Shift vax, swab centres to civic-owned premises, PMC tells ward offices

ByHTC

Published on: Oct 12, 2021 12:19 am IST

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PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has instructed all regional ward offices in the city to shift vaccination and swab centres from private- to civic body-owned premises, municipal officials said on Monday

PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has instructed all regional ward offices in the city to shift vaccination and swab centres from private- to civic body-owned premises, municipal officials said on Monday.

Ravindra Binwade, PMC additional municipal commissioner, issued a circular on Monday instructing that all vaccination and swab testing facilities be shifted to civic body-owned properties within a week. “If vaccination and swab centres are found in private places, action will be taken against the concerned officers. The PMC will not pay rent for such facilities,” Binwade said.

Vaccination and swab testing facilities have been set up at various places in Pune by erecting pandals. While these have been set up by political leaders and corporators, the PMC has been paying rent for the respective properties and pandals. Currently, there are around 440 vaccination centres in Pune, out of which 192 are PMC-run while 248 are private facilities. Following Binwade’s instructions to shift the facilities, the civic administration has started moving them into civic-owned buildings/premises.

A health department officer said, “It is true that many such facilities have been set up at private places or on open plots where pandals have been erected. The facilities have been set up at the ward level.”

Another officer said, “Many elected members forced setting up of such temporary vaccination facilities in their locality. They were operational for a few days but the PMC has to pay the cost.”

Yet another officer said, “The temporary vaccination centres have created more trouble for the administration. If vaccination facility was given to one candidate, opposition party members either opposed it or demanded that they be given permission as well.”