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The Delhi High Court has been hearing several petitions on Covid management, primarily oxygen shortage in the National Capital. During the hearing on April 28, the court took stock of the prevalent practice of hoarding of crucial medicines and drugs used to treat Coronavirus patients and the status of oxygen supply.
Hoarding of medicines and oxygen cylinders
The Bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rakhi Palli seemed deeply upset about black marketing and hoarding of essential Covid-19 medicines, oxygen cylinders and remarked, “The nation is facing an unprecedented crisis. It is at times like this, that we – the people, need to stand up to showcase our best qualities and virtues, which all of us have. To fight this scourge, we need to collectively conduct ourselves with sensitivity and empathy towards one and all – irrespective of whether the infected persons are our friends or relatives, or strangers. We have to shun selfishness, greed and indifference.”
The court has “appealed” to the people including the sellers of necessary medicines and Oxygen, to not to resort to hoarding and illegal sale of Oxygen cylinders, Oxygen flow metres or medicines, and to make them available to needy people.
Further, the Bench also took cognisance of the incident at Apollo hospital where the hospital staff and doctors were assaulted by the relatives of one of the patients. “Such like incidents are bound to demoralise the medical community, which is serving tirelessly to save the lives of the people without any rest or break whatsoever, at personal risk. We hope and expect that such incidents would not be repeated,” said the court. It directed the Delhi Police to be vigilant to prevent such incidents.
Allocation of Oxygen
At the outset, the court said, “The allocation made by the Central Government for medical Oxygen for the NCT of Delhi is to the tune of 490 MT. Not for a single day, Delhi has been able to receive the entire quantity.”
The reason behind this is that three of the plants from which supplies have to be sourced are situated at Durgapur, Rourkela and Kalinganagar which are at distances between 1,200-1,600 kilometres. Rahul Mehra (representing the Delhi government) told the court that on an average, about 50 MT has been received from the said three locations, as opposed to 100 MT tons allocated from the said three plants for the last few days.
The Division Bench then directed the Amicus Curiae, Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao, to study the said allocation order issued by the Union of India, and if he has any suggestions, so as to optimise the tanker usage and minimise the turnaround time, he may communicate the same to Mr. Tushar Mehta, the learned Solicitor General.
Ambulance services
The High Court was informed that there is a lack of ambulances in the National Capital to pick up Covid patients from their homes and take them to hospitals for treatment. Senior Advocate Krishnan Venugopal (representing the petitioners) said that ambulance services are being availed for transporting dead bodies to the cremation grounds and burial grounds, and looking at the large numbers, they have to wait in que to complete their journey back.
He suggested that the government should consider usage of old DTC buses instead, for transporting the dead bodies in ambulances, so that the ambulances could be made available for faring the patients to the hospitals. To this, the court ordered, “Let this suggestion be also considered by the GNCTD and a response be filed within two days.”
In the previous hearing, the High Court had reprimanded the Delhi government for not being able to manage the Covid crisis in the capital effectively and said that it should “pull up its socks”. The court stated that “even after supply of tons and tons of liquid Oxygen to these re-fillers and convertors, there is no account being kept as to how they are further supplying Oxygen cylinders to hospitals, nursing homes and individuals.”
This matter will be taken up today on April 29.
The order may be read here:
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