E-Paper
Immediate implementation of order suspending oxygen to industries: Delhi HC
“Industries can wait. Patients cannot. Human lives are at stake,” a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said to the central government.
The Delhi high court on Tuesday directed immediate implementation of order to suspend oxygen to industries. Amid a spike in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in several states, the Centre had asked all states on Sunday to prohibit the supply of oxygen for industrial purposes, except for those that fall in the exempted category from April 22. Oxygen is an important element used in the treatment of certain medical conditions which arise due to the Covid-19 infection.
“Industries can wait. Patients cannot. Human lives are at stake,” a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said to the central government.
The direction came during the hearing of a petition, related to Covid-19 tests, that the high court revived on April 19 amid rise in Covid-19 cases.
In its decision taken on Sunday, the Centre said that the ban was crucial as there was an increase in demand for medical oxygen in several states like Maharashtra and Delhi among others, which have been consistently reporting an increase in Covid-19 cases.
“Keeping in view the rapid rise in Covid cases and resultant rapid demand for medical oxygen, particularly in high-burden states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, etc, EG-II has reviewed the supply of oxygen for industrial use in order to divert the same to meet the rising demand for medical oxygen in the country and save precious lives,” Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla wrote in a letter to all chief secretaries on Sunday.
The government had then also given a break-up of the shares that will be allotted to states which face the shortage of oxygen under which Maharashtra was allotted 1,646 metric tonnes of oxygen, followed by Uttar Pradesh which was given 752 metric tonnes and Delhi which was allotted 378 metric tonnes.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also voiced concern over a shortage in supply of oxygen in the national capital on Sunday.
"Del facing acute shortage of oxygen. In view of sharply increasing cases, Del needs much more than normal supply. Rather than increasing supply, our normal supply has been sharply reduced and Delhi’s quota has been diverted to other states. OXYGEN HAS BECOME AN EMERGENCY IN DEL," Kejriwal wrote in a tweet.
Chief minister Kejriwal also wrote to Union commerce & industries minister Piyush Goyal, requesting him to ensure uninterrupted supply of 700MT of oxygen on daily basis & restoration of supply of 140MT of oxygen by INOX.
Delhi on Sunday recorded its biggest jump in daily Covid-19 cases with 25,462 fresh infections logged. The national capital is under six-day lockdown which began on Monday, following a weekend curfew imposed on Friday night, aimed at checking the spread of the viral disease.
