Lengthening queues for vitalanti-viral drug spark concern
The Hindu
‘The counter can become a hotspot for spread of infection’
Since the daily sale of Remdesivir through a counter has been capped at 300 vials by Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation, those attending to COVID-19 patients find themselves in a compulsive situation of queuing up for lengthy durations spanning even two days for the anti-viral drug. TNMSC opened a counter at Government College of Physiotherapy opposite the District Collectorate here on Saturday. While the initiative was supposed to control the sale of the medicine in black market, the restricted sale has apparently led to panic buying.
In , the grape capital of India and host of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela every 12 years, environmental concerns over a plan to cut 1,800 trees for the proposed Sadhugram project in the historic Tapovan area have sharpened political fault lines ahead of local body elections. The issue has pitted both Sena factions against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. While Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief, and Uddhav Thackeray, chief of the Shiv Sena (UBT), remain political rivals, their parties have found rare common ground in Tapovan, where authorities propose clearing trees across 34 acres to build Sadhugram and a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) hub, as part of a ₹300-crore infrastructure push linked to the pilgrimage.












