Maharashtra reports 26 new Omicron cases, toll rises to 167

In the preceding week Omicron increased its pace and night curfew was imposed in Maharashtra, State Assembly passed Shakti Criminal Laws Bill unanimously and  much awaited Water Taxi Service may start in January  2022 in Mumbai.

Night Curfew in Maharashtra: Omicron Cases Tally Now 167

Maharashtra reported 26 new Omicron cases on Monday taking its tally to 167. Twenty of cases are asymptomatic while the other two are reported to have mild symptoms. Of the 31 new Omicron cases on Sunday, 27 are from Mumbai while two are reported from Thane district and one each from Pune and Akola districts. On Saturday Maharashtra announced night curfew beginning December 25 in view of rising number of Covid-19 cases. This was announced by the State’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anil Parab in the Assembly on Friday.

Next day, State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that State may go for complete lockdown if the demand for medical oxygen goes above 800 metric tonnes per day. He told reporters ,” We do not want people to face more restrictions , therefore I am making an appeal to people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. Wearing mask is very important.”

Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Monday recorded 1,426 Covid cases and 21 fatalities. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray directed the local authorities to ramp up the vaccination drive to control the outbreak. Thackeray in a Monday cabinet meeting expressed concern over the surge of cases and wanted concrete steps to speed up the vaccination drive. “The guardian ministers of the various districts should step in to boost the vaccination drive,” said Thackeray.

Assembly passes Shakti Criminal Laws Bill

The Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday unanimously cleared the Shakti Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, on crime against women and children. The legislation recommends capital punishment in rape cases and among other things, a time limit of 30 days to complete the probe from the day of registering the complaint.Putting the Bill to vote, the State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil said ,” We always believe that there is scope for improvement. If need be, there will be amendments brought to the Act in future.”

Water Taxi Services Expected to start in January 2022

New Year will bring in water taxi services to Mumbai. Though date is yet to be decided, according to available information the water taxi services is likely to start from first week of January 2022.The water taxi services aim to provide hassle-free connectivity between South Mumbai and Navi Mumbai from the Domestic Cruise Terminal at Ferry Wharf and the terminals at Belapur and Nerul. The state government has allotted routes and water taxi services will be operational through out the year barring during the heavy rains.