PUNE: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said all shops, excluding medical stores and those selling milk, groceries and vegetables, would remain shut on Sunday in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad civic limits for Ganesh immersion.
The closure of shops would be applicable to the establishments in the cantonment limits also but not to the Pune rural areas, he said. Restaurants and hotels would remain open and the closure would not affect those covered under the essential services, Ajit Pawar said.
The decision to keep the shops shut on Sunday was taken in consultation with all the elected representatives to ensure that there was no crowding on the immersion day. Guidelines were issued earlier to celebrate the Ganeshotsav in a low-key manner with several curbs in force amid the ongoing pandemic.
Extra care was being taken for the city areas to ensure residents followed the government recommendations of having a muted celebration ahead of the possible third wave, said an official of the district.
The Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal commissioners issued orders later in the evening, stating that only essential services would function on Sunday.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)’s order issued by commissioner Vikram Kumar stated that all kinds of shops and malls would be closed on Sunday. All hotels, restaurants and food courts, except those in malls, would remain open. The PMC order stated that its directive would be applicable to Pune Cantonment Board and Khadki Cantonment Board.
The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC)’s order issued by its commissioner Rajesh Patil was on the same lines. Both the orders stated that the previous directives would again be effective from Monday.
After chairing the district’s weekly Covid review meeting, Ajit Pawar said the situation seemed to be under control at present and the current relaxations would continue. “If the situation remains under control, we shall take some important decisions after a review on October 2,” he told the reporters, adding that fully vaccinated sportspersons training for swimming would have access to pools now.
The Pune district’s weekly positivity rate (WPR) was 3.9% this week. It was 3% in the PMC areas and 3.2% in the PCMC limits. The WPR in Pune rural was 4.6%.
