Thackeray, Mumbai mayor pay floral tributes to Ambedkar

On the occasion of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar's 130th birth anniversary, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar and leaders across parties paid tributes. Although amid lockdown, the birth anniversary celebrations were subdued.

Mumbai:Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar and leaders across parties paid rich tributes to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar on his 130th birth anniversary on Wednesday.

Thackeray and others visited Chaitya Bhoomi, the Constitution architect's memorial in central Mumbai in the morning and paid floral tributes to India's first Law and Justice minister. Because of the lockdown, the birth anniversary celebrations were subdued.

A large number of people visit Chaitya Bhoomi each year on the occasion of Ambedkar birth anniversary.

On this day last year and this year, the municipal administration appealed to people that gatherings should be limited to five people at a time for visiting the memorial.

Reeling under an unprecedented COVID-19 wave, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced severe, curfew-like restrictions on public movement over the next 15 days across the state, saying the "war against coronavirus has begun again," as it flagged a shortage of medical oxygen and hospital beds.

The "lockdown-like" restrictions, which exclude essential services, will come into effect from 8 pm on April 14 and remain in force till 7 am on May 1, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said.

Section 144 of CrPC prohibiting assembly of five or more people at one spot will be in force during the period, Thackeray said but refrained from terming the new curbs as lockdown.

(PTI)