Published 13:28 IST, June 19th 2020
Paying tributes, Western Railways paints murals of COVID warriors outside raliway station
Western Railway has paid tribute to COVID warriors who are at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19, by drawing murals on walls of the railway station.
As the nation battles with the COVID-19 health crisis with the doctors, health care workers, sanitation works at the centre of the fight, Western Railway has paid tribute to the COVID warriors by drawing murals on railway station walls.
Western Railways has collaborated with Start India Foundation and has employed a painting company to undertake the beautification drive at Mahim railway station. The artists have covered the walls of the railway station with 'Heroes of Mumbai' murals dedicated to COVID warriors.
Paying respects to the frontline warriors, the artists said this gesture is a tribute to their fight with the deadly pandemic as they risk their lives to save others' amid the pandemic.
"The paintings are of frontline warriors. We salute them for their services at such times, and they are our heroes. We have been painting from the past 10-12 days," said Atif, an artist.
"This is a tribute to the corona warriors, and we are very grateful to them as they risked their lives to save ours. We have to take proper precautions in order to stay safe, as the virus is here to stay for long," said Rahul Maurya, another artist.
Mumbai still remains the worst affected city and Maharashtra the worst affected state in India by the deadly virus. The states COVID-19 count has risen to 1,20,504 infections after the state recorded the highest ever single-day spike of 3,752 cases on Thursday, June 18. The number of total fatalities recorded in the state stands at 5,751.
Interacting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray elaborated on the steps taken by the state government to contain the spread of COVID-19. He mentioned that 'Mission Begin Again' had commenced in the state during Unlock 1.0. Thackeray revealed that his government had not only arranged 3 lakh additional beds and field hospitals in the last few days but also signed MoUs with 12 big companies worth Rs.16,000 crore. He also put forth demands such as ventilators for the rural areas, a common decision on conducting examination for all the students, loans for farmers from nationalized banks, and extending the benefits of the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana by three months. Thackeray thanked the PM for re-starting the operations of the Mumbai Suburban Railway for the people involved in essential services.
(With ANI inputs)
Updated 13:28 IST, June 19th 2020