas.

The home ministry also said despite the Centre issuing orders from time to time under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, these were not being followed.

Reacting to the Centre’s letter, Banerjee had said the Union government was only interested in “extra vigilance in some specific areas”.

“We are not fighting any communal virus; we are fighting a disease spreading through human contact. Wherever we find any problem, steps will be taken to ensure that the lockdown is imposed there, but that doesn’t mean shops would remain closed… We are keeping a close watch,” she had said.

Dhankhar has been at loggerheads with the state government over a host of issues ever since taking office in July last year.

Take steps to avoid repeat of Bandra like situation, says Sharad Pawar to govt

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Afternoon Voice

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April 15, 2020

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday termed as unfortunate the gathering of migrant workers outside the Bandra railway station and stressed such incidents should not recur in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.

He said people gathered outside the station after somebody circulated the rumour that trains services will resume, adding precautions need to be taken to ensure that such confusing messages are checked.

The former Union minister also urged political parties to desist from scoring points over each other during the ongoing crisis and asked them to defeat COVID-19 collectively.

An unfortunate incident took place outside the Bandra station yesterday. Somebody spread the rumour that train services will resume and local people gathered there. Unfortunately, social distancing was not observed, Pawar said in a Facebook address.

“I would also request political parties that we may fight politically but this is not the time to score over each other. It is not the time to think who is in power at the Centre and in the state. We should take steps to defeat the coronavirus, he said.

Ignoring lockdown norms, over 1,000 migrant workers who earn daily wages gathered here on Tuesday demanding transport arrangements to go back to their native places, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the coronavirus-enforced curbs till May 3.

The gathering in suburban Bandra, in violation of lockdown norms, created a potential law and order situation for an overstretched police force and the men in uniform resorted to mild force to scatter the crowd.

Enough food, medicine, no need to worry: Amit Shah assures as lockdown extends

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Afternoon Voice

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April 14, 2020

After the PM announced the extension of lockdown, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday took to twitter, to assure people that there is no shortage of anything in the country whether it is food or medicines.

“As the Home Minister of the country, I assure the people again, that there is enough stock of food, medicines and other everyday things in the country, no citizen needs to worry. I also would like to request the relatively well-off people to come forward and help the poor living in their vicinity,” read the tweet by the Home Minister.

The 21-day lockdown, which was announced by the Prime Minister last month, was slated to end today.

But Prime Minister, in his televised address to the Nation on Tuesday, announced the extension of the lockdown to prevent the spread of highly contagious coronavirus.

Earlier, Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry and have already announced the extension of lockdown.

India’s total number of Coronavirus positive cases has climbed to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/discharged/migrated and 339 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today.

Mumbai’s MMRDA grounds converted into wholesale market, traders asked to maintain social distancing

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Afternoon Voice

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April 14, 2020

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) grounds in Bandra-Kurla Complex have been converted into a wholesale market in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

The market will be operational from 10 pm to 6 am. The measure has been taken in order to avoid crowding and to ensure that social distancing is maintained at all times to curb the virus spread.

“The market starts at night in order to avoid crowding so that the advisory of maintaining social distancing is followed,” said Dharmesh Kumar, a trader.

“As the government has asked elderly people, women and children to stay inside as a precautionary measure, this place is open only for traders and not for them. We have been given these night timings (10 pm to 6 am) and have been asked to maintain social distancing,” said Sayeed Yakub, another trader.

“The local police has been cooperating with us. They guide us to take necessary precautions. In case someone does not have a mask, police provide it to them. As traders, we too take necessary precautions and follow advisories. We have been given this area as it is an open area,” Yakub added.

The governments of various states have asked people to maintain social distancing at all times and to avoid roaming outside unnecessarily, in order to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country.

Maharashtra is the worst-hit state with 2,334 positive COVID-19 cases reported so far, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Till now, 217 people have either been cured or discharged, while 160 deaths have been reported.

Meanwhile, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases across the country mounted to 10,363, including 8,988 active cases. So far, 1,035 patients have either been cured or discharged while 339 deaths have been recorded in the country, the health ministry said on Tuesday morning.

Who let Wadhawan family travel despite of look out and non-bailable warrant against them?

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Afternoon Voice

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April 14, 2020

Wadhavan family that has hit the headlines has enjoyed the favors from politicians and underworld kingpin, Chhota Rajan man Pashi was his right hand. He was very close to Kripashankar Singh a former Congress leader. He was a minister of state in the 2004 Maharashtra state cabinet. He was involved in the Congress gains in Mumbai against Shiv Sena in the 2009 Maharashtra assembly elections. He was the president of the Mumbai chapter of the party until June 2011, when he resigned after his son was linked to the 2G case, an enormous telecommunications corruption scandal of 2010. Dheeraj builders alias Rakesh Wadhvan enjoyed lot of favors from this minister. His links with various politicians is known to all.

The IPS officer, who gave permission to scam accused DHFL promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan and 21 others to travel to a hill station amid lockdown, was appointed in the state Home department by previous chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. It is now clear who is actually behind IPS officer Amitabh Gupta’s decision and on whose instructions, he would have put the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government into a “crisis”. Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan, both are under investigation in multiple financial fraud cases. When these brothers reached their farmhouse in Satara district thelocal residents immediately alerted police, the police found 23 people including members of the Wadhawan. Despite lockdown, the family managed to reach the town over 250 km from Mumbai in five cars. They had passes issued by a senior IPS officer, a family friend, who had termed their visit an “emergency”. The Wadhawan family along with their cooks and servants travelled from Khandala to Mahabaleshwar in their cars, even when both Pune and Satara districts are sealed amid ongoing lockdown for containing coronavirus. Among the 23 people was a bodyguard from Italy – one of the worst-affected countries in the coronavirus crisis. The police have filed a case against all of them and have sent them to quarantine.

Both Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan had lookout notices issued in their name by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and are accused in Yes Bank and DHFL fraud cases. The CBI is considering taking them into custody once their quarantine ends. They are under the scanner in the Yes Bank and Punjab and Maharashtra Co- operative Bank scams. The CBI registered an offence against Kapil Wadhawan, Dheeraj Wadhawan, Yes Bank’s then Managing Director and CEO Rana Kapoor and others on March 7, an official earlier said. Since then Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan were absconding. A court issued a non-bailable warrant against both on March 17, but they did not appear. The Enforcement Directorate also issued summons to the Wadhawan brothers in the Yes Bank case and asked them to appear on March 17. The duo reportedly cited the coronavirus pandemic and skipped the appearance.

This Wadhavan family is serial offender, they have given low quality houses to people and they all have given their worst of revives on google. Promoters of bankrupt real estate company Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL) — Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan — owe about Rs 273 crore to the BMC in property tax, making it the single biggest property tax defaulter in Mumbai, the country’s richest municipality. It is worth mentioning here that the father-son duo and Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank’s former chairman Waryam Singh were in jail in connection with the alleged Rs 4,355 crore co-operative bank fraud case.

On a single housing project, Majestic Tower in Bhandup’s S Ward, the crisis-hit realty firm owes over Rs 21 crore in tax. Work on the project is stalled and the BMC sealed the property lately. The municipality has taken stringent action against property tax defaulters as it has made a list of top 10 property tax defaulters in each ward in Mumbai. Several developers, private firms’ names figured in the tax defaulter list. Earlier this week, the BMC seized two choppers of an airline company and disconnected the water connection in a prominent complex Wadhwa Trade Centre.

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IPS officer Amitabh Gupta sent on compulsory leave for giving pass to scam accused Wadhawans during lockdown

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

Lockdown extended till May 3; some relaxations may be allowed after April 20: PM Modi

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Afternoon Voice

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April 14, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic, saying the measure has produced a significant outcome in containing the infection.

In a nearly 25-minute televised address to the nation, Modi said implementation of the lockdown will be strictly ensured in its second phase and detailed guidelines will be brought out on Wednesday to ensure that outbreak does not spread to new areas.

Some relaxations may be allowed after April 20 in places where there are no hotspots, he said.

“Follow the rules of lockdown with full devotion till May 3, stay where you are, stay safe,” the prime minister told citizens.

Modi said India has managed to contain the pandemic well compared to many developed countries due to its holistic approach in dealing with the crisis and sacrifices made by people of the country in the fight produced tangible results.

The prime minister sought the support of the people in seven areas, including taking care of elderly people, maintaining social distancing and helping the poor and downtrodden.

“If India would not have adopted a holistic approach, if an integrated approach was not initiated, India’s situation would have been different (compared to many developed countries). It is clear from the experiences of the past few days that the path we have chosen is right,” the prime minister said.

India, he said, received huge benefits from the 21-day lockdown in checking the pandemic, adding that the country has dealt with the situation better with “limited resources”.

The lockdown that came into effect on March 25 was to expire at midnight on April 14.

The prime minister said some relaxation may be allowed in some areas and the scope of coronavirus testing will be expanded significantly.

“Till April 20, every town, every police station, every district, every state will be tested on how much they are adhering to the lockdown; how much the areas have protected themselves from coronavirus. It will be observed.

“Some necessary activities may be allowed in areas that will pass this litmus test; areas which will not be among the hotspots and are less likely to turn into hotspots,” he said.

The prime minister said India may have paid a big economic price, but there can be no alternative to saving human lives.

“India’s fight against coronavirus is going on very strongly,” Modi said, adding that there is adequate stock of medicines and rations in the country.

The fight against COVID-19 will be made more stringent in next one week, he said, asserting that new hotspots will create new crises.

India has reported 10,363 cases of the virus infection and 339 deaths so far.

The drastic pan-India lockdown had shone the spotlight on the miseries of lakhs of migrant workers whose journeys on foot from several urban centres to their villages hundreds of kilometres away grabbed headlines for many days last month.

The catastrophic effect of the lockdown on the overall economy and livelihoods of migrant and daily wage workers triggered severe concerns following which a number of chief ministers in their video conference with Modi on Saturday sought some kind of relaxation for a number of sectors.

Late last month, the government announced a Rs 1.7 lakh crore package aimed at providing relief to those hit hard by the lockdown as well as an insurance cover for healthcare professionals handling virus infected people.

Modi said India has done well in containing the pandemic compared to many other countries.

“You are fulfilling your duties like a disciplined soldier,” Modi said, hailing the people for their support in stemming the spread of the virus.

Also Read:

Lockdown: People are not scared of Life to lose but livelihood

PM Narendra Modi to address nation tomorrow, extension of lockdown likely

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Afternoon Voice

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April 13, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on Tuesday at 10 am, the Prime Minister’s Office said. The 21-day nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus ends on Tuesday and the prime minister is likely to talk about its possible extension.

“Prime Minister @narendramodi will address the nation at 10 AM on 14th April 2020,” the PMO tweeted. Last month, the prime minister had addressed the nation twice — on March 19 and March 24.

Prime Minister @narendramodi will address the nation at 10 AM on 14th April 2020.

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 13, 2020

During his meeting with 13 Chief Ministers on Saturday, PM had agreed that a longer lockdown was necessary to fight the highly contagious COVID-19, which has infected over 9,000 in India, but had talked about saving livelihoods as well as lives.

Interacting with chief ministers via video conference, the prime minister had said the next 3-4 weeks are critical to determine impact of steps taken till now to curb the coronavirus spread and urged state governments to ensure strict adherence to the lockdown.
Telangana, Maharashtra, Punjab and Odisha, have already extended the lockdown till 30 April.

The prime minister is also likely to announce plans to revive the Indian economy which has been badly hit by the lockdown.

On March 19, he had called for resolve and restraint to fight coronavirus. He had also announced a ‘Janta Curfew’ on March 22, a Sunday. On March 24, he had announced the 21-day nationwide lockdown to check the spread of the deadly virus.

In a video message on April 3, Modi had urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 to display the country’s “collective resolve” to defeat the coronavirus.