Mumbai: The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday said that it will initiate action against the senior committee member of the National Sports Club of India (NSCI), Viren Shah, for entering the ‘high-risk zone’ quarantine facility created for CoVID-19 patients in the city.
The BMC has turned the NSCI stadium in Worli into a 500-bed quarantine facility, for people who might have come in contact with CoVID-19 positive patients.
The civic body has decided to file a police complaint against Shah.
In a statement, a BMC spokesperson alleged that Shah gave interviews to media persons after entering the newly created facility to quarantine high-risk contacts of CoVID-19 patients at the stadium. "It is a very serious issue, as Shah risked not only his own life but also the lives of media persons and several others. We have decided to initiate police action against Shah," said BMC spokesperson Vijay Khabale-Patil.
The preparations are already going on to turn the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium -- which has hosted innumerable sporting events, including the Pro Kabaddi League and the NBA India games -- into a quarantine zone that can accommodate around 500 patients.
The Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium at the NSCI complex is close to Worli Koliwada, one of the coronavirus hotspots in the city.
Justifying his presence at NSCI, Shah said, "As a committee member, I was there to look after the preparation and coordinate with the BMC, which has acquired the stadium. I was also coordinating on the security measures. All this is my responsibility and that is exactly what I was doing."
When asked about giving interviews to media persons, Shah replied, "I did not call any media persons. They were already there. They asked me a few questions, which I answered. I had no intentions of putting anybody's life in danger. BMC officials should have contacted me directly rather than the media."
