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Health cards for passengers must, airlines told New Delhi, August 12 Warning of “appropriate action” against airlines that fail to comply with its directions, the DGCA says despite instructions some airlines are still not distributing the health screening cards to passengers, travelling to India from countries that have reported human cases of H1N1. The DGCA, in April 2009, had directed all airlines operating international air services to make available to passengers copies of health screening cards, designed for the purpose of declaration to the Airport Health Organisation, at the time of embarkation to ensure that the passengers are informed about the steps being taken at the entry level by the government to screen passengers travelling to India from countries that have reported cases of H1N1 infection. These directions were reiterated in May and June. The screening cards were to be distributed to all passengers and filled by crew members of the airlines before they disembarked. However, it has come to the notice of the DGCA that some airlines are still not distributing the requisite screening cards to passengers on board, causing a health hazard. “This non-compliance with the laid down requirements has been viewed very seriously. The DGCA, thus, has once again reiterated that the instructions given to the airlines in this regard should be followed in letter and spirit, failing which appropriate action would be taken against them,” the authority has asked for a compliance report from airlines immediately. PIL on Ganesh Utsav can wait, rules SC New Delhi, August 12 The petition filed by advocate Dilip Anna Saheb Taur said the state government had failed to take effective measures to contain the epidemic and allowing the festivals would worsen the situation. A Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan said the plea would be heard later. The petitioner also pleaded that the Centre should be directed to allow private hospitals to admit swine flu cases and sought free distribution of N-95 masks. Dahi Handi is on August 14, while the Ganesh festival will be celebrated from August 23. The Bench, also comprising Justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan, outrightly rejected the submission for hearing the matter tomorrow. “We will hear it in the routine course when it will be listed for hearing,” the Bench said when the advocate, who has filed the PIL, insisted the matter be heard on an urgent basis as people are dying in various parts of the country. The petitioner, who has sought a direction to the Centre to prepare a necessary action plan, said India should adopt Mexican model of “social distancing” by banning functions and occassions like ‘Dahi Handi’ to be celebrated on August 14 on Janmashtami day and ‘Ganesh Utsav’ from August 23 to September 3. The petition also sought a direction to the Centre to direct all states to shut down schools, if necessary, for a particular period.
3 confirmed cases in UP Lucknow, August 12 Two of the patients, Furhaan Mirza and Arman Mirza, are from the same family in Kanpur. The third patient, Nalin Rastogi, is a resident of Lucknow. The state government today assured that there was sufficient investigation facilities and medicines available in the state. Special alert was being kept at the district level. Each district hospital medical colleges and the medical university had full arrangements to deal with swine flu patients, said an official press release. Tomorrow, Central additional secretary, Information Technology, R K Singh is coming to Lucknow to review preparedness deal with swine flu.
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