Updated: September 6, 2020 7:08:54 am
Sharad Pawar leaves after a review meeting on Covid in Pune on Saturday. (Express photo: Ashish Kale)
For the past three days, PNC leader Sharad Pawar has been camping in Pune, meeting with district and health officials, corporations, and workers from his own party, to discuss ways to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the city that now has the highest number of infected people in the country.
On Saturday he attended the weekly review meeting of the district administration, as a member of Rajya Sabha from the district. She followed it up with a meeting with elected district members in Parliament and the State Assembly. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, who resides in Pune, was also present at the two meetings.
On Thursday, Pawar paid a surprise visit to the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, the first in 18 years, and reviewed the epidemic situation. The next day, he met with officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation.
Although the cases have been rising through maharashtra, which represents more than one fifth of all coronavirus cases in the country, the situation in Pune is blamed directly on the PNC. The territory of the Pawar family, Baramati, is part of the Pune district. Furthermore, Pawar’s nephew and senior deputy minister Ajit Pawar directly manages Pune as its watchdog minister. Ajit Pawar, a frequent visitor to Pune, has been leading coronavirus efforts in the district and was reportedly instrumental in the transfers of key health officials.
As on Saturday, Pune had reported more than 1.94 lakh of coronavirus cases, 57,000 of them active; both figures put it ahead of the next two cities on the highest list, Delhi and Mumbai. Mumbai has less than half of its active cases and Delhi around a third.
The Pune authorities are blamed for failing to create adequate health facilities, with cases of coronavirus patients dying due to ICU unavailability. Major Pawar’s intervention, in fact, appears to have been triggered by the death of a television journalist last week after he was reportedly unable to find an ICU in time.
Read | Prakash Javadekar reviews spread of Covid in Pune: ‘will increase antigen testing, second round of serosurvey coming soon’
A senior PNC leader said Pawar was not happy with the way things were being run in the city. “Pune has been a stronghold of the NCP and the BJP has become a big player in the district only in recent years. Baramati is still represented by Supriya Sule. The coronavirus situation in the city does not give confidence in the ability of the PNC to handle a crisis like this, ”said the leader.
Rajya Sabha MP Vandana Chavan, considered close to Pawar, said the head of the CPN had instructed all party workers to join forces and resources to help the district administration. The party’s city unit has been asked to deploy at least six ambulances and start a helpline to help patients, including making beds available in real time, Chavan said.
At Saturday’s review meeting, Pawar directed the district administration to expand the testing facilities, ensure patients received treatment immediately, and bring together retired officials if necessary. “Public participation is very important to control the spread of the infection. Many citizens are seen moving openly without covering their faces with a mask… The administration should sanction those who do not wear masks when moving in public places, ”Pawar told officials.
Read | Lavasa reports the first 2 Covid cases, both employees visited Pune on weekends
Alliance partner Shiv Sena has been hinting that Ajit Pawar, and thus the PNC, mishandled the situation in Pune. Uddhav saheb has maintained from the beginning that more attention should be paid to Pune. The lockdown was hastily lifted and the Chief Minister objected. But now Pune is following the Mumbai pattern in addressing the situation, ”Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said recently.
Among other things, Pune authorities are being questioned for not building any makeshift hospital for Covid-19 patients, unlike Mumbai and Delhi, until the third week of August. That was after Maharashtra’s chief minister Uddhav Thackeray detained district officials on a visit to the city.
With things tense between Pawar and Ajit Pawar, the direct involvement of the PNC patriarch is also seen as another sign of a lack of confidence in his nephew’s abilities.
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