Situation grave, Punjab and Haryana HC revives Covid-19 plea

Saying that the state of affairs is “indeed grave”, Punjab and Haryana High Court bench of Justices Rajan Gupta and Karamjit Singh, on Friday, allowed for reviving the petition on the Covid-19 surge within the States of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on an utility by the amicus curiae. It additionally proposed that sufferers be segregated into three classes comparable to essential, gentle to reasonable, and gentle, and a remedy plan be drawn up accordingly.
The Amicus Curiae, Senior Advocate Rupinder Khosla, contended that “a grave situation has arisen in all the three States in view of non-availability of essential drugs such as Remdesivir and Tocilizumab. Oxygen, ICU beds, ventilators and oxygen concentrators are in short supply due to which a number of deaths are being reported.”
Saying that there was a common impression among the many folks that no assistance is forthcoming from any quarter, Khosla vehemently contended that the petition be revived. He additionally searched for impleading the Union authorities as respondent within the matter by arguing that PGI and Government Hospital, Sector-16, Chandigarh, have exhausted their capability of treating essential sufferers. The Amicus Curiae additionally positioned on document brief affidavits by Director, Health Services, UT, and Director, Health and Family Welfare, Punjab. Khosla mentioned the prevailing infrastructure was grossly insufficient to struggle the pandemic, and the courtroom should intervene earlier than the state of affairs spirals uncontrolled.
After perusing the standing stories, the bench mentioned the state of affairs was certainly grave, and allowed Union of India by its Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to be impleaded as respondent within the matter.
On a submission by Satya Pal Jain, Additional Solicitor General of India, the HC bench additionally impleaded Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi, as a respondent.
During the proceedings on Friday, the Chief Secretary, Haryana joined the courtroom by video conferencing and apprised them that “there was a sudden dearth of oxygen as some crops in Roorkee, Rewari and Baddi (Barotiwala) have collapsed. As a consequence, oxygen has been sought from crops in Rourkela and Angul in Odisha by highway, rail and different means. Even Indian Air Force has flown a couple of sorties to fetch oxygen from these far-flung locations,’’ he mentioned.
The State of Punjab submitted that “capability of beds has been enhanced… All efforts are being made to provide oxygen and important medication in these components of the State the place the Covid surge is greater than the opposite components.’’
For Chandigarh, Senior Standing Counsel Pankaj Jain submitted {that a} coverage resolution has been taken to provide important medication comparable to Remdesivir and Tocilizumab on to the Government and personal hospitals and never by personal distributors/ chemists.
On behalf of the Union authorities, Satya Pal Jain submitted {that a} Virtual Central Control Room has been arrange by the GOI and the three States can get in contact with the management room in case of any drawback.
While adjourning the matter for May 4, the bench added, “We expect that all the three States shall file another status reports on or before the next date of hearing. It shall also be ensured that the order dated April 23, 2021 whereby it was directed that nodal agencies be created in every district, is complied with in letter and spirit. In case of failure to do so, this court will examine whether there is any wilful disobedience of the orders passed by this court by any district in the States of Punjab and Haryana.”