The state government should pay more attention to containing the spread of COVID-19 in Mira-Bhayandar, said Devendra Fadnavis, the leader of the opposition in the legislative assembly on Monday. He noted that the twin-city has been witnessing an alarming surge in the number of positive cases as well as recording frightening death toll figures.
Fadnavis was on a visit to the twin-city to take an overall review of the health infrastructure and arrangements made by the local administration to combat the pandemic. The former Chief Minister visited the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC)-run dedicated COVID-19 hospital in Bhayandar and later met municipal commissioner Dr. Vijay Rathod at the civic headquarters.
When asked about the abrupt transfer of the MBMC commissioner within four months, Fadnavis said, “It is unfortunate. This was not the time to transfer municipal commissioners. It could slow down the combat process as it’s obvious that the new chief will need time to grasp the ground situation. However, the new chief is from the medical field himself. ”
He was accompanied by BJP leaders including Leader of Opposition in the state legislative council, Pravin Darekar, MLA Ravindra Chavhan, Mayor Jyotsna Hasnale, Deputy Mayor Hasmukh Gehlot and standing committee chairman Ashok Tiwari amongst others.
The coronavirus-graph of the twin-city has reached alarming levels. From 4,011 on Wednesday, the number of COVID-19 positive cases surged to 4,314 on Sunday -- the highest increase of 303 cases registered by the civic body within a span of less than 24 hours.
Till now, the highest single day increase had been limited to 276 cases, which had been reported on July, 3. While the doubling rate of positive cases has gathered momentum, the death toll has also climbed to 162.
