HC makes PIL of DC ‘dirty facilities’ report DC IMPACT

The Telangana High Court has suo motu (on its own) taken up as a public interest litigation (PIL) a news report published in Deccan Chronicle on Friday (March 20), highlighting the pathetic conditions and facilities prevailing in various quarantine premises in the state which were opened by the government to house international passengers for the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Justice P. Naveen Rao addressed a letter to the Chief Justice seeking its intervention in calling for the records pertaining to the number of notified premises used by the government as quarantine premises.

Headlined ‘Quarantine facilities dirty’, the report highlighted the lack of basic facilities in the quarantine premises, where two to three passengers and in some places as many as five were put up in a single room. Poor unhygienic conditions were made worse with bed-bugs, cockroaches and mosquitoes all over the rooms, defunct toilets, lack of running water, inadequate supply of drinking water were highlighted in the report.

Justice P. Naveen Rao opined that if such a pathetic situation prevailed in the quarantine premises, the very purpose of establishing them would be lost. He also stated that hostels and housing facilities, which were being used as quarantine premises, would not be conducive to house students and employees after the present grim situation ceases. Considering it, CJ Raghavendra Singh Chauhan directed the Registry to convert the report as suo motu taken up PIL.

The Chief Secretary, principal secretary of health, commissioner of health, Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, director of public health and family welfare, principal secretary of municipal administration, GHMC commissioner were made respondents to the PIL.

The other respondents were the joint director, State Epidemics Cell; Union health secretary; director, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, New Delhi; additional director and state programme officer, Directorate of Health.