Sanjay Raut, the head of the Shiv Sena (UBT), said politics had taken precedence above the comfort of the populace on Monday, blaming the Maharashtra government for the deaths of 11 persons from sunstroke after they attended an awards ceremony. during least 11 people died from sunstroke during the ‘Maharashtra Bhushan’ award ceremony in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. The event, which was attended by thousands of people, was held on an open field in the Kharghar neighbourhood of the nearby Raigad district of Mumbai. Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, attended the event and presented Appasaheb Dharmadhikari, a spiritual leader and social reformer, with the award.
The Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony might have taken place in the evening, but Union minister Amit Shah had no free time, according to Raut, who was speaking to media here. As a result, the course was conducted throughout the day, exposing participants to the intense heat and sunshine. The Rajya Sabha member said that “politics behind the award prevailed over people’s convenience.” Every state government, according to him, has a team of specialists and consultants who might have advised the decision-makers to avoid hosting such a sizable gathering during the daytime. According to him, there had to have been some consideration given to how long the plan should be prolonged out.
“People became ill because the programme was overextended. Some of them even perished as a result of it. The attendees came to the gathering to support Appasaheb Dharmadhikari, not any of the other politicians on stage, according to Raut. The Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesman said that similar situations had occurred in the past and that the state ought to have drawn some lessons from them before to holding such events. The Maharashtra Bhushan is the highest civilian honour bestowed by the state to individuals from all walks of life in recognition of their contributions to society’s welfare.
Many thousands of individuals attended the Sunday event. The 306-acre venue, where the event took place, was crowded. Devendra Fadnavis, the chief minister’s deputy, Kapil Patil, and chief minister Eknath Shinde were all present. Due to his efforts throughout the state to plant trees, organise blood drives, hold medical clinics, and treat addiction in tribal communities, Dharmadhikari has a huge following.
