Delhi High Court: A Division Bench of Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad, JJ., addressed a petition on urgent mentioning with regard to measures being taken to prevent pandemic COVID-19.
Petitioners sought directions to respondents/Govt. of NCT of Delhi to deploy a team of qualified doctors and public health officials for screening, testing and treating residents of Eidgah Old Mustafabad Camp in light of COVID-19 pandemic in Delhi.
The other direction that was sought by petitioners was to deploy sanitation workers for keeping up hygiene of the camp and adjoining areas to prevent spread of infection and communicable diseases.
Petitioners counsel submitted that their family members have been housed at Eidgah Old Mustafabad after the violence had broken out in North-East Delhi. The stated Camp has poor health and sanitation conditions that could result in spread of COVID-19, besides communicable diseases, fungal infection.
Additional Standing Counsel, Anuj Aggarwal stated that in W.P. (Crl) 665 of 2020 following directions were passed by Coordinate Bench:
- Provision of a fire engine, ambulance and mobile toilets at the subject camps
- Maintenance and upkeep of cleanliness (including cleaning of the drains)/hygiene and sanitation; and further enhancing essential public utilities, including provision of beds
- Taking necessary steps to secure the health of the riot victims
- Ensuring the availability of the counsellors for the riot victims
- Setting up 3 Additional Camps at Bapu Nagar-25 Feet road, Santosh Marriage Home – Mustafabad and Madarsa Babul Ulloom, Jafrabad.
High Court directed the respondents to comply with the directions issued in the above petition stated with primary focus with regard to health of all staying in the Camp site in light of COVID-19 pandemic.
Thus, Court directed that steps in the above regard shall be taken at earliest. Government of NCT of Delhi shall ensure a team of doctors and public health officials with sufficient medicines, adequate equipments etc. visit the camp site within 48 hours.
Hence, petition is disposed of in above terms. [Md. Akhtar v. Govt. of NCT of Delhi, WP (C) No. 2948 of 2020, decided on 23-03-2020]