On Wednesday, former Pune Mayor Dattatraya Ekbote, popularly known as Datta Ekbote, lost his battle with COVID-19. The former Mayor breathed his last at Sassoon Hospital at midnight. He was 84. Ekbote is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a grandson.
According to a report by Mumbai Mirror, his eldest daughter and youngest son too died of COVID-19. After Ekbote tested positive for COVID-19, he contacted many hospitals but couldn't find a bed. But, was eventually admitted to Sassoon Hospital.
The report further states that the former Pune Mayor was not getting proper treatment. And only after former corporator Meenakshi Dnyaneshwar Kadgi contacted Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and MP Girish Bapat, that Ekbote received proper treatment.
Dattatraya Ekbote has served as State Vice President in Samajwadi Party, Janata Party and later in NCP.
On Wednesday, a 42-year-old reporter of a Marathi news channel died of COVID-19. He was admitted to a newly-created jumbo care facility in Pune. Journalist Pandurang Raykar, who tested COVID-19 positive, died due to lack of care at a government COVID centre in Pune, his family members alleged. "There's chaos, doctors aren't trained. They made centres worth crores but couldn't arrange cardiac ambulance to shift him. That's why he died," said Akshara Shendage, sister of the deceased journalist.
Pune district reported 3,535 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking its count to 1,77,282 on Wednesday. The death toll reached 4,257 with 74 more patients succumbing to the novel coronavirus infection in the western Maharashtra district.
