GIVE DETAILS OF PPE SELLERS, HC TELLS NAVI MUM CIVIC BODY

The Bombay high court (HC) on Tuesday directed the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to give details of the companies and prices at which the civic body had purchased personal protective equipment (PPE) and hand sanitisers, and how often they were being replenished in a bid to contain Covid-19.

The court was further informed that due to the callous approach of the officials of the corporations, many workers had contracted the virus and had to be quarantined.

The single bench of justice SJ Kathawalla, while hearing a petition filed by the Samaj Samata Kaamgar Sangh, through video-conferencing, was informed by advocate Bhavesh Parmar that the grievances of around 6,277 employees was represented in the petition. Parmar submitted that around 3,261 workers were involved in solid waste management and day-today road cleaning and were doing so with their bare hands. The workers were not provided enough water to clean their hands and were not provided with any PPE.

The advocate for the corporation said PPE was being provided to the workers. However, when asked as to when the equipment was last provided, the advocate could not respond.

The court then directed the corporation to file an affidavit stating the number of protective equipment in their possession prior to the lockdown and details of subsequent additions and distribution carried out till date. The court also sought the names and addresses of the individuals/firms/companies from whom it was purchased and at what price.