Considering the rise in COVID-19 cases, the civic body in Maharashtra's Thane city has set up a 700-bed facility at a campus of an educational institute, an official said on Tuesday.
The Thane Municipal Corporation has converted 70 classrooms in seven buildings of Vidya Prasarak Mandal (VPM) for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the city, the official said.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has opposed the move and warned the TMC against setting up COVID-19 hospitals in educational institutions.
Educational institutions should not be used as care facilities and the civic body can instead acquire event halls and reserve more beds in big hospitals, said the party''s Thane-Palghar district chief Avinash Jadhav.
Chairman of VPM Dr Vijay V Bedekar also criticised the move and said educational institutions should not be used for any other purpose.
Moreover, he pointed out that as per the norms of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), COVID-19 facilities should be set up in a single building and not in multiple structures, as it will hamper the management of the disease.