Ajit Pawar’s death: Officials recall weekly COVID strategy meetings, ground level approach
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had ambitious plans on improving health care in Pune and was keen on setting up an All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the city.
Ajit Pawar with government officials. (Express Photo) Whether it was a letter from a widow complaining of services at the gram panchayat or a bystander who stopped his car at the roadside, Ajit Pawar would patiently listen to the grievances and make sure the right questions were asked, recalled government officials in Pune.
Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister died in a plane crash at the Baramati airfield on Wednesday morning.
Both Naval Kishore Ram (presently municipal commissioner of Pune) who was Pune’s district collector during the COVID 19 pandemic and Ayush Prasad (presently Jalgaon district collector) then the Pune Zilla Parishad CEO paid tributes and said he was known for his directness and genuine concern for officers.
Ajit Pawar with Naval Kishor Ram, the then Pune district collector. (Express Photo)
They recalled his strong work ethic and tireless dedication. Prasad said that Ajit Pawar had a specific schedule chalked out for the week. “He would be at the Mantralaya from Monday to Thursday. Fridays were reserved for Pune and Saturday for Baramati,” Prasad recalled.
“At the meetings, he personally read every petition and assigned follow-up actions to the concerned departments through detailed Excel spreadsheets, closely monitoring even routine tasks to ensure genuine concerns were addressed,” Prasad recalled. Naval Kishor Ram who was Pune district collector during the Covid-19 pandemic recalled how they would have had weekly meetings with Ajit Pawar to determine strategies for dealing with the virus.
“He was genuinely concerned for the health and life of Punekars,” Ram said and added soon after he took charge as Pune Municipal Commissioner, Ajit Pawar would follow up with him on issues regarding sanitation and traffic. “It is not only a loss to the State but a personal loss for officers like me,” Ram said.
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At a recent function in Pune, Neelam Gorhe, Deputy Chairperson of Maharashtra Legislative Council had recalled him as a workaholic and spoke about Ajit Pawar’s unwavering work ethic. In fact then while complimenting the government’s commitment, she had humorously questioned Pawar on the dais whether the top brass at the government ever got enough sleep.
Ajit Pawar with Ayush Prasad, the then Pune ZP CEO. (Express Photo)
Ajit Pawar’s huge push for AIIMS in Pune
The Deputy Chief Minister had ambitious plans on improving health care in Pune and was keen on setting up an All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the city. The facility would come up at Aundh where the premises of the district hospital were selected.
A super-specialty dental facility was also planned and according to Pune district civil surgeon Dr Nagnath Yempalle, area had been allocated for the project. “He was focussed on improving health care and at least seven sub-district hospitals- each with a bed capacity of 30 was upgraded to 100 beds at places like Chakan, Ghodegaon and others. A radio-therapy unit was also planned at Baramati”, a health official said. Dr Eknath Pawar, Dean, Pune’s B J Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital recalled a meeting with Ajit Pawar where the Dy CM firmly insisted patients be treated with care and without financial hardship.
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