India News | Form Local Panels in Konkan During Ganesh Fest: CM on COVID-19
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday directed the authorities to form village- level vigilance committees in Konkan, the coastal districts of the state, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the next month's Ganesh festival that is celebrated there in a big way.
Mumbai, Jul 17 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday directed the authorities to form village- level vigilance committees in Konkan, the coastal districts of the state, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the next month's Ganesh festival that is celebrated there in a big way.
He also asked the Ganesh mandals to keep the celebrations simple and ensure that no crowding takes place during the festivity.
Thackeray was speaking to the collectors of Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg to take stock of the prevailing situation in those districts.
The Ganesh festival is one of the biggest festivals in Konkan region. Lakhs of people from Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) travel to Konkan at their family homes for the festival, the chief minister said, adding that this year, it will be celebrated from August 22.
Although the spread of the virus is more in urban areas, the number of affected persons is also rising in the rural parts of the state, he said.
The spread of virus is more in Raigad district as compared to Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, the CM added.
"The local administration should be more alert at the check-posts, for which adequate police personnel and health officials need to be deployed. Ganesh mandals should organise health camps in their villages, keep the celebrations simple, and ensure there is no crowding. The guidelines for hygiene should be followed meticulously," Thackeray said.
He asked the local authorities to set up village-level vigilance committees by involving locals to create awareness about COVID-19.
Testing labs have started in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg and the one at Raigad will become functional soon, he said, adding that isolation beds and other medical health infrastructure should be upgraded immediately.
Thackeray said all political parties should co- operate with the government in the fight against COVID-19.
The three collectors briefed the chief minister about the steps being taken in their respective districts.
In a separate meeting held to review the impact of last month's Nisarga cyclone in Konkan, Thackeray said heavy rains lashing the region in the last few days has caused difficulties in the restoration of damaged roads, electricity and mobile connectivity hit by the cyclone.
During the meeting, Thackeray asked the local administration to expedite the restoration efforts despites the hurdles.
He expressed satisfaction over the disbursement of financial aid from the state disaster management fund and the special fund of the state government.
So far, Rs 372.97 crore have been disbursed for Raigad, Rs 116.78 crore for Ratnagiri and Rs 37.19 lakh for Sindhudurg, he said.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)