Plea for SOPs ahead of Vinayagar Chaturthi
The Hindu
Direction to State, DGP sought
Hindu Munnetra Kazhagam (HMK) president K. Gopinath of Tiruppur has moved the Madras High Court, seeking a direction to the State government and the Director General of Police to lay down standard operating procedures (SOP) for Vinayagar Chaturthi celebrations this year. In an affidavit filed in support of his writ petition, the litigant said he had been working for the promotion and protection of the Constitutional rights of Hindus through HMK, an unregistered body. He said Vinayagar Chaturthi fell this year on September 10. Stating that celebrations for the festival generally started at least three days in advance, he stressed the need for SOPs since the threat of a third wave of COVID-19 was looming large.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.