Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray skips Covid-19 review meet called by Governor, sends PA to attend

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray skipped a meeting called by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Wednesday evening to review the COVID-19 situation across the state, triggering speculations that all was not well between the two.

The Shiv Sena chief, however, sent his personal assistant Milind Narvekar as his representative to attend the meeting. Narvekar informed that Maharashtra could not attend the meeting as he was busy with some other important work and had conveyed his to the Governor.

During the meeting, the Governor asked the state administration to prepare itself for the COVID-19 challenge considering the likely situation of Corona Virus Disease in the State in the months of June and July. 

He asked the government to keep enough medical facilities, doctors, staff, and beds ready considering the likely caseload in the months of June and July.

Presiding a high-level review meeting with senior government officials at Raj Bhavan, Governor Koshyari asked the government to take special measures for containment zones like Dharavi.

The Governor asked the government to keep a dashboard providing handy information about the availability of beds, availability of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff for the entire state so that the same could be deployed where needed most.

The Governor asked the government to think of incentivising frontline workers like sanitation workers, police, health workers, ward boys who are doing good work in the battle against COVID.

The Governor asked the administration to make sure that non-COVID-19 general patients do not suffer anywhere in the State for want of medical facilities.

A presentation on the COVID-19 situation in Mumbai was made by Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal, while ACS Health Dr Pradip Vyas apprised the Governor of the government’s COVID preparedness in the State.

The Governor also took a review of the transportation of migrant workers to their home States and the status of relief camp for migrant workers.

The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta, ACS Home Sanjay Kumar, DGP Subodh Jaiswal, ACS Sitaram Kunte, ACS Nitin Kareer, ACS Manoj Saunik and senior government officers Abha Shukla, Sanjay Mukherjee, Bhushan Gagrani, Saurabh Vijay and others.