In the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic spreading its wings in Pune, the Pune Municipal Corporation has started preparations to relocate 71,000 families in the five most-affected areas of the city. These families will be relocated in municipality schools, private wedding halls, hostels etc, reported a Marathi website.
The five most-affected areas in Pune are Bhawani Peth, Dhole Patil, Kasba Peth, Ghole Road and Yerawada. In the city, more than 75 per cent of the COVID-19 cases are from these five areas. Similarly, the most deaths have also been registered in these hotspots.
Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol, Additional Commissioner of Police Sanjay Shinde, Deputy Commissioner Shirish Sardeshpande and others visited the most-affected areas and reviewed the situation in these places.
In the first leg, the Pune Municipal Corporation is planning to relocate 20,000 people. They will be provided with basic facilities like drinking water, toilets, electricity. The Mayor said that relocation of alternate houses will take place.
Meanwhile, Punya Salila Srivastava, a joint secretary in the Union home ministry, on Monday said that it was found that in Pune, the COVID-19 doubling rate is seven days, which is slightly higher compared to the rest of the country. While the country’s average is one positive coronavirus case among 23 samples, in Pune, it is nine samples, she added.
Doctors, paramedics, police personnel, vegetable vendors and other essential services-providing shopkeepers have been found to be COVID-19 positive in Pune and it is a matter of concern as they come in contact with many people every day, she said.