Maha: As man dies in containment zone, parties hit out at NMC

Political parties on Friday hit out at the civic administration over the death of a person in Mominpura area of Nagpur, reportedly because of loss of time due to strict containment zone restrictions in place for the novel coronavirus outbreak. Nagpur Congress MLA Vikas Thakre met the divisional commissioner here to complain about the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and demanded that civic chief Tukaram Mundhe talk to elected representatives before declaring containment zones.

Sandip Jadhav, BJP leader in NMC said his party would bring a no-confidence motion against Mundhe, while former state minister Anees Ahmed said the man died as he could not reach hospital in time because of the containment zone restrictions. Ahmed asked Mundhe to ease restrictions in Mominpura, adding that only nearby areas around a coronavirus patient's residence be sealed, and not entire colonies and arterial roads.

The area, with a population of 2.5 lakh, has been a containment zone with ban on entry and exit since April 4, said Inspector Jayesh Bhandarkar of Tehsil police station. "A total of 197 grocery shops, 46 medical stores, 47 clinics, 19 rationing shops, 40 vegetable shops, four ATMs, a Bakra Mandi situated in the containment zone are closed for almost two months," a resident claimed.