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As Omicron peeps, Maharashtra to reopen all schools from Dec 1

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Schools-reopen

 Marking a significant step, Maharashtra government has issued the SOPs and guidelines to reopen all schools for offline classes from December 1 in urban and rural areas, officials said, even as a threat of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron has just emerged.

The guidelines, issued late on Sunday in continuation of School Education Minister Prof. Varsha E. Gaikwad announcement on November 26, has mandated physical distancing, face-masks, hygiene and other guidelines as schools gear up to welcome the students back.

Earlier on October 4, the schools were thrown open for students in higher Classes 8-12 in urban areas and 5-12 in the rural areas, eliciting a good response with smooth handling reported by the schools.

Emboldened by the exercise and the fall in the number of cases and fatalities, the state will reopen Class 1-7 in urban and 1-4 in rural areas from Wednesday.

Besides, if any students found with any symptoms, they will not be permitted to enter the school campus/premises, all schools must keep clean with regular sanitisation, all must wash/sanitise their hands frequently to keep away infection risks.

If at any time, more than five students test Covid-19 positive within a fortnight, the local authorities would review the school’s preventive measure and decide accordingly.

For the time being, schools have been advised to avoid biometric attendance systems and use alternative ways, avoid crowds like assembly, prayers, games, etc., and ‘quartet students’ must be granted access to online education.

Setting an optimistic tone, Prof. Gaikwad said that drawing from the earlier experience of reopening schools, the feedback from officials and school authorities, the going would be smooth and safe from December 1.

“From December 1, children as young as 6 years old will set foot in schools once again. Their safety and wellbeing is our priority. Reviewed preparedness for this phase of schools reopening with municipal commissioners, Zilla Parishad CEOs, Deputy Directors of Education and other district level officers,” said Prof. Gaikwad.

The development comes days after the state government lifted all lockdown norms on November 27 to pre-pandemic levels even as the new risk of Omicron was thrown up, raising questions on the future course of action.

Maharashtra

Mega Block Alert: Local Trains to be Rerouted & Delayed On Feb 23 For Maintenance Work, Check Details

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Mumbai: Central Railway announced a major change in the UP and Down fast local trains in the Central route for February 23. Meanwhile, Western Railway also announced a major mega block on the line. The jumbo block is carried out for maintenance work on signals and tracks, which will lead to rerouting and delays in train schedules.

Central Railway Rerouting Details

On the Thane to Kalyan route, Down Fast and Semi-Fast local trains departing from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) Mumbai will be diverted to the Down Slow line between Thane and Kalyan stations. These trains will have additional halts at Kalva, Mumbra, and Diva stations, which will result in a delay of approximately 10 minutes in reaching their destinations.

Similarly, Up Fast and Semi-Fast trains departing from Kalyan towards CSMT will be rerouted onto the Up Slow line between Kalyan and Thane stations. They will also halt at Diva, Mumbra, and Kalva before merging onto the Up Fast line at Mulund station, causing a delay of around 10 minutes.

Western Railway’s Five-Hour Jumbo Block

On the Western line, a significant five-hour Jumbo Block has been scheduled on February 23, between Santacruz and Goregaon stations. From 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, both Up and Down Fast lines due to maintenance work of tracks, signalling systems, and overhead equipment.

Trans-Harbour Line

According to railway officials, there will be no block on the Uran and Harbour routes.

However, services on the Trans-Harbour line will be temporarily suspended. Up Trans-Harbour services from Panvel, Nerul, and Vashi towards Thane starting with the 10:25 AM departure from Vashi and the 4:09 PM departure from Nerul will remain non-operational. Likewise, Down Trans-Harbour services from Thane to Vashi, Nerul, and Panvel, running from 10:35 AM to 4:07 PM, will also be suspended during this period.

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Maharashtra

Maha minority panel to seek shorter working hours for Muslim staff during Ramzan

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Mumbai, Feb 22: After Telangana and Andhra Pradesh permitted Muslim government employees to leave offices early during the fasting month of Ramzan, similar demands are now being raised in Maharashtra and other states.

Maharashtra Minority Commission Chairman Pyare Khan confirmed that the commission has received multiple applications requesting the state government to allow Muslim employees to leave work an hour early during Ramzan.

“We have received several requests from people asking for permission to leave offices an hour early during Ramzan. India is a great example of ‘Ganga Jamuna Tehzeeb,’ where people from different communities live together in harmony,” Khan told media.

He added that he plans to present this demand to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis through an official letter.

The demand follows orders issued by the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments, allowing Muslim employees, including teachers and contract workers, to leave work at 4 p.m. instead of the usual 5 p.m. from March 2 to March 30 to perform religious rituals.

“The government hereby permits all the employees who profess Islam, including teachers and persons hired on contract, out-sourcing basis, and Village/Ward Secretaries, to leave their offices/schools early by an hour before closing time on all working days during the Holy month of ‘Ramzan’ to perform necessary rituals,” read the Andhra Pradesh government order.

Similarly, the Telangana government order stated: “Government hereby permits all Muslim government employees/teachers/contract/out-sourcing/boards/corporations and public sector employees working in the state to leave their offices/schools at 4 p.m. during the holy month of Ramzan, i.e., from March 2 to 31, to offer necessary prayers, except when their presence is required due to exigencies of services.”

The demand is also gaining traction in Karnataka, where Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Vice Presidents M.R.M. Hussain and Syed Ahmad recently wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging the state government to grant Muslim employees a one-hour exemption from duty to facilitate prayers and iftar.

However, the Karnataka government has yet to make a decision on the request.

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Massive Fire Breaks Out At Residential Building In Mumbai’s Marine Lines

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Mumbai: A massive fire broke out in Mumbai’s Marine Lines on Saturday. The blaze rupted on the top floor of a residential building, Marine Chambers. The building is located near Gol Masjid.

The fire broke out at around 12.30 pm on Saturday. After receiving information, several fire tenders reached the spot. Senior officials also rushed to the place where the blaze erupted.

Visuals of the fire also surfaced online. In the video, an envelope of black smoke could seen billowing out of the building. This led to panic among the locals.

A firefighting operation is currently underway.

The reason for the blaze is not yet known. There are no reports of any injuries.

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