In the backdrop of numerous hospitals in the national capital facing a massive shortage of medical oxygen due to rising number of Covid-19 cases, the Delhi High Court on Saturday said it “will not spare anyone” who tries to block the national capital’s supply of the life-saving gas.
The court further said that it will “hang” any official of the central, state or local administration who tries to hinder medical oxygen supply in the city.
The court was hearing submissions by the counsel for Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, Jaipur Golden Hospital, Batra Hospital and Saroj Super Speciality Hospital here over shortage of oxygen for treating seriously-ill COVID patients.
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The court’s observations come just days after Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia accused the Haryana government of blocking Delhi’s medical oxygen supply.
The court told the Delhi government to give it one instance of who was obstructing the city’s oxygen supply adding that it "we will hang that man".
"We will not spare anyone," the bench added.
The court told the Delhi government to inform the Centre also about such officials of the local administration so that it could take action against them.
Talking tough, a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli, also asked the Centre when the 480 metric tonne (MT) of oxygen per day allocated for Delhi would see the light of the day.
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"You (Centre) had assured us (on April 21) that 480 MT per day will reach Delhi. Tell us when will it come? The 480 MT per day is still to see the light of the day," the court said.
The query came after the Delhi government said it was getting only 380 MT oxygen per day over the past few days and it received only around 300 MT on Friday.
The court said the viral disease has a low mortality and those who have a low immunity will eventually die but the problem comes when people who could be saved are also dying. "The mortality rate needs to be reduced."
Referring to a study by a team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, the court noted its assessment that the second pandemic wave will peak in mid-May.
“We are calling it a wave, it is actually a Tsunami,” the court said, and asked the Centre about the preparedness in terms of infrastructure, hospitals, medical staff, medicines, vaccines and oxygen as on date for the peak.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said there might be a rapid rise in the number of cases in May and June and the country needs to be ready for the worst.
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He said the Prime Minister and others are working on it and have decided to import oxygen and are also exploring the remotest possibility of generating oxygen from wherever it is possible.
During the hearing, the court also questioned the Delhi government officers as to what endeavour they have made to secure tankers to get the supply of oxygen allocated to it by the Centre.
The national capital on Friday logged a record 348 Covid-19 fatalities as the city reported 24,331 fresh infections.
This development comes in the backdrop of 25 Covid-19 patients succumbing to the virus in Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital due to “low pressure oxygen” on Friday.
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Covid-19 fatalities have been rising in Delhi ever since the second wave of the pandemic gripped the country with as many as 2,100 people dying due to the disease in the city during the last 11 days.
(With PTI inputs)
