Our Correspondent / Mumbai
Amid the Corona crisis, Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik has Muslims not to gather in basements, parking areas or any other place to offer prayers during Ramzan, saying that social distancing is the need of the hour.
In a tweet Malik urged the community members to contribute in the best possible way and to fight this challenge together. He also appealed to the community members not to violate lockdown rules. The administration has made it clear that seeing the grave condition in the state due to the rising of Covid 19 cases, there is no scope for relaxing the lockdown because of Ramzan. The holy month of Ramzan starts today.
State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the Maharashtra government will push for aggressive testing to detect coronavirus and also increase facilities for institutional quarantine as home isolation was not working. Speaking on the mortality rate from the virus, which had now come down to 4.4 per cent, Tope said the number of cases is more because of early detection.
MEANWHILE Deputy Commissioner of Police-Zone I, Sangramsingh Nishandar said that the Mumbai Police is fully geared for the security arrangements during Ramzan.
“All social distancing norms must be followed by our Muslim brethren. No crowds shall be permitted at any mosques, buildings or even terraces. Drones shall monitor the developments and suitable action will be taken, if any violations are found,” he told media persons.
He assured that the Mumbai Police, along with social groups and NGOs will make full arrangements to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential in all Muslim localities including those which are sealed in containment zones.
“Since nobody from the containment zones is permitted to step outside, we shall make necessary arrangements to fulfill all their needs for ‘sehri’ and ‘iftaar’,” Nishandar assured.
Mosques will be allowed to announce the ‘azaan‘ (the muezzin’s call for prayers), but no other gatherings for ‘namaaz’ or other ceremonies during the lockdown will be allowed, he added.