PIL in HC claims lack of facilities in COVID-19 quarantine wards at Narela

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the AAP government to reply to a PIL alleging it was not providing doctors or maintaining hygiene and sanitisation at the DDA flats in Narela which have been turned into quarantine wards for coronavirus patients.

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad issued notice to the Delhi government and asked it to file its response to the plea in three days.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on May 14.

The petitioner, Nirmal Gorana, has alleged that the Delhi government was not making available doctors at the flats and was not ensuring proper hygiene and sanitisation in the area.

His plea also claimed that there were not sufficient number of sanitation workers for carrying out disinfection of toilets and rooms, the food quality needs to be improved, and linen, soap, sanitizers and other essential items were not being provided.

The lawyer appearing for the Delhi government disputed the contentions and said that according to instructions received from the District Magistrate (North), "all facilities were being made available at the fourteen towers constructed by DDA at Narela that have been partly converted for housing patients who have been diagnosed as Covid-19 'positive' and partially for quarantining those who have turned Covid-19 'negative,' after treatment".