COVID19: Telangana HC Seeks Govt's Response On Steps Taken To Ensure PPEs To Frontline Medics & Supply Of Essentials To Public [Read Order]

The Telengana High Court on Monday directed the State government to submit an interim report with regard to the alleged inadequacies highlighted by the petitioner in terms of of tackling the Coronavirus pandemic in the state.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sri Raghvendra Singh Chauhan & Justice Abhishek Reddy sought response of the State Government regarding availibility of Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) to healthcare workers throughout the state of Telangana and concrete steps pertaining to availibility of daily consumable items to the public at large.

"The learned Advocate General is directed to submit an interim report with regard to the issues raised by the petitioner in the writ petition. He is further directed to inform this Court with regard to the availability of Personal Protective Equipments ('PPE') to the Doctors, Medical Staff, Para-Medical Staff working in the hospitals throughout the State of Telangana. He is further directetl to inforrn this Court about the concrete steps being taken by the State Government to ensure that daily consumable items, including food items, and medical items are made available to the public at large. The interim report shall be submitted by April 09, 2020. He is further directed to submit a complete report on or before April l5' 2020. List this case on April 09, 2020" - the bench directed.

The petition had, inter alia, averred inaction of the government in terms of providing 14-day quarantine to the passengers who landed at Telangana between February 1 to March 25, 2020, non-providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including masks to the medical personnel working at the frontlines as well as non-import & non-manufacture of requisite medical equipments to fight COVID19. 

Apart from that, the petitioner has also highlighted the non-supply of daily essential goods & medical supplies to the public at large at reasonable prices and non-providing daily essentials to the lakhs of Unorganized labour, beggars, Inter-State Migrant Labors, Orphans, Street Children, Destitutes, Nomadic Tribes, Semi -Nomadic Tribes and Hostel Students, who are non-registered in the white card scheme.

In light of this, the petitioner contended that this alleged inaction by the State Government is "arbitrary, discriminatory, unreasonable, unfair, unjust, unlawful, unconstitutional, whimsical, perverse, mockery and against to an Article 14, 19,21 of Constitution of India and against to the Provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and The Inter state Migrant Workmen Act, 1979 and other Labor Laws and against to the Catena of Judgments of an Apex court and this Honble court"

Petitioner has also sought directions to the government to ensure quarantine of all passengers "who came from Abroad to Telangana by All ways Airway, Railway and Road Transport) from 1st February, 2020 to 25th March, 2020 for 14 days".

Petition has been filed by P.L. Vishweshwar Rao who is the Convenor of Telangana Democratic Forum & Vice President of Telangana Jana Samithi.

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