Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai)

Fadnavis: Govt suffers from ‘action paralysis’

- HT Correspond­ent htmetro@hindustant­imes.com

Claiming that the number of tests for Covid-19 in Mumbai has reduced drasticall­y despite there being a rise in cases, Leader of Opposition and former chief minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis said the Maharashtr­a government is suffering from “action paralysis”.

“The Maharashtr­a Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is not only suffering from policy paralysis but also action paralysis. There is no coordinati­on among the three ruling parties, coordinati­on is also lacking between the government and the administra­tion. This has affected their decision making,” said Fadnavis while addressing an online press conference on Saturday.

Fadnavis also alleged that testing for Covid-19 in Mumbai has dropped drasticall­y over the past few days when the number of patients increased to a large extent.

He said that testing in Mumbai compared to state figures has dropped to 27% as on May 31, from 56% on May 1.

“This is a serious lapse and the government should immediatel­y increase the number of tests being conducted in the city,” he said.

The BJP leader criticised the government for failing to implement its own announceme­nts. “They announced plans to reserve 80% of the beds in private hospitals for the poor, but in reality, the acquisitio­n has not happened from the [hospitals associated with] ‘influentia­l’ people. The treatment announced under Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, the medical insurance scheme extended to the entire population, is not applicable in many Mumbai hospitals,” he said.

The former CM also blamed the government for the lack of personal protection equipment (PPE) kits for frontline workers. “The initial stock of the kits was procured from corporate houses under the corporate social responsibi­lity (CSR) drive. To shrug off responsibi­lity, the state has blamed the Centre for inadequate supply of PPE kits,” he said.

ON SATURDAY, THE CITY REPORTED 1,274 NEW CASES OF COVID-19 AND 58 MORE DEATHS

 ?? PRATIK CHORGE/HT ?? A free health checkup camp organised for Vikhroli residents on Saturday.
PRATIK CHORGE/HT A free health checkup camp organised for Vikhroli residents on Saturday.
 ?? PRAFUL GANGURDE/HT ?? A crowded market in Thane on Saturday.
PRAFUL GANGURDE/HT A crowded market in Thane on Saturday.

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