Maharashtra’s COVID epicenter has shifted from Mumbai to Pune, as the latter recorded 3,000-odd cases on 19^th July as compared to Mumbai, which has stabilized at around 1,200 cases per day. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has threatened that he would transfer officials if they don’t manage the crisis soon. Several chains of command and an uncontrolled population are being blamed for this abrupt increase in COVID-19 cases in Pune.

The government has got in Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal for giving tips for controlling the coronavirus pandemic as cases have touched 3,000 a day. This figure even Mumbai had not seen even at the peak of the pandemic in April.

Government officials in Pune and Mumbai told ET that a combination of factors such as due to multiple chains of command and an absence of seriousness has resulted in the current situation. They have several chains of command such as the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, the Pune Municipal Corporation, the gram panchayats and the cantonment areas. A government official explained that all these corporations have made their own rules regarding enforcement of lockdowns, declaring containment zones, etc.