Chennai, June 3: A major reshuffle in the Tamil Nadu Prison Department has triggered widespread resentment among prison staff, who allege that the transfers were arbitrary and in violation of established government norms.

Several affected personnel are now considering legal action.

On May 27, DIG of Prisons Maheswar Dayal issued a sweeping order transferring 176 chief head warders across the state. The order includes long-distance reassignments, such as moving staff from Palayamkottai Central Prison to Vellore, nearly 600 kilometres apart, and vice versa.

Similar transfers were recorded from sub-jails in Nagapattinam and Ooty to Coimbatore and Palayamkottai, covering distances between 350 and 450 kilometres.

The move is part of a larger reshuffle underway over the past two months, involving assistant jailers, warders, and head warders.

While those posted over 400 kilometres away have been granted eight days to report for duty, others must report within six days.

Adding to the pressure, many have been verbally instructed to vacate their official quarters immediately.

A prison official based in Coimbatore expressed anguish: “My two children are in high school, and I’ve already paid their annual fees. How can I relocate my family overnight?”

Since April, nearly 250 personnel have been transferred, and insiders warn the move could damage morale and disrupt daily operations.

“This scale of reshuffling without consultation or consideration is unprecedented and could seriously impact the smooth functioning of prison administration,” said a senior official on condition of anonymity.

“Earlier, transfers were done through counselling and usually within a 60-100 km radius, keeping families in mind,” an officer said.

According to government rules, transfers are permitted once every three years.

A key government order issued by the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Personnel M) Department in 1977 mandates that, when both spouses are in government service, efforts must be made to post them in the same station to support family welfare and children’s education. Already, one assistant jailer has secured a stay order from the court, while many others are reportedly preparing to file petitions challenging the transfer orders.

“If someone is facing proven corruption charges, a transfer — even to distant locations — is understandable. But these general transfers should factor in personal circumstances,” said a staffer from the southern zone.

In response, a senior prison department official defended the move, stating that many of the transferred employees had served in the same facility for over five years.

“The decision was made to break long-standing networks and eliminate potential corruption rings within prisons and sub-jails,” the official said, without offering further details.

As dissatisfaction continues to rise among the affected staff, legal battles and administrative scrutiny appear inevitable.

Islamabad, June 2: Pakistan has confirmed its 11th case of wild poliovirus this year after the virus was detected in a child from the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination said in a statement on Monday.

According to the ministry, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad confirmed the presence of the virus in stool samples collected from a child in Diamer district.

The detection came shortly after the conclusion of the third nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year, which took place from May 26 to June 1. The campaign reached more than 45 million children under the age of five across 159 districts, including high-risk areas, according to health officials.

Health officials have urged parents and caregivers to ensure their children receive multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, calling the current campaign a vital opportunity to shield children from the crippling virus, Xinhua news agency reported.

Pakistan reported 74 polio cases in 2024, according to official data.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic. Polio workers have frequently been targeted in attacks, particularly in the northwest and southwest regions.

One of the reasons for the presence of the virus is the refusal of the majority of people to have their children vaccinated. Polio health workers have been victims of targeted killings and attacks by militant groups, who have opposed anti-polio campaigns in the country.

According to the World Health Organization, Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children under 5 years of age. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (e.g. contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.

In 1988, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution for the worldwide eradication of polio, marking the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, spearheaded by national governments, WHO, Rotary International, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, and later joined by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Wild poliovirus cases have decreased by over 99 per cent since 1988, from an estimated 350,000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries to 6 reported cases in 2021. Of the 3 strains of wild poliovirus (type 1, type 2 and type 3), wild poliovirus type 2 was eradicated in 1999, and wild poliovirus type 3 was eradicated in 2020. As of 2022, endemic wild poliovirus type 1 remains in two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Bengaluru, June 2: Conveying best wishes to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team for making it to the IPL 2025 finals, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday said that the government and people of the state are eagerly waiting for its victory.

Addressing reporters at the Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said: “I am happy that the Bengaluru team is playing in the finals of the IPL 2025 tournament in Ahmedabad. The Bengaluru boys, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, will win. After a long time, they have reached the finals. They have done their best.”

“On behalf of the government of Karnataka and the people, we are all eagerly waiting for their victory. I was informed that a large number of people from Karnataka are travelling to Ahmedabad.”

“I also wish for their success. Let’s hope and pray for it,” Shivakumar added.

The RCB team is taking on the Punjab Kings team in the finals on Tuesday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

On the controversy surrounding actor Kamal Haasan’s statement over the origins of the Kannada language, Shivakumar said: “I don’t want to comment on the issue. I do not know the history. I will check my records, and then I will speak.”

“I don’t want to make it a political issue. We are neighbours; we all have to work and live together. Our water flows to Tamil Nadu, and people from Tamil Nadu come here,” he said.

“We are not enemies, we are friends. I would like to tell everyone to stay calm and patient – nothing is permanent in life,” Shivakumar advised.

Commenting on the controversy surrounding the Hemavathi Express Canal Link, Shivakumar said: “The BJP is politicising the issue. The project was sanctioned during the tenure of the BJP government led by then Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.”

“I am not diverting water to Ramanagara. A few TMCs of water are being diverted to the Magadi region, which also falls under the Cauvery basin. This has been part of an agreement for a long time,” he stated.

On the issue of Congress leaders being appointed as members of the guarantee committees, Shivakumar said: “Aren’t Governors also affiliated with political parties? Look at the Chairpersons of various commissions and statutory bodies – so many appointments have been made by them, and we have done the same.”

“There is no delay in funds for the guarantees. Everything we committed has been allocated in the budget, and we are delivering on it. They are just jealous. Our schemes are being replicated across the country,” Shivakumar said.

“We are releasing funds based on revenue collections. There is a budget allocation, and we will provide the funds accordingly,” he said.