Mumbai South Central Lok Sabha MP Rahul Shewale on Tuesday urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to completely lock down Dharavi, one of the most congested urban areas in the world, in order to prevent it from emerging as a COVID-19 hotpsot.
The area, a massive maze of shanty colonies, small scale units and squalor, is part of Shewale’s constituency and currently has seven coronavirus positive persons.
“If the virus is not contained in Dharavi, then Mumbai will be in serious trouble. The spread of coronavirus can be very fast in Dharavi due to the congestion,” the Shiv Sena MP said.
“The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation must take over all hospitals and reserve them for COVID-19 patients. The Dharavi Sport Complex must be converted into a quarantine zone. A separate public distribution system must be set up for Dharavi to deliver essential items. State reserve police force should be stationed to enforce a total lockdown,” he added.
