The order came while he was ruling on a joint plea presented by several lawyers (File)
New Delhi:
Noting the “seriousness” of the coronavirus situation in the national capital, the Delhi High Court ordered the AAP government and the Center to increase the number of beds and ventilators for COVID-19 patients.
The instruction was issued by a bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Judge Prateek Jalan after the Delhi government informed him that until June 9, there were 9,179 beds for COVID-19 patients in city and 4,914 were occupied and the rest were available.
The Delhi government told the bench that a total of 569 fans were available, of which 315 were in use and the rest are available.
“Given the gravity of the situation, we ask the respondents (Delhi Center and Government) to increase the number of beds for COVID-19 patients and also try to increase the number of ventilators so that all COVID patients in need can get these, “said the bench in its order, which was passed on June 11 but made available on Saturday.
The court also said it expects all hospitals in the nation’s capital to properly download the availability of real-time bed capacity data so that the public can know in advance where to go if they are suffering of COVID-19.
The order came after the joint plea of several lawyers, through lawyer Mridul Chakravarty, had been pleaded jointly, demanding the proper implementation of the containment directives, particularly in the defense colony of South Delhi , and to ensure the availability of sufficient beds for COVID-19 patients in Delhi hospitals.
As of Friday, June 12, the number of COVID-19 cases was 36,824 in Delhi, with 1,214 people succumbing to the disease.
The lawyers’ pleas were settled by the court after the Delhi government declared that the affected areas of the defense colony had already been declared containment areas.
The Delhi government has declared that it strictly follows all directives and instructions issued by the Center, which was represented by its permanent council Anurag Ahluwalia, and other relevant bodies.
The Delhi government also told the court that it also strictly follows the instructions issued by the lieutenant governor.
Taking note of the observations, the bank stated that it saw no reason to declare the entire defense colony as a containment area.
