<span style="color: #222222;">The seventeen industrial estates in Chennai resume their operations from today. The Tamil Nadu Government has permitted them to function with 25 per cent of their usual strength in areas outside containment zones. Following of safety protocols in the industrial units has been made mandatory. <br />''<br />''Earlier, only the industries outside the state capital were permitted to reopen. However, representatives of the industrial estates in Chennai demanded permission for them also to relaunch their production lines, which has been expected. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 tally in Tamil Nadu has crossed 16-thousand mark yesterday.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Though Tamil Nadu ranks second in the total tally of Covid-19 infected cases in India, a positive aspect is that the discharge ratio has improved to 51 per cent. Furthermore, the mortality rate due to the pandemic is contained well within 0.68 per cent. Chennai carries about two third of the state's total caseload. <br />''<br />''However officials in the city civic body say the infection is more pronounced only in 36 of the two hundred wards, where the population density is comparatively more. To give a sharp focus in containment efforts, about 2500 volunteers have been deployed in the two thousand hutments to constantly monitor the vulnerable people and to ensure following safety measures like wearing masks and social distancing. Officials exude confidence that the epidemic curve in the city would eventually plateau and then spiral down.</span><br />