Pune: Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has hit back at Member of Parliament Girish Bapat over his criticism of the re-lockdown decision, saying that all elected representatives - including the Mayor Murlidhar Mohol - who were available over the phone were informed and the decision was taken considering the 'larger public interest'.

"The decision to implement a strict lockdown again was not a one-man decision. It was taken after receiving inputs from the civic and district officials and taking into consideration the larger public interest. We are aware that citizens are facing economic hardships due to lockdown but we are giving priority to their health as of now," Pawar stated.

Bapat had claimed that he was kept in the dark by the Deputy CM and district administration while taking an important decision like re-locking the city to contain the spread of coronavirus. "On one hand the government says it is launching the Mission Begin Again to unlock the state and on the other hand you lock down a city like Pune, what kind of strategy is this?" Bapat has questioned.

Bapat also said that the administration can and should take the strictest action against individuals who are found not wearing masks or not following social distancing norms in the city, but the government and administration should not punish 97 per cent Punekars for the 3 per cent of containment zones that are identified. "If elected representatives are taken into confidence then we would support the government, but don't make a decision like a lockdown by just relying upon the advice of bureaucrats," Bapat had commented on Pawar's call to re-impose lockdown.

Pawar said, "The current situation in Pune city, the rapidly rising number of COVID-positive cases, citizens not following social distancing and other norms and suggestions from the civic and district officials were taken into consideration before deciding to re-impose a strict lockdown for 10 days in the two cities. The decision has been taken to defeat Covid-19, so there is nothing one-sided in it. All senior officials in the secretariat, Divisional Commissioner, Municipal Commissioners, Police Commissioner, District Collector, Health Secretary and all other chief officers knew or were informed about it. All elected representatives who were available over the phone, including Mayor Mohol, were also informed. The government seeks cooperation from all keeping in mind the larger public interest. But we have to make hard decisions sometimes. We are aware that citizens are facing economic hardships due to lockdown but we are giving priority to their health as of now."

Edited by:

Khevna Pandit