AAP govt obligated to provide protected environ to sr citizens living near health workers: HC

The Delhi High Court has said the AAP government and the municipal corporations are obligated to provide protected environment to senior citizens and other residents living near buildings occupied by health workers and directed the authorities to carry out sanitization and fumigation in such areas to assuage people's fears.

Justice Asha Menon issued the direction on a plea by a senior citizen seeking to stop a house near his residence, in south Delhi, being used as a guest house for health workers as the occupants were allegedly not adhering to hygiene measures.

The senior citizen, Anil Dhalla, told the court that he was living with five others of his age group, who also suffer from 'co-morbidities' and therefore, they were anxious about their health and well-being as measures relating to hygiene were not being adhered to by the occupants of the guest house.

The court said no one has the right to ask for removal of resident health workers from their neighbourhood "because of an unrealistic fear of COVID-19...but respondent No.1 (Delhi government) and respondent No.2 (south Delhi municipal corporation) cannot escape their obligation to provide a protected environment to the senior citizens and other residents adjacent to such buildings which are occupied by the health workers".

It directed them "to take all action, such as fumigation and sanitization, similar to the measures as are being adopted for Containment/Buffer Zones, in the area in question and may also adopt the practice/ protocol in other zone/areas where health workers are residing, which would also assuage the fears of other residents in the same locality, that they may be exposed to greater risk of infection".

The court directed that an action taken report be filed before the next date of hearing on May 28.