HC slams ‘irritating’ vaccine dialer tune

The Delhi high court on Thursday criticised a caller tune public service message put in place by the Centre asking people to get vaccinated, with the court labelling it “irritating” and questioning its purpose when states were reportedly short of jabs.

“You have been playing that one irritating message on the phone whenever one makes a call, for we do not know how long, that you (people) should get vaccinated, when you (Centre) don’t have enough vaccines.

“You are not vaccinating people,

NEW DELHI:

but you still say that vaccination lagavaiye [get vaccinated]. Kaun lagayega vaccination [Who will get vaccinated], when there is no vaccine? What is the point of the message,” observed a bench of justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli.

“You should give it [the vaccine] to everyone. Even if you are going to take money, give it. That is what even children are saying,” the bench said and added that the government needs to be “innovative” in such things.

The court said that the government should prepare more such messages instead of preparing just one and running it always.

The bench said the government, whether at the state or the Centre, have to react to the situation on the ground.

It also suggested using TV anchors or producers to create programmes, on making people aware about use of oxygen concentrators and cylinders or on vaccination. It also said celebrities may be asked to chip in, and that moves like these “need to be made soon”.

The court said a lot of “publicity

and propaganda” was put in place last year, on the importance of hand-washing and mask-wearing. It said there should be similar initiatives on the use of oxygen, concentrators, medication, and others.

“We are losing time. There should be a sense of urgency,” the bench said, and directed the Centre and Delhi government to file their reports by May 18 on steps they are going to take to disseminate information on Covid-19 management through the print and TV media, as well as dialer tunes.