Current affairs

Senior TN Minister tests positive for COVID-19, becomes the first in the CM EPS cabinet!

By alagu, 19 June, 2020
India, Tamilnadu, Chennai, Coronavirus, Nationwide lockdown

Tamil Nadu state minister for Higher Education KP Anbalagan, who is one of the senior ministers in Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami's cabinet, has now tested positive for COVID-19 infection and has become the first sitting minister in the state's cabinet and third sitting legislator in the assembly to get contracted to the viral infection after DMK's J Anbalagan and ADMK's Palani.

According to the reports, the senior minister has been admitted to the private hospital in Manapakkam, Chennai for further treatments.  He was admitted to the hospital after he developed fever following which he underwent the testing for COVID-19 which returned positive. The reports close to the developments say that the minister is at the early stage of the infection and getting treated at the isolation ward of the hospital.

DMK President MK Stalin took to Twitter and stated that he called the minister and inquired about his health after learning that he has got infected by the virus. By appealing the people at public service to be careful, the opposition leader wished that the minister should recover completely. 

 

The developments had shocked the government machinery as Anbalagan has been one of the five ministers appointed by the state to monitor and review the efforts of fighting COVID-19 in Chennai. Anbalagan was responsible to oversee the measures and co-ordination of Zones 13, 14, and 15 in Chennai which cover the areas of Adyar, Perungudi, and Shollinganallur respectively.

The Minister was in close co-ordination and contact with several ministers on the field, which further spurred up the question of the state of other ministers. Lastly, KP Anbalagan tweeted that he took part in the meeting with the ministers that held at the Rippon Building, the headquarters of Chennai Corporation, on June 17 and along with him, senior ministers including Velumani, Jayakumar, Kamaraj, and Vijayabaskar were also present in the meeting.

The reports stated that he had been visiting the facilities installed in three zones that were under his charge. KP Anbalagan has become a third sitting legislator in the state to get affected by the virus. Earlier this month, DMK's Anbalagan was the first legislator tested positive for the pandemic, and on June 10, he passed away at the age of 62, and ADMK's Palani become the second one in the state and he has currently been getting treated at MIOT hospital in Chennai. 

 

The shocking news of minister turned to be positive has come when Chennai is going through its first day of the 12 days enhanced lockdown and it also has exemplified that the virus has got the grounds of spread at the Chief Secretariat as at least four staff who were close to the Chief Minister had tested positive for the virus so far and one of the secretaries to the Chief Minister had died due to the infection on Wednesday. 

Also read: COVID-19: One of the secretaries of TN CM EPS succumbed to the pandemic!

 

You may also like

Comments