After reports of Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium being used as a COVID-19 quarantine centre, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday suggested to also make use of the city's Brabourne Stadium for the same purpose.
Taking to Twitter, Raut said, "All resources need to be utilized in Mumbai to fight against #Covid_19india. good call on taking up wankhede stadium to develop a quarantine facility..suggestion to @OfficeofUT - why not take over Brabourne stadium as well? It has much needed facilities @PawarSpeaks @AUThackeray."
However, Environment and Tourism Minister in Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's Cabinet, Aaditya Thackeray said that the stadium cannot be used due to the upcoming monsoon season. Replying to Raut tweet, Thackeray said, "Had it not been for our monsoons, it is very usable."
On Friday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had directed the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to hand over some premises of the Wankhede Stadium in Churchgate to the civic body to create facilities in connection with the novel coronavirus outbreak.
"We have received a formal request from the BMC to hand over the Wankhede as quarantine facility and the members have had a discussion where we have agreed to support them with facilities of MCA," sources within the MCA had told ANI.
The MCA had also decided to extend support to the BMC endeavours to control the spread of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 cases in Mumbai on Saturday were 18,555 and teh death toll was 696.
(With inputs from Agencies)
