‘Ensure Delhi gets 490 MT oxygen today’: Delhi HC warns centre of contempt action

Expressing shock over the death of eight patients at Delhi’s Batra hospital due to oxygen shortage, the Delhi High Court directed the central government to ensure that Delhi receives its allocated quota of oxygen by ‘whatever means’

“Water has gone above the head. Enough is enough. Now you’ll arrange everything. You’ve made allocation, fulfill that. Eight patients have died today at Batra Hospital,” the bench told the Central Government counsel.

The court also observed that the allocation was made on April 20 but Delhi did not receive its allocated supply not even for one day.

“It falls on the central government to arrange tankers as well as it only remains a paper allocation. The allocation to Delhi has been in force from April 20 and not for a single day Delhi has received allocated supply,” the court noted.

“We direct Centre to ensure that Delhi receives its 490MT oxygen supply today by whatever means”, a division bench comprising Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli issued this direction in a special sitting on oxygen crisis in the national capital.

The court also declined the centre’s request to adjourn the hearing till Monday when its officers would explain the situation.

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Threatening contempt action againt the central government, the court said “If order is not implemented, concerned authority to remain present in the Court on the next date of hearing. We may even consider issuing contempt proceedings,” the high court said

The court also sought information on number of patients admitted, discharged, undergoing treatment at Delhi hospitals since April 1 to review allegations related to ‘malpractices’ and accusations of beds not being vacated.

As many as eight Covid patients including a doctor died at Delhi’s Batra hospital on Saturday afternoon after the facility ran out of medical oxygen.

“We didn’t get oxygen on time. We ran out of oxygen at 12 noon. We got oxygen at 1:35 pm. We have lost lives, including one of our own doctors,” hospital officials informed the high court,

“We hope no lives were lost,” the court responded, to which the hospital said: “We have… including one of our own… one doctor.”