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I take decisions related to Pune consulting the CM: Ajit Pawar
PUNE Days after health minister Rajesh Tope suggested the local administration recommend relaxations for Covid curbs in Pune, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, on Sunday, indirectly sent a message to other ministers in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)
PUNE Days after health minister Rajesh Tope suggested the local administration recommend relaxations for Covid curbs in Pune, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, on Sunday, indirectly sent a message to other ministers in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
He said that he takes Pune-related decisions with the chief minister’s permission and on being asked about Pune-related decisions, “Pune’s guardian minister will decide after discussing with the CM,” said Pawar.
“While taking decisions related to Pune I ask the CM. So if someone asks others (ministers) anything about Pune, they can say that the guardian minister will take a decision after consulting with CM,” said Ajit Pawar.
Pawar also asserted that when it comes to analysing Covid indicators, the state government recognises Pune as a single district and not as three different administrative units.
“In Maharashtra, every district is known as a district. Pune district is very diversified in terms of geography. The state government considers it a single district. When I got to know about the situation, I spoke to the CM and requested him to consider the ground situation in Pune. Then CM spoke to the divisional commissioner, collector, municipal commissioners, and commissioners of police. Then he again talked to me. After all this, we have arrived at this decision. The population of the Pune district is huge as compared to the other districts. Now also, we have kept the rural parts at level 3,” said Pawar.
The state’s government’s order on the five-level unlock plan had categorically mentioned the municipal corporations were to be considered as separate administrative units, including Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Based on the Covid indicators given in the order, level 3 restrictions were put in pace for PMC and PCMC, and level 4 restrictions were imposed in rural parts. As the positivity rate further declined in PMC, more relaxations were offered only in PMC for a brief period, before level 3 was made the baseline for restrictions, fearing the transmissibility of delta plus variant.
