BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal conferred honorary Doctor of Science Degree by Guru Nanak Dev University

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree by the Guru Nanak Dev University, Punjab during its 48th convocation held in Amritsar.

The degree was conferred at the hands of its Chancellor Shri Banwarilal Purohit, Hon’ble Governor, Punjab State in recognition of globally acclaimed performance in covid pandemic management in Mumbai and incomparable contribution to the society.

Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar which was established in the year 1969, is one of the premier universities in the country. It is indeed a matter of great privilege and honour to receive Honorary Doctorate in Science (D Sc)from the said University.

"This is one more tribute to Team BMC who made this possible,which otherwise would have been beyond my imagination," Chahal said while thanking his team at BMC.

BMC's Dharavi model

Being congested slum pockets, social distancing was not possible in Dharavi, so controlling the spread of the virus was a challenge for the BMC. So the BMC started 4Ts – tracing, tracking, testing and treating – which came to be known as the Dharavi model. With the assistance of private doctors and community support, the G North ward managed to control the spread of the virus in Dharavi.

This strategy was praised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) during the first wave of Covid-19. The ‘Dharavi model’ and the vaccination drive also helped in successfully containing the second and the third wave in the area. In March 2022 nearly two years after reporting the first case of the infection the Dharavi became Covid free.