A PIL (public interest litigation) seeking ban on festivals Ganesh Utsav and Dahi Handi in Maharashtra has been filed in the Supreme Court. 



According to the PIL, a large congregation of people, at a time when the government it not prepared to fight swine flu would spread the pandemic. 



The apex court has declined an early hearing on the matter. 



Earlier today, a doctor in Nashik and a 29-year-old woman in Pune died the H1N1 virus, taking the toll in the pandemic to 14 in India. 

 Schools, colleges in Mumbai would remain closed for a week in view of swine flu situation in Maharashtra, a senior state government official said on Wednesday. 



Mumbai's multiplexes and theatres would remain closed for three days.

 As the number of swine flu deaths in the country touched 10, the Centre today asked state governments to gear up their act to face the threat of the virus and dispatched central teams to all states and Union Territories to help them coordinate the preparedness. 



Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad spoke to all the Chief Ministers over the last 24 hours and emphasised to them the need to step up preparedness. 



The health minister requested the Chief Ministers to chair the first meeting of these teams so that on-the-spot decisions are taken for swift implementation, a senior health ministry official said. 



Azad chaired a meeting of 35 additional secretaries and joint secretaries drawn from various ministries who would fan out to the states to assist them in preparing infrastructure and capacity building. 



He briefed the teams personally today before they were dispatched to the state capitals. 



While 14 additional secretaries would go to the big states, the joint secretaries would got to other states and Union Territories. 



The teams would stay there for two-three days and would return by August 15. 



The central teams will discuss with state governments new guidelines issued by the ministry of health and family welfare with record to capacity building issues such as identification of labs for testing and hospitals in private and public sectors for screening, diagnosis and treatment of swine flu patients.

 

 The Delhi government on Wednesday announced it would rope in private hospitals to treat people with swine flu following a rise in the number of cases in the national capital. 



The state government has identified private hospitals with over 200 beds and has asked them to make isolation wards. Until Tuesday, only government-run medical institutions were being allowed to handle swine flu cases. 



"The situation is under control in Delhi and there is no need to panic. Hospitals having more than 200 beds have been asked to separate people reporting swine flu symptoms and treat them," chief minister Sheila Diksh*t told reporters here. 



According to Diksh*t, there is no need to shut schools and public places in the capital as the situation is under control. The national capital has so far reported 255 swine flu cases. 



Earlier, two swine flu patients admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital here are stated to be in "serious but stable" condition, health officials said on Wednesday. 



"Two patients in the hospital are in serious but stable condition. We are monitoring them and any further details would be provided later in the day," RML medical superintendent N K Chaturvedi told reporters here. 



According to Chaturvedi, the hospital has been screening everyone coming for swine flu tests. But he advised people to visit the nearest available identified government health facility for the tests instead. 



"I request to people coming from far of places in the capital to visit the nearest hospital for swine flu tests. It will save their travel time and they will not be exposed to large crowds in RML," he said.