As Pune sees a declining number of COVID-19 cases, offices, schools, restaurants, hotels, and temples in the city have reopened following COVID-19 protocols. Now, the historic Shaniwar Wada fort in the city has also reopened after a gap of eight months for its visitors.
The monument-in-charge told ANI that they have also started an online payment facility at Shaniwar Wada. "We are taking care of all the precautionary measures. We have started an online payment facility. As compared to earlier, fewer people are visiting now," he said.
For the uninitiated, Shaniwar Wada was originally a seven-storey building built in 1732 under the reign of Peshwa Bajirao I. Now in ruins due to several military attacks and fires over the 18th and 19th century, it was the seat of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire. In 1818, the Peshwas lost its control to the British East India Company after the Third Anglo-Maratha War.
Meanwhile, Pune reported 233 new coronavirus cases, taking its caseload to 1,79,966 on Tuesday. According to an update by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Mayor Murlidhar Mohol, the death toll climbed to 4,654 with two new fatalities. A total of 343 patients were discharged during the day, taking the number of active cases to 2,725. As of now, 1,72,587 people have been discharged/ recovered.
Besides, Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally increased to 19,50,171 on Tuesday after it recorded 3,160 fresh cases of the viral infection, while more than 2,800 patients were discharged from hospitals, said a state health department official. The state reported 64 more deaths due to the infection, taking the fatality count to 49,759, he said. Also, 2,828 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, pushing the tally of recovered people to 18,50,189, the official said. With this, the state now has 49,067 active cases of coronavirus.
(With PTI inputs)
