Iqbal Chahal, who took office as BMC boss on Saturday tells Mirror that the situation in Mumbai It will improve later this month.
■ For suggestions to call the paramilitary forces:
That is a silly idea. Paramilitary personnel can also get sick
■ In containment areas:
They are not airtight
■ In bodies piled up in hospital wards:
This will not be tolerated. Officers have been instructed
Perform or perish – new BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal it does not have the time or inclination to maintain the status quo. As the BMC avoids criticism of its Covid-19 containment and treatment strategy, the city commissioner has had marathon meetings and an on-site evaluation of a major access point since he took office on Saturday. With a full schedule for course correction, Chahal is confident that by the end of the month he will see a noticeable improvement in the city. Excerpts from an interview:
♦ What was your visit to Dharavi Saturday for?
He wanted to see the situation in the Dharavi containment areas: how well they had been sealed, whether people were receiving food packages, and whether private clinics were open. I saw the state of the toilets and the frequency with which they were disinfected.
The new BMC commissioner, Iqbal Chahal, visits Dharavi, one of the hot spots of COVID-19 in Mumbai.
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♦ And what was your evaluation?
I felt that the containment zones are not airtight. I realize that in a congested poor neighborhood like Dharavi, that is difficult, as there are often 10 people in one room.
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♦ There is talk of paramilitary forces called to contain Dharavi.
That is a very silly idea, and I don’t support it. In the containment area I visited, there were five police officers. What will paramilitary personnel do that the police cannot? In addition, they can also get sick.
♦ You have said you want to increase Mumbai’s case duplication rate from 10 to 20 days. How is that to be done?
We will have more and better tests, hospital beds, quarantine facilities, and ambulances. There will be 50,000 beds for quarantine and better management of the containment areas. We are contacting doctors from other parts of Maharashtra, especially from districts that have zero cases. For example, we could get doctors from Wardha Medical School, a district that doesn’t have Covid-19 case and of which I am the guardian secretary, for a few months.
♦ He has also talked about improving contact tracking from three per patient to 10 per patient. How are you going to do that in the slums? Where will the people in institutional quarantine be?
I have a plan and instructions have been sent. (Refuses to release the plan.)
We have institutional quarantine facilities for 23,000 people now, and 10,000 of these beds are occupied. In Dharavi, quarantine of 10 contacts for each patient may not be possible; we can do up to six or seven.
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BMC Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi was transferred to urban development; Iqbal Chahal is the new boss of BMC
In a major development, Praveen Pardeshi, Chief Commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Praveen Pardeshi, has moved in the midst of fighting a pandemic as cases have continued to show an upward trend in Mumbai. He has been transferred as additional chief secretary in the urban development department. Iqbal Chahal, who is currently Chief Secretary of the Department of Urban Development, is the new BMC Commissioner for Mumbai.
♦ There are too many circulars in the test protocol, which has created confusion. What is the final protocol?
I will sit down with the CM and the chief secretary to decide this once and for all. In the future, orders once issued will not be withdrawn.
♦ Will the tests be universal? Will asymptomatic patients be allowed to undergo testing?
We will test as much as possible, but we will follow the central government protocol for evaluating asymptomatic people. (The ICMR guidelines recommend testing all high-risk asymptomatic contacts, such as family members and caregivers, between the fifth and 14th day of suspected exposure.)
♦ Will private laboratories be allowed to perform tests as before?
We will do what the central government tells us. As of now, no one can be tested directly in a private laboratory.
♦ What are you doing to improve the morale of officers who are fatigued due to the situation in Mumbai?
I had a seven-hour meeting with 12 assistant commissioners on Saturday and the remaining 12 on Sunday.
♦ What did you tell them?
We discuss the current situation. I emphasized the need for teamwork. I told the assistant commissioners that, since I am the Mumbai commissioner, they are commissioners from their neighborhoods. They have to keep things under their control, and no one can pass the money on to another. I will operate through a single window. Each assistant commissioner must delegate tasks. There must be such a system that things run in autopilot mode. I have made it clear that standard operating procedures must be in place. That is a goal.
♦ The handling of victims’ bodies, especially in two civic management hospitals recently, has generated much criticism.
I told my officers that such cases should not be repeated. This will not be tolerated again. In the future, they must act or perish.
Video shows patients lying next to corpses in room COVID-19 at Sion Hospital in Mumbai
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♦ When will the situation in Mumbai improve?
In the next 10 days, we want to increase the doubling rate to 14 days. We will see a real difference in late May. We are preparing for the worst, but we hope for the best.
♦ You have had a conversation with the chief secretary. What was his message to you?
He’s also looking at the bigger picture, the city’s preparation for the monsoon, which was not on my mind when I took office. He said pre-monsoon works should not be ignored during this time. He spoke about flood-prone locations such as the Hindmata crossing, the train tracks, the Love Grove pump station in Worli, and the Milan metro. He told me to meet with railway officials and to make sure that the trains did not stop during the rains. He also talked about tree trimming to avoid accidents and asked me to make sure that storm drains are not flooded.
♦ Many bureaucrats say that since you’ve never managed a large civic body before, you may not be the right person for the job.
He was previously in charge of MHADA. For six months in 1999-2000, I held three positions: as Aurangabad collector, its municipal commissioner, and its division commissioner.
Mumbai at Lockdown 2.0: slower pace to board Covid19 but essential supplies work
Prison rapists
For Mumbai and Maharashtra, it was not a surprise that the blockade was extended. City numbers have been on the rise and even Pune’s cases continue to rise in the count. Maharashtra still has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in all the states of the country. Lockdown 2.0 will see some exemptions, but only in those areas that are not containment zones. The waivers will begin on April 20 and are expected to bring great relief to economic activities that have practically been in closure mode since March 24, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the initial 21-day blockade for the country. Photo by Sachin Haralkar / MMCL
Mumbai Red Zone
On Sunday, the Health Ministry said 1,334 new cases of COVID-19 reported since Saturday with 27 deaths in the past 24 hours. ICMR said India had conducted a total of 3.86,791 tests so far. “Yesterday 37,173 tests were performed, of these 29,287 tests were performed in ICMR network laboratories. 7,886 tests in private sector laboratories,” said Raman Gangakhedkar of ICMR. Mumbai is part of the list of 170 critical points or red zones across the country. Photo by Satyajit Desai / MMCL
Maharashtra CM appeals to migrants
Addressing the concerns of migrant workers, Uddhav Thackeray spoke in Hindi and said: “We are working to start some economic activities. Join them. I want to assure you that the Maharashtra government will make sure you get home. Your family is scared.” . and you too. Tell them not to worry about you. We will take care of you. These are difficult times, but they won’t last long. “Photo by Satyajit Desai / MMCL
Flamingos take flight in encierro
With the prolonged blockade forcing people to stay indoors, the surrounding areas of Mumbai are seeing a sharp increase in the number of flamingos, especially in Navi Mumbai, Uran, Thane Creek, Panju Island, and Vasai. Mumbai has some sites where you can see smaller and smaller flamingo species during this time of year. With the people staying home during the confinement, the flamingos are taking flight. Their youngest are now also picking up the pink color one associates with flamingos. These birds will migrate to Kutch to reproduce. Photo by Raju Shelar / MMCL
Nehrunagar: penalized infringement offenders
From sit-ups to yoga, the police in Maharashtra have tried a number of innovative methods to confront lockdown violators, those who have no compelling reason to explain why they are off the streets during lockdown. In some cases, the police also had people hold banners with lines like, “I am an educated citizen but I do not follow government orders.” In some cases, the police have also used their lathis against violators. This photo was taken on April 18 in Nehrunagar. Photo by Sachin Haralkar / MMCL
Disinfectant mist installed in Jogeshwari
On April 20, Maharashtra will complete six weeks of being in confinement. And although the movement of people is still restricted, some economic activities may resume in those areas that are green areas, where there is not even a single case of Covid-19. In Mumbai, although the blockade will continue, as it is among the red zones. This disinfecting mist was installed in a poor neighborhood of Jogeshwari. Photo by Satyajit Desai / MMCL
Time to join the Force Mask
A couple of days ago, the BCCI released a video featuring the best cricket players promoting the idea of homemade masks. So, Captain Virat Kohli’s mask has V written on it, Rahul Dravid’s mask has, what else: a wall. Bhajji paaji decided to go with a Sikh turban on his mask while BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly has ‘Dada’ on his mask. Sachin Tendulkar chose to go with the number ’10’ on his mask and Hitman Rohit Sharma has also stayed true to his nickname. The video received strong approval from the Prime Minister. This photo was taken in Nehrunagar, where a vendor sold masks for Rs 10 each. Photo by Sachin Haralkar / MMCL
Uttan: waiting for the tide to turn
For fishermen, this is the high season. But the blockade can with an unexpected crisis for them. For many days, they did not obtain permission to take their ships to sea. Then with the blockade, additional concern arose as to how they would take their catch to the markets. Getting diesel was a problem, even ice to store fish was a problem. In this uncertainty, they remained high and dry. Now, under the new exemptions listed in the MHA circular, fishing will be allowed. These boats in the Uttam fishing village that have been waiting for days can finally begin to see the tide turn in their favor again. Otherwise, the entire fishing community is seeing massive losses. Photo by Nilesh Wairkar / MMCL
Good news in the running of the bulls
In a moving development, two women who tested positive for the new coronavirus delivered healthy babies at BYL Nair Hospital in Mumbai on Sunday. The doctor said the two children tested negative for the deadly virus, but were unable to breastfeed as there are possibilities of transmission of the virus. Photo by Satyajit Desai / MMCL
The city slows down
A residential society in Agripada has registered an FIR against a couple for allegedly allowing people helping the home to enter their apartment during the national shutdown despite the society’s ban on the entry of strangers. The couple allegedly ignored various warnings from the housing society and insisted on allowing home helpers to enter the society’s campus every day. Photo by Sachin Haralkar / MMCL
The largest Covid19 center in the city at Nair hospital
Mumbai is finally getting a unique Covid-19 hospital that it deserves. By Monday, Nair Hospital, one of the largest hospitals managed by BMC, will begin transferring all of its non-coronavirus patients to its other facilities, making way for the city’s largest Covid-19 facility, twice. the size of Kasturba and SevenHills together. Photo by Satyajit Desai / MMCL
Essential services continue
Maharashtra Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray said Sunday that the state has conducted a total of 66,896 tests for Covid-19. He reiterated that people should show up and be tested for Covid-19 if there are symptoms. “Doctors have told us that many come to us when they are serious enough. There have been cases in which they have died even before their results have been received,” he said. He asked people not to hide the symptoms. “If you have a fever, a cold, a cough, let us know. Don’t be afraid, don’t run away, come to these clinics we’ve established.” Photo by Satyajit Desai / MMCL
26 sailors test positive in Mumbai
26 sailors were placed in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 in Mumbai on Saturday. They belong to INS Angre, a coastal establishment. So far there has not been a single case of Covid-19 aboard any Indian Navy ship, submarine or air station. The detection of these Covid-19 cases is the result of meticulous follow-up of contacts and aggressive screening / testing by the Western Naval Command after a sailor tested positive on April 7. After the sailor tested positive for Covid-19, all facilities at The Unit have been sealed. Containment zones and buffer zones have been designated and frequent disinfection continues according to the protocol to contain the spread by breaking the transmission chain. Photo by Satyajit Desai / MMCL
People are inside, birds are free
We are sure that you have seen many posts on social media that talk about how nature is healing as humans stay indoors. There are some truths to that for sure. For starters, pollution levels have dropped in many Indian cities. The viral photos of India Gate with a beautiful blue sky in the background is the Twitterati talk who is horrified to see the gray tone of another photo of the monument taken in November 2019, where the India Gate is barely visible. Flamingos are in all their rosy glory at Mumbai’s many sites, including Seawoods and even Wadala. Photo by Satyajit Desai / MMCL
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