CM Uddhav-Pawar hold midnight meet as Covid cases pass 50k; Raut says 'Jai Maharashtra!'

Claiming 'stability' of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said that the CM has met NCP chief  Sharad Pawar at Matoshri and discussed the current situation in the state. Mocking the BJP, he claimed that 'those spreading news about the instability' of MVA government should know that there is nothing to worry about. This comes as the Uddhav government is facing heat as the Coronavirus crisis in the state is worsening. 

The latest meeting comes about a week after Pawar had held a discussion with CM Uddhav to discuss the challenges triggered by Coronavirus crisis, after which he urged the Centre to resume Mumbai Local train services.

READ | Mamata govt to urge Centre to delay domestic flight services to WB due to Cyclone Amphan

Centre vs State over trains for migrants 

Addressing the people of the state on May 24, CM Uddhav contended that the Centre did not take any steps initially when the Maha Vikas Aghadi government had requested arrangements for the return of migrant workers to their native places. 

Refuting his claims, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal appealed to the Maharashtra CM to immediately send a list of passengers with their destination details for the operation of 125 Shramik Special trains on May 25. Sena MP Sanjay Raut claimed that the state government had followed suit. 

Speaking to Republic TV on Monday evening, Goyal remarked that the Maharashtra administration has 'collapsed' and the state lacks 'leadership.' Reflecting upon the allegations levied by Maharashtra government on the crunch of Shramik trains, Goyal labelled them as 'completely baseless.' The Railways Minister also claimed that Uddhav Thackeray has never called him during the entire period of COVID-19 crisis so far and instead he has been in touch with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, the state Chief Secretary and other nodal officers. 

READ | Mamata govt issues guidelines for flight passengers ahead of resumption of services in WB

Maharashtra Covid-19 count

Maharashtra continued its steep increase with 2436 new Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and 60 deaths, on Monday. 1186 patients were discharged taking the total recoveries to 15,786. The state's total count stands at 52,667 and 1695 deaths with Mumbai contributing to 31,972 cases and 1026 deaths.

The state has tested 3,78,555 samples till date with 52,667 testing positive. As of date, there are 2391 containment zones and 66.01 lakh people have been surveyed by 16,106 surveillance teams. There are 5,30,247 people in home quarantine and 35,479 people in institutional quarantine.

READ | Centre confirms domestic flights from most states on May 25; Andhra, Bengal to start later

Maharashtra's guidelines for domestic travellers

Earlier on May 25, the state government also issued detailed guidelines for travellers, mandating 14-day home quarantine and will be stamped on the left hand. The guidelines state that apart from the Centre's SOPs, the government has directed respective municipal corporations to appoint nodal officers who will assist with the airport authorities to ensure safe travel of the passengers. The state's financial capital - Mumbai is allowing 50 flights everyday - 25 take-offs and 25 landings from May 25.

READ | Coronavirus Live Updates