New Delhi, Jun 21 () Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has sought more time to convert the five-star Taj Mansingh hotel into a coronavirus facility in order to increase the number of beds for patients in Delhi amid a spike in infections. According to an order issued by the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Chanakyapuri on June 16, rooms in the luxury Taj Mansingh hotel in Lutyens' Delhi were placed at the disposal of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) for using it as an attached COVID-19 facility. According to sources at the hospital, a letter has been sent to the SDM seeking more time to develop the hospital into a COVID-19 facility. The Jivitesh hotel has also been placed at the disposal of SGRH and will be ready as a COVID-19 facility within this week, the sources said. At Taj Mansingh, the hospital has been given the eighth, ninth and tenth floors and it has to work out the logistics and train the hotel staff in wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), maintaining hygiene. etc., they added. The sources said the hospital will take some time as arrangements will have to be made for routes to bring the patients and demarcating areas for the staff where the patients will not come. It will take another 10 days for SGRH to set up the COVID-19 facility at the hotel since logistics like how to procure oxygen cylinders, staff and how the biomedical waste will be disposed will have to be worked out, they added. The hospital is facing a staff crunch and will have to accommodate its staff for the COVID-19 facilities at the two hotels. The national capital recorded 3,000 fresh coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking the city's COVID-19 tally near the 60,000-mark, while the death toll due to the disease increased to 2,175, authorities said. It was the third consecutive day that the number of cases touched or went past 3,000 in Delhi. On Saturday, the city had witnessed 3,630 COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike here. On Friday, the number was 3,137. As many as 63 fatalities due to the disease were reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll from the coronavirus now stands at 2,175 in the national capital and the number of cases at 59,746, according to a latest Delhi health department bulletin. SLB RC

Ganga Ram hospital seeks more time to convert Taj Mansingh hotel into COVID-19 facility

(Eds: Updating tally, adding details) New Delhi, Jun 16 () The five-star Taj Mansingh and another hotel will be converted into COVID-19 facilities as the Delhi government on Tuesday ramped up its efforts to augment beds for patients amid a spike in infections. With 1,859 fresh infections, the total number of coronavirus cases rose to 44,688 on Tuesday. Ninety-three fresh deaths were also reported taking the death toll to 1,837. According to an order issued by the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Chanakyapuri, rooms in the luxury Taj Mansingh Hotel in Lutyens' Delhi will be placed at the disposal of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) for using it as an attached COVID-19 facility. The move to attach it with the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH), a dedicated COVID-19 facility, comes in pursuance of government efforts to meet the projected requirement of 1.5 lakh beds in healthcare facilities in Delhi by July end. Taj Mansingh Hotel, a five-star hotel of the Tata group, has nearly 292 rooms. In a related development, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia visited the Surya Hotel in New Friends Colony in southeast Delhi, another dedicated COVID-19 facility that has been attached to the Holy Family Hospital, to review the arrangements. Following the inspection, Kejriwal said the Surya Hotel will become operational with 120 beds in the next 2-3 days in the first phase and the facility will gradually be ramped up to 250-300 beds. "There is a requisition of 30-35 hotels in Delhi with a total bed capacity of 3,000-3,500 beds," Kejriwal said. Last week, Kejriwal had said that Delhi would need 1.5 lakh beds by July 31 if people from other states start coming to the national capital for treatment. Accordingly, on June 13, the district magistrates and other officials concerned were directed to make arrangements for 20,000 additional beds to accommodate more COVID-19 patients within a week. An official said as part of its exercise to ramp up health infrastructure, the government has started the process to acquire around 78 banquet halls and 40 hotels and they have been attached with hospitals and nursing homes. Hotels will have 4,000 beds, while banquets halls will have 11,000 beds. Separately, at least 50 coaches with 800 beds have already been stationed at Shakur Basti railway station but none of them are in use so far. "Another 500 more such isolation coaches for COVID-19 patients have to be deployed in Delhi and we are finalising the stations where they can be kept," Railway Board Chairman V K Yadav had said on June 15. According to the Delhi Corona app, out of 10,630 beds available in the city, 5,631 were occupied until 8.50 pm on Tuesday, while 4,999 beds were vacant. The order to convert Taj Mansingh into a dedicated COVID-19 facility said in "overall imminent public interest" the rooms at the hotel at the Man Singh Road be placed at the disposal of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital with immediate effect. Taj Mansingh Hotel authorities did not offer any immediate comments on the development. Kejriwal's visit to the Surya Hotel came after the High Court permitted the government to attach the hotel to the Holy Family Hospital, which is a dedicated COVID-19 facility, for the treatment of patients. On May 29, the Health Department ordered attaching five hotels -- Hotel Crowne Plaza, Hotel Surya, Hotel Sidhartha, Hotel Jivitesh and Hotel Sheraton -- to hospitals as attached dedicated COVID-19 facilities. The May 29 order also fixed a tariff for the same – Rs 5,000 for five-star hotels and Rs 4,000 for four-star hotels. "The linked hospital shall be paid an amount, not greater than Rs 5,000 per patient per day for their medical services of COVID-19 patients inclusive of all consumables, services of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and nursing staff as per norms," the order had said. Hotel Crowne Plaza and Hotel Surya went to the Delhi High Court against the order. The ruling came on Monday allowing the Delhi government to attach the Hotel Surya with the Holy Family hospital, a government statement said. A two-member committee of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria and Niti Aayog member V K Paul told the High Court that it was advisable as well as feasible to use Hotel Surya and Hotel Crowne Plaza, Okhla, as extended COVID facilities. Meanwhile, the last rites of some COVID-19 victims were conducted by hospitals here following a directive of Home Minister Amit Shah and with the consent of their families, the Ministry of Home Affairs said. The last rites of 36 more coronavirus victims in the national capital will be carried out on Wednesday, it said. However, it is not immediately known the total number of victims whose last rites were performed on Tuesday. On June 13, Shah held separate meetings with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Kejriwal, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, mayors and commissioners of Delhi's three municipal corporations to strengthen the strategy to fight the pandemic. A day later, he also visited the Delhi-government run LNJP hospital and took stock of the situation. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has been admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital due to high grade fever and a sudden drop of oxygen levels in his body on Monday night. He later tested negative for coronavirus. He will be again tested for coronavirus on Wednesday. Last week, Kejriwal had also undergone a coronavirus test after he complained of fever and throat pain. He too tested negative. KND BUN ACB PR SMN SMN

Taj Mansingh Hotel to be converted into COVID facility; Delhi cases cross 44000, death toll 1,837

New Delhi, Jun 16 () Delhi government authorities on Tuesday issued an order asking luxury Taj Mansingh Hotel to have its rooms and premises be placed at the disposal of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) for using it as an attached COVID-19 facility. Taj Mansingh Hotel is located in the heart of Lutyens' Delhi. The Delhi government has projected a massive requirement of beds in view of the growing coronavirus cases in the national capital. The SGRH was earlier declared a COVID-19 facility. The order also said that the hospital would be responsible for proper disposal of biomedical waste generated at the hotel. All hotel staff will be provided with protective gear and basic training to handle COVID-19 patients, it said. Ambulance for transfer of patients will be the hospital's responsibility, while food, housekeeping service and disinfecting of premises will be done by the hotel. The charges for using the rooms will be collected by the hospital, which will then hand it over to the hotel, the order said. If the need arises, the hospital can arrange for the stay of its doctors, nurses and paramedical staff at the hotel itself. The hotel and the hospital management can decide the rates mutually, the authorities said. Authorities at the SGRH said they have received the order. KND AAR

Order issued to attach Taj Mansingh with SGRH as COVID facility

New Delhi, Jun 16 () Delhi government authorities on Tuesday issued an order asking luxury Taj Mansingh Hotel to have its rooms and premises be placed at the disposal of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) for using it as an attached COVID-19 facility. Taj Mansingh Hotel is located in the heart of Lutyens' Delhi. The Delhi government has projected a massive requirement of beds in view of the growing coronavirus cases in the national capital. The SGRH was earlier declared a COVID-19 facility. The order also said that the hospital would be responsible for proper disposal of biomedical waste generated at the hotel. All hotel staff will be provided with protective gear and basic training to handle COVID-19 patients, it said. Ambulance for transfer of patients will be the hospital's responsibility, while food, housekeeping service and disinfecting of premises will be done by the hotel. The charges for using the rooms will be collected by the hospital, which will then hand it over to the hotel, the order said. If the need arises, the hospital can arrange for the stay of its doctors, nurses and paramedical staff at the hotel itself. The hotel and the hospital management can decide the rates mutually, the authorities said. Authorities at the SGRH said they have received the order. KND http://ptinews.com/images/pti.jpg "We bring the World to you" Disclaimer : This e-mail message may contain proprietary, confidential or legally privileged information for the sole use of the person or entity to whom this message was originally addressed. Please delete this e-mail, if it is not meant for you. AAR AAR

Order issued to attach Taj ManSingh with SGRH as COVID facility

(Eds: Adds inputs, background) New Delhi, Jun 16 () The Delhi government on Tuesday issued an order attaching the Taj Mansingh Hotel to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and directed that its premises, including all its rooms, be used as a COVID-19 facility. The move to attach it with the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH), comes in pursuance of meeting a projected requirement of 1.5 lakh beds in healthcare facilities in Delhi by July-end, amid a massive surge in coronavirus cases in the national capital. Taj Mansingh Hotel, a flagship brand of the Tata group, is located in the heart of Lutyens' Delhi. The Delhi government has projected a massive requirement of beds in view of the growing coronavirus cases in the national capital. The SGRH was earlier declared as a COVID-19 facility. The order also said that the hospital would be responsible for proper disposal of biomedical waste generated at the hotel. All hotel staff will be provided with protective gear and basic training to handle COVID-19 patients, it said. Ambulance for transfer of patients will be the hospital's responsibility, while food, housekeeping service and disinfection of premises will be done by the hotel. The charges for using the rooms will be collected by the hospital, which will then hand it over to the hotel, the order said. If the need arises, the hospital can arrange for the stay of its doctors, nurses and paramedical staff at the hotel itself. The hotel and the hospital management can decide the rates mutually, the authorities said. Authorities at the SGRH said that they have received the order. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recently had said that Delhi will need 1.5 lakh beds in healthcare facilities by July 31 once people start coming to the city for treatment from other states, while asserting that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dispensation will make an "honest effort" to provide medical treatment to all. The chief minister said that of the 1.5 lakh beds, it was estimated that 80,000 would be required for Delhiites, adding that the calculation is based on numbers that show 50 per cent of the beds in hospitals in the national capital were occupied by those from other states before the coronavirus pandemic. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said that around 7,000 beds will be occupied by June 15, and 15,000 beds will be occupied by June 30. He had said that larger-scale preparations are being made for COVID infrastructure in stadiums, banquet halls, and hotels. Delhi recorded 1,647 fresh coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the COVID-19 tally in the city to over 42,000-mark, and the death toll due to the disease climbed to 1,400, authorities said. Late May, Delhi authorities had issued an order saying, five hotels had been linked to existing COVID-19-dedicated hospitals to be used as extended COVID-19 facilities. The five hotels are Hotel Crown Plaza (Batra Hospital), Hotel Surya (Indraprastha Apollo Hospital), Hotel Sidhartha (Dr BL Kapur Memorial Hospital), Hotel Jivitesh (Sir Ganga Ram City Hospital) and Hotel Sheraton (Max hospital), they had said. KND AAR AAR

Order issued to attach Taj Mansingh with Ganga Ram Hospital as extended COVID facility

<div type="image" wfid="348918"></div>

 
 <keyword id="630348" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Taj-Mansingh-hotel">Taj Mansingh Hotel</keyword> situated in <keyword id="6442584" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="lutyens-delhi">Lutyens Delhi</keyword> towards the southwest of<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=india+gate&amp;sortorder=effectivedate"> India Gate</a> is one of the rare examples of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=mughal+architecture&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Mughal architecture</a> in the city. Constructed entirely out of pink Dholpur sandstone and set amidst a garden, Taj Mansingh is an epitome of luxury and indulgence and while a lot of people dream of actually living in this five-star property, one man actually made that very wish come true- that too for 37 years. 
 Meet <keyword id="2354145" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dadi-Balsara">Dadi Balsara</keyword>, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=parsi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Parsi</a> businessman who had lived in Taj Mansingh Hotel for a whopping 36 years- becoming Taj Mansingh Hotel’s long-standing guest until he passed away in 2014 at the age of 71. 
 
Balsara and his wife Christina Stone (who passed away in 2009) both made the Room no 901, one of Taj Mansingh’s luxury suite their home and lived and loved the hotel as his own. The couple had no children. 
 
According to hotel sources, Balsara never felt the need of buying a house in the city as he considered Taj Mansingh as his home and the hotel staff his extended family. He not only knew the hotel like the palm of his hand, but was also incredibly close to the staff. In the course of his 36-year-long stay, he had grown close to a valet who was considered more of Balsara’s personal aide, rather than a hotel staffer. 
 
He was also the first member of the Taj InnerCircle loyalty programme. The hotel staff also talked of how co-operative Balsara was. 
 

	<div type="image" wfid="348917"></div>

 
 
 
“Whenever we would have a VIP guest- such as the Prime Minister or President of some country staying with us, who wanted the floor to be cleared- we would inform of him of the same and he would promptly comply with their wishes and would return only when the guest had left the hotel.” 
 Infact, it was Balsara who had set up the largest natural mineral water plant in Dhaula Kaun in Himachal Pradesh in with an investment of $20 million and created the niche Himayalan mineral water brand. Manufactured by his <keyword id="3543750" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mount-everest-mineral-water-limited">Mount Everest Mineral Water Limited</keyword>, he ensured that Himayalan stands out in the highly competitive bottled water segment in the country. 
 
And, as luck would have it, taking his association with the hospitality brand one step closer, he sold off his priced asset, the Himalayan brand to none other than the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=tata+group&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Tata Group</a> in 2007. This marked Tata Global Beverages foray into the Indian packaged water segment. 
 
Contrary to popular belief, Balsara was not born a billionaire. He was born into a family of modest means and began his career as an LIC officer in Nagpur, earning a meager salary of Rs 600. He later went on to the US to study psychiatry on a scholarship and started his own practice after obtaining a doctorate. 
 
Unfortunately, he was forced to look at other career options when his practice failed as hardly anyone turned up for a consultation. 
His big break came when a Japanese television channel decided to host his ‘holistic lifestyle’ programmes which as time passed became a roaring success and finally money started to roll in. 
 
It was only uphill from there. Balsara later settle in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=singapore&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Singapore</a> where he earned the title of ‘Perfumes king of Asia’ by selling perfumes. In 1991 he decided to come back to India and settled in Delhi. 
 
With a business empire spread across 63 countries, Balsara was one of the richest NRI at the time of his death. He reportedly had Rs 250 crore in his bank account.

The curious story of Dadi Balsara, the Parsi billionaire who stayed
at Taj Mansingh Hotel for 36 years

New Delhi, Jun 17 () Requisitioning of hotels for hospitalisation of COVID-19 positive patients and as an extension of designated hospitals by the Delhi government has caused deep consternation and has come as a major blow to the sector, according to the hospitality industry. The latest trigger for concerns arose as Delhi government authorities on Tuesday issued an order asking Indian Hotels Company Ltd's (IHCL) iconic Taj Mahal hotel at Mansingh Road to have its rooms and premises be placed at the disposal of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) for using it as an attached COVID-19 facility. The Delhi government had earlier passed orders requisitioning other hotels for use as COVID-19 care units. Apex industry body Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) on Tuesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising concerns regarding the orders by the state government for requisitioning of hotels for attaching them to hospitals and converting them into extended COVID-19 hospitals for patients. It said the infrastructure of hotels is not equipped to provide the specialized and critical care environment required by COVID-19 positive patients and hotel staff is neither skilled nor trained as healthcare professionals. The letter also mentioned that the hotels which are overtaken as an extension of COVID-19 hospital will face a significant economic and business impact. "We are quite surprised and wonder why government owned hotels like Ashoka, Samrat and Centaur are not yet requisitioned, whereas they should have been the first to been taken over, rather than making a beeline for privately owned hotels, given the number of issues involved with doing so," FHRAI Vice President Gurbaxish Singh Kohli said in the letter to the prime minister. Highlighting that government-owned large facilities such as Vigyan Bhavan would have been a better choice for requisitioning into hospital, the letter said that the state must requisition nursing homes, medical facilities and other hospitals, polyclinics, among others, with beds before requisitioning hotels. "There is no mention of responsibility by the concerned dept/government of any liability or eventuality subsequent to the requisitioning," it added. The letter also said that there was no specific time period mentioned in which the compensation is to be received by the hotels. This will cause a huge delay in settlement of bills and push the industry into further problems. On its part, IHCL in a statement said that while it would continue to cooperate with governments in their efforts during these times, its Taj Mahal hotel is in the midst of a renovation and is uninhabitable, especially for patients and doctors. "IHCL has been at the forefront of helping fight this pandemic. The company has extended all support to various states across the country including hosting doctors, medical fraternity and providing over 2 million meals till date. A number of our hotels are being used for quarantine facilities," a IHCL spokesperson said in a statement. In the case of Taj Mahal Delhi, the hotel is in the midst of a major renovation, which commenced much before lockdown started, and is uninhabitable, the spokesperson added "We will continue to cooperate with the government in their efforts during these challenging times," the statement said. Industry body CII's National Committee on Tourism &amp; Hospitality had earlier said that the notification requisitioning hotels for purpose of hospitalisation of COVID-19 patients and as an extension of designated hospitals has caused deep consternation within the industry and has come as a major blow to the hospitality industry that is already reeling under the pressure of revenue and job losses. On Tuesday's development, CII National Committee on Tourism &amp; Hospitality Advisor Dipak Haksar said, "We are at a loss to understand how a hotel under renovation with rooms that are not habitable including access to public areas will be used by patients and doctors". The criteria to attach a hotel that is undergoing renovation is baffling to say the least, he added. On Delhi High Court's order for hotels to operate as COVID-19 care units, CII said that while it respects the court's decision, it believes that conversion of hotels is not the best solution. Converting large spaces like stadiums as temporary hospitals/COVID facilities with pooled resources is the best solution to handle this, it added. "There are also concerns about the criteria for selecting some of these hotels which are quite far from the hospitals. A clear distinction must be made of hotels that are within 3-5 km radius, such hotels may be considered to be extensions for hospitals, but others at greater distances can be declared as best as quarantine facilities," Haksar said. The state government should also consider giving relief to the hospitality sector at this juncture by measures such as reducing electricity tariffs, deferring statutory dues and auto renewal of licenses including excise for the year, he added. The CII's Committee on Tourism and Hospitality also said that GST on hotel rooms needs to be waived off for hotels notified as extended hospitals, as rooms are occupied by patients for health care. It also pointed out that the tariff fixed for rooms, at Rs 5,000 including all meals and applicable taxes, is very low and shall result in additional losses. AKT RVK

Hospitality industry raises concerns over requisitioning of hotels as COVID-19 facilities 

New Delhi, Jun 21 () The coronavirus cases in Delhi neared the 60,000-mark on Sunday with 3,000 more people testing positive, even as worried authorities were mulling steps to make contact tracing more robust to arrest the spread of the infection in the national capital. Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia held a virtual meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss strategies to make contact tracing more effective and strengthen medical services in COVID-19 affected areas in the city. The issue is also expected to come up at the crucial meet of Delhi Disaster Management Authority to be held on Monday, amid a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital. It was the third day on the trot that over 3,000 fresh cases have been reported. On Saturday, Delhi had witnessed 3,630 cases, the highest single-day spike here. On Friday, the number was 3,137. As many as 63 fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll from the coronavirus now stands at 2,175 and the total number of cases at 59,746, according to the latest Delhi health department bulletin The condition of Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has improved and his fever has subsided, a day after he was administered plasma therapy at a private COVID-19 facility here. Also, a team of senior doctors from a few government and private hospitals has been kept on standby to ensure the best medical care for Jain who is admitted in ICU of Max hospital, Saket, sources said. The condition of the 55-year-old minister is improving and he is being monitored by doctors, officials said. "His fever has subsided and his oxygen saturation level (Spo2) has increased. He is likely to come out of the ICU by Monday," an official said. On the meeting held by Shah, an official said that "a detailed discussion was held to make contact tracing robust in the city. All participants discussed the strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Delhi". On Saturday, Lt Governor Anil Baijal amended his order on home isolation, saying "only those COVID positive cases which do not require hospitalisation on clinical assessment &amp; do not have adequate facilities for home isolation would be required to undergo institutional isolation." A Delhi government official said that the administration will have uphill task to get the clinical assessment of all new COVID-19 cases done every day. "As Delhi is witnessing an alarming spike in cases daily, it will be a difficult task to get such a huge number of cases done. After the assessment, the decision will be taken on whether the infected person requires hospitalisation or he can get treatment in home isolation," the official said. This issue is also likely to come up during a meeting of DDMA on Monday where officers concerned will make presentation to execute the LG's order. Meanwhile, a 62-year-old inmate lodged in Mandoli Jail here has died of coronavirus, a first COVID-19 casualty in Delhi's prison, prompting authorities to test 28 other inmates who were sharing the barrack with the man, officials said on Sunday. Kanwar Singh passed away on June 15 and his COVID-19 test report came out positive on Saturday, they said. Singh was serving life sentence in a 2016 murder case. He was lodged in Central Jail number -14, Mandoli and was asymptomatic, the officials said. Delhi Prison comprises Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli Jail. Till now, 23 inmates of Delhi Prison have been found positive for COVID-19, out of them 16 recovered from the disease and one has died. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has sought more time to convert five-star Taj Mansingh hotel into a coronavirus facility in order to augment beds for patients amid a spike in infections. According to an order issued by the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Chanakyapuri on June 16, rooms in the luxury Taj Mansingh Hotel in Lutyens' Delhi were placed at the disposal of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) for using them as an attached COVID-19 facility. According to sources at the hospital, a letter has been written to the SDM seeking more time to develop the hospital into a Covid facility. As the COVID-19 cases continue to rise, resident welfare associations in the city have started coming up with their own isolation facilities for infected patients. An eight-bed isolation centre set up by the residents of Antariksh Apartment in sector 14 of Rohini was inaugurated on Sunday. "The isolation centre has been set up using four rooms of a guest house of Antariksh Apartment. Each room has two beds and there are also facilities of oxygen support, medicines and medical care for corona patients," local municipal councillor Alok Sharma said. Work on an isolation centre for the residents of the apartment complex began as asymptomatic COVID-19 patients and those with mild symptoms are being placed in home-isolation, he said. The national capital on Sunday celebrated the International Day of Yoga under the shadow of COVID-19, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal practising ''asanas'' at his residence, while several other Delhi leaders performed yoga in small groups. The celebrations were muted this year in the city due to the coronavirus scare as compared to previous years when people in large numbers gathered at prominent places including India Gate lawns to participate in mass yoga sessions. GVS AMP KND SLB VIT BUN RT

Delhi's COVID-19 tally nears 60,000-mark; Authorities start work on robust contact tracing 

(Eds: Adds inputs, incorporating related series) New Delhi, Jun 16 () The death toll from COVID-19 in the national capital surged to 1,837 on Tuesday while 1,859 fresh coronavirus cases took the tally in the city to over 44,000-mark, according to the health bulletin released by the Delhi government. The death toll from COVID-19 in the city stood at 1,400 on Monday. This makes a massive jump of 437 deaths being reported in a day, the largest number of fatalities being recorded in one day. Out of these, 93 fatalities have been reported in the last 24 hours, the Delhi Health Department bulletin said. However, the bulletin also said the cumulative figure included all pending deaths reported to and audited by the Death Audit Committee. From June 12-14, over 2,000 cases were reported per day in Delhi. The highest spike of 2,224 fresh cases was recorded on June 14. The bulletin said the death toll from coronavirus has risen to 1,837 and the total number of cases mounted to 44,688. Meanwhile, an order has been issued for inspection of dedicated COVID hospitals in Delhi by teams constituted by the Union Health Ministry for rapid assessment of the existing capacity, patient care amenities and associated aspects of the COVID care facilities in order to have efficient and timely decision-making. Also, Delhi Heath Minister Satyendar Jain was on Tuesday admitted to a hospital here after running high-grade fever. He tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday, but he still has fever and symptoms, and will be tested again for it on Wednesday, a senior official said. Besides, the Delhi government authorities on Tuesday issued an order asking luxury Taj Mansingh Hotel to have its rooms and premises be placed at the disposal of a private hospital here with immediate effect, for using it as an extended COVID-19 facility. A total of 16,500 patients have recovered, been discharged or migrated so far, the latest bulletin said, which did not mention the total number of active cases. A total of 3,04,483 tests have been conducted till date, it said. The total number of COVID-19 positive patients under home isolation stands at 23,515, it said. A total of 802 patients in are in ICU while 215 are on ventilators, the bulletin said. The number of containment zones in the city on Tuesday stood at 242. KND KJ KJ

1,859 fresh COVID-19 cases in Delhi take tally to over 44K; death toll soars to 1,837: Bulletin

(Eds: With more inputs) New Delhi, Jun 21 () The coronavirus cases in Delhi neared the 60,000-mark on Sunday with 3,000 more people testing positive, even as worried authorities were mulling steps to strengthen the containment strategy to arrest the spread of the infection in the national capital. Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia held a virtual meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah during which a report by VK Paul committee on the issue was presented, according to the Union Home Ministry. Mapping of all containment zones in Delhi again for better management of the COVID-19 situation and vigorous contact tracing of positive cases for quarantining are among the measures related to the containment strategy suggested by the high-level committee set up Shah. It had also favoured strictly restricting activities in containment zones as well keeping a vigil on houses outside these areas. The home minister has advised the Delhi government to implement the recommendations of the committee, officials said. The issue is also expected to come up at the crucial meet of Delhi Disaster Management Authority to be held on Monday, amid a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital. It was the third day on the trot that over 3,000 fresh cases have been reported. On Saturday, Delhi had witnessed 3,630 cases, the highest single-day spike here. On Friday, the number was 3,137. As many as 63 fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll from the coronavirus now stands at 2,175 and the total number of cases at 59,746, according to the latest Delhi health department bulletin The condition of Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has improved and his fever has subsided, a day after he was administered plasma therapy at a private COVID-19 facility here. Also, a team of senior doctors from a few government and private hospitals has been kept on standby to ensure the best medical care for Jain who is admitted in ICU of Max hospital, Saket, sources said. The condition of the 55-year-old minister is improving and he is being monitored by doctors, officials said. "His fever has subsided and his oxygen saturation level (Spo2) has increased. He is likely to come out of the ICU by Monday," an official said. On the meeting held by Shah, an official said that "a detailed discussion was held to make contact tracing robust in the city. All participants discussed the strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Delhi". On Saturday, Lt Governor Anil Baijal amended his order on home isolation, saying "only those COVID positive cases which do not require hospitalisation on clinical assessment &amp; do not have adequate facilities for home isolation would be required to undergo institutional isolation." A Delhi government official said that the administration will have uphill task to get the clinical assessment of all new COVID-19 cases done every day. "As Delhi is witnessing an alarming spike in cases daily, it will be a difficult task to get such a huge number of cases done. After the assessment, the decision will be taken on whether the infected person requires hospitalisation or he can get treatment in home isolation," the official said. This issue is also likely to come up during a meeting of DDMA on Monday where officers concerned will make presentation to execute the LG's order. Meanwhile, a 62-year-old inmate lodged in Mandoli Jail here has died of coronavirus, a first COVID-19 casualty in Delhi's prison, prompting authorities to test 28 other inmates who were sharing the barrack with the man, officials said on Sunday. Kanwar Singh passed away on June 15 and his COVID-19 test report came out positive on Saturday, they said. Singh was serving life sentence in a 2016 murder case. He was lodged in Central Jail number -14, Mandoli and was asymptomatic, the officials said. Delhi Prison comprises Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli Jail. Till now, 23 inmates of Delhi Prison have been found positive for COVID-19, out of them 16 recovered from the disease and one has died. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has sought more time to convert five-star Taj Mansingh hotel into a coronavirus facility in order to augment beds for patients amid a spike in infections. According to an order issued by the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Chanakyapuri on June 16, rooms in the luxury Taj Mansingh Hotel in Lutyens' Delhi were placed at the disposal of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) for using them as an attached COVID-19 facility. According to sources at the hospital, a letter has been written to the SDM seeking more time to develop the hospital into a Covid facility. As the COVID-19 cases continue to rise, resident welfare associations in the city have started coming up with their own isolation facilities for infected patients. An eight-bed isolation centre set up by the residents of Antariksh Apartment in sector 14 of Rohini was inaugurated on Sunday. "The isolation centre has been set up using four rooms of a guest house of Antariksh Apartment. Each room has two beds and there are also facilities of oxygen support, medicines and medical care for corona patients," local municipal councillor Alok Sharma said. Work on an isolation centre for the residents of the apartment complex began as asymptomatic COVID-19 patients and those with mild symptoms are being placed in home-isolation, he said. The national capital on Sunday celebrated the International Day of Yoga under the shadow of COVID-19, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal practising ''asanas'' at his residence, while several other Delhi leaders performed yoga in small groups. The celebrations were muted this year in the city due to the coronavirus scare as compared to previous years when people in large numbers gathered at prominent places including India Gate lawns to participate in mass yoga sessions. GVS AMP KND SLB VIT BUN ACB RT

Delhi's COVID-19 tally nears 60,000-mark; Authorities to strengthen containment strategy

New Delhi, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ishwar Singh, who busted the match-fixing scandal in 2000, here on Thursday claimed that underworld don <keyword id="6357714" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dawood-Ibrahim">Dawood Ibrahim</keyword> was also involved in the scam. The officer, who was the first to be deployed in the anti-extortion cell of the <keyword id="6358992" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-Police">Delhi Police</keyword> in 2000, told IANS: "I saw <keyword id="836059" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjeev-Chawla">Sanjeev Chawla</keyword> for the first time in March 2000 at the Taj Mansingh Hotel. I was investigating an extortion case that had its roots in Dubai. During investigation, I also got to listen a conversation between Chawla and Hansie Cronje, the then skipper of South Africa cricket team, on international bookie Rajesh Kalra's telephone." "One day I followed Kalra's car. He was on his way to give Cronje a sim card through Chawla. That was for the first and the last time I saw Chawla," Singh said. The Delhi Police registered a criminal case for match-fixing on April 6, 2000, on my complaint, he said. When then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government got to know of alleged involvement of many international cricket players in the match-fixing, the case was handed over to the <keyword id="6354889" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="central-bureau-of-investigation">Central Bureau of Investigation</keyword> (CBI), he added. If he would like to meet Chawla after 19 years, Singh said, "It all depends on the Delhi Police. I work as per the orders. But personally I would like to meet him and ask about Indian cricket players involved in the scandal." On Dawood Ibrahim's involvement in match-fixing scam, Singh said whatever he saw and heard of during investigation, he could say the underworld don was directly or indirectly involved in it. "I heard one of his henchmen talking over the phone about it," Singh said. Now as Chawla had been extradited to India, he might reveal something. The police could find out something about Dawood Ibrahim's involvement, which could not be unravelled that time "due to lack of evidences", the ACP said. On the outcome of Chawla's extradition, Singh said, "It's important to clean the gentleman's game. 19 years ago, I did whatever I could. G. Ramgopal Naik, DCP Crime, worked hard for Chawla's extradition from the UK. He might get something big out of him."

You Searched For "Taj Mansingh hotel" and got 11 results

Ganga Ram hospital seeks more time to convert Taj Mansingh hotel into COVID-19 facility

PTI

Taj Mansingh Hotel to be converted into COVID facility; Delhi cases cross 44000, death toll 1,837

PTI

Order issued to attach Taj Mansingh with SGRH as COVID facility

PTI

Order issued to attach Taj ManSingh with SGRH as COVID facility

PTI

Order issued to attach Taj Mansingh with Ganga Ram Hospital as extended COVID facility

PTI

The curious story of Dadi Balsara, the Parsi billionaire who stayed at Taj Mansingh Hotel for 36 years

Poulomi Das

Hospitality industry raises concerns over requisitioning of hotels as COVID-19 facilities

PTI

Delhi's COVID-19 tally nears 60,000-mark; Authorities start work on robust contact tracing

PTI

1,859 fresh COVID-19 cases in Delhi take tally to over 44K; death toll soars to 1,837: Bulletin

PTI

Delhi's COVID-19 tally nears 60,000-mark; Authorities to strengthen containment strategy

PTI

India's most wanted Dawood Ibrahim could be a part of match fixing scam, says police

IANS