Following a review meeting, Maharashtra’s COVID task force head Dr Raman Gangakhedkar said in case of any fever or cold developing, they must get tested for COVID infection.

As coronavirus cases rose in Maharashtra, Dr Gangakhedkar spoke of the possibility of infections spreading or surging among people who had travelled outside Mumbai during Christmas and New Year, taking extended holidays during year-end.

“So they must isolate themselves for five days,” he said.

The task force believes the next 15 days are very crucial to prevent COVID infections, and hence advised people experiencing fever, cold and cough to get tested for the coronavirus.

Experts said home isolation should suffice if hospitalisation is not required.

The task force also emphasised importance of screening for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) patients. People with symptoms should mandatorily undergo COVID testing. If Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) is positive, treatment should be symptomatic.

If symptoms are there and Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) is negative, RTPCR testing should be conducted for such patients, advised the task force.

Maharashtra reported 129 fresh COVID cases on January 5, of which 31 were from Mumbai. Active cases in the state have gone up to 630.

It will be called ‘Third Mumbai’.

The aim is to provide better housing, infrastructure and robust transport facilities to the growing population of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

The proposed new city will be built around the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport and will be linked to Mumbai by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, also known as Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL).

A body called New Town Development Authority (NTDA), under Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), has been formed to give shape to the new city.

Ulwe, Pen, Panvel, Uran, Karjat and surrounding regions, encompassing an area of 323 sq km, will be part of NTDA.

Around 200 villages, including 80-90 under the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA), are likely to be part of NTDA.

“We are calling it the Third Mumbai which will have all the necessary infrastructure that a well-developed city should have. From residential (luxury and affordable), commercial complexes, data centres, hubs for MNCs and banks, and financial companies to large knowledge parks; it will have everything. A robust public transportation shall also be developed there,” Hindustan Times quoted a government official as saying.

Mumbai covers around 600 sq km of area, while Navi Mumbai around 344 sq km.

To boost public transportation, a new Panvel-Karjat suburban rail corridor is being planned by Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) at a cost of Rs 812 crore. It will connect Navi Mumbai with Raigad district of MMR.

“The work on this double rail line is underway with physical completion of 43% and the estimated time for completion is December 2025,” an MRVC official said.

The project includes three tunnels and two railway flyovers, covering five stations including Panvel and Karjat.

MRVC has started work to build stations at Panvel, Chikhale, Mohape, Chowk and Karjat.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has accepted his resignation and has asked him to officiate as CM until an alternate arrangements are made .

His announcement came minutes after the Supreme Court refused to stay Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s direction to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government to take a floor test in the Assembly on Thursday.

Earlier in the day Supreme Court rejected Uddhav government’s plea and refused to stay the floor test in the Maharashtra assembly tomorrow. A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala heard arguments on behalf of Shiv Sena, its rebel MLAs led by Eknath Shinde, and the Governor on the plea in the hearing conducted after 5 pm through hybrid mode.

As per ANI reports, as Maha CM resigns, Shiv Sena rebels are going to hold meeting at Goa hotel on next plan .

One of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, Bharat Gogawale, on Wednesday night said they will hold meetings at a five-star hotel in Goa where they are staying for the night and discuss their next steps in the wake of the resignation of Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Meanwhile Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil has urged the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs to not to come tomorrow, instead they should come on the day of oath-taking, ANI reported.

By Nilanchal Naik