HC seeks Centre, state reply on ‘mismatch’ in medical kit count

nNEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Friday directed the Centre and the Delhi government to clear their stand on the mismatch in the number of PPE kits, N-95 masks, gloves received, after the Delhi government told the court that there was a discrepancy in numbers provided by the Centre.

A bench of justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad directed both the Centre and state governments to clarify their position by filing separate affidavits within five days and posted the matter for further hearing on June 1.

“In view of the fact that there appears a mis-match in the inventory of the PPE kits, N-95 masks, gloves etc. between what the Union of India claims in its affidavit, have been supplied to the GNCTD, which the latter states it has not received to the said extent, it is deemed appropriate to direct both the departments to clarify the position by filing separate affidavits within five days, “the court order said.

The court’s direction came after the Delhi government’s additional standing counsel Gautam Narayan told the bench that the information provided by the government of India about the number of PPE kits and N-95 masks does not match with the log book of the department of health, government of NCT.

On the last date, additional solicitor general, Maninder Kaur Acharya, appearing for the Centre, informed the court that 379,429 N-95 masks and 116,890 PPE kits had been given to the Delhi government. His remarks came during hearing of a plea which contended that sanitation workers in the city are not wellequipped with medical gear.

A senior Delhi government official said the concerned department will file its response in court.

The plea also sought direction to the authorities to carry out tests on all sanitation workers and their immediate families.

Appearing for the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, its counsel, Akhil Mittal, submitted a status report detailing that the north corporation is neither aware of any information about the receipt of any masks and PPE kits by the Delhi government from the Centre nor has it received any N-95 masks or PPE kits from the city government specifically for the use of its sanitation workers till date.

The bench granted time to other respondents to file their response by the next date of hearing while noting that only the Delhi government and the North DMC had filed their reply.

The Union ministry of health and family welfare had not commented on the issue till late Friday night.

DELHI GOVT’S COUNSEL TOLD THE COURT THAT THE CENTRE’S NUMBERS ON PPE, MASKS DO

NOT MATCH THE STATE HEALTH DEPT’S LOGS