Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Mayor Murlidhar Mohol on Sunday said the city's COVID-19 positivity rate is 2.88%, and has demanded that the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government relax the coronavirus curbs imposed in the city.
Taking to Twitter, Mohol wrote in Marathi: "Positivity rate down to 2.88 per cent! The positivity rate of Pune city has been steadily declining in the last five weeks, from 4.98 per cent in the week of July 4 to 10, to 2.88 per cent. Against this background, there is a demand for relaxing the restrictions."
Earlier on Friday, Mohol had written to Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope and demanded relaxation in restrictions for shop timings in the city.
Mohol had demanded to further relax the restrictions in Pune and to allow the shops to function till at least 8 pm.
Presently, Pune has been kept in Level 3 and shops are allowed to open till 4 pm.
The Mayor wrote to the state Health Minister following a meeting with the traders who requested him to put a proposal demanding an extension.
Meanwhile, Shivaji Nagar MLA Siddharth Shirole had dubbed the MVA government's decision to not relax curbs in Pune as a "sinister political vendetta".
"Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued revised guidelines for Mumbai, that permits all non-essential shops to operate till 10 pm on all days... While #Pune and the rest of the state suffers.. Now please don't tell me this is not sinister Political Vendetta (sic)," Shirole had tweeted.
