Lucknow: The Allahabad high court on Wednesday directed the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh to respond to the allegations of mismanagement with regards to unavailability of oxygen, beds and medicines required for the treatment of serious COVID-19 patients.
Justices Ritu Raj Awasthi and Manish Mathur of the Lucknow bench of the high court were dealing with a PIL which also said that audit of the oxygen and supply of medicines in the state was required to be done so that they were properly utilised.
“We direct the counsel for the opposite parties to seek instructions in the matter,” said the bench, which declined the submission of the state government not to entertain the PIL as the high court at Allahabad was already seized of the same issues in a suo motu matter.
The PIL before the Lucknow bench was filed by H.P. Gupta. The bench, after going through the submissions made by the lawyers of the parties fixed May 18 as the next date of hearing.
Apart from raising the plight of COVID-19 patients, the petitioner’s counsel V.K. Singh submitted that a makeshift hospital should be established in the new premises of the high court at Gomti Nagar with all facilities in order to cater to the needs of the lawyers, their family members, judicial officers and staffers.
In the PIL, the petitioner alleged the failure of the government to tackle the situation in a prompt and effective manner.
“Since the government has failed in protecting the lives of its citizens for want of proper, timely and effective treatment in hospitals and otherwise, it is necessary that the court should intervene in the matter and issue stringent directions to the government authorities to take immediate and effective steps to deal with the situation,” the petitioner’s lawyer submitted.
The petitioner also demanded the installation of a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plant from the PM CARES fund in Uttar Pradesh to ensure the supply of oxygen at the earliest time.
