2572 COVID cases in Pune district; Ajit Pawar orders strict enforcement of ‘Lockdown’ in Containment Zones
Pune, May 9, 2020: To curb the spread of corona in Pune city and Pimpri-Chinchwad area, Deputy Chief Minister and District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar has instructed to strictly implement lockdown in the containment zones from May 10 to May 17. He also assured that there would be no shortage of funds for the health, medical education and police departments to prevent corona infection.
Considering the increasing number of Coronavirus positive patients in Pune district, Deputy Chief Minister Pawar held a meeting at Jhumbar Hall in the Vidhan Bhavan (Council Hall) yesterday. The meeting was attended by Mayor Muralidhar Mohol, Divisional Commissioner Dr Deepak Mhaisekar, Pune City Police CommissionerK Venkatesham, Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissioner Sandeep Bishnoi, District Collector Naval Kishore Ram, Pune Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar, Co-operation Commissioner Anil Kawade, Sugar Commissioner Saurabh Rao, Animal Husbandry Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh, Groundwater Survey Director Kaustubh Divegavkar, PMC Additional Commissioner Rubal Agarwal, Shantanu Goyal, Superintendent of Police Sandeep Patil, Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Parishad Ayush Prasad, Department of Public Health Director Dr Archana Patil, Sassoon hospital dean Dr Muralidhar Tambe, and retired senior officers of various departments were present.
Deputy Chief Minister Pawar said that Mumbai is the financial capital of the country and Pune is the second most important city after Mumbai. The proportion of patients with COVID19 is alarming. Although officers are currently working to prevent corona infection, other experienced officers have been provided to assist them. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), District Administration, Police Department, Health Department should all coordinate and fulfil their responsibilities efficiently.
Apart from preventing corona infection, the district administration will also be responsible for the Kharif season. In this regard, he gave instructions to work in a planned manner keeping proper coordination. Arrangements should be made to send workers from other states who want to go to their respective states by rail, adding that the travel expenses of these workers would be borne by the state government or CSR fund (social responsibility fund).
Deputy Chief Minister Pawar gave clear instructions that no one should be allowed to leave the areas of the city (containment zones) where there are more patients with corona. He also said that if the state reserve police force (SRPF) help is required, it will be provided.
According to Divisional Commissioner Dr Deepak Mhaisekar, 837 corona infected patients have recovered and gone home in Pune division and the number of COVID19 infected patients in the division has reached 2885. The number of active patients is 1,891. He said that he has visited Solapur district and instructed the concerned departments to take necessary action. He said that he will go on a tour of Satara district as corona infection is on the rise at Karad in Satara district.
District Collector Naval Kishore Ram said that all the officers are working in coordination with each other and hoped that the corona infection would be controlled soon. He also said that they have given clear instructions to open shops and make petrol, diesel available to the citizens. He also said that necessary measures have been taken for the convenience of the citizens who want to go to other districts outside the state as well as within Pune district.
Pune Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad informed about the precautions being taken by the PMC in the containment zones. Five swab centres were started near the area where most of the corona patients were found. Apart from this, 6 mobile swab units have also been started. Regular cleaning of public toilets is being done. Gaikwad also said that the recruitment process of 200 doctors would be completed within to reduce the stress on health services.
Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar said that shops for essential and non-essential items have been started as per the instructions of the state government. He also clarified that the Municipal Corporation will strictly implement all the necessary measures to prevent corona infection.
Police officers informed about the measures being taken by the police department. The other officials also spoke about their responsibilities and action being taken. Pune Mayor Mohol said that the PMC has planned to provide rations to 70,000 families. Also, masks and sanitizers are being distributed. Apart from this, regular health check-ups are also being implemented.
