Lockdown for a fortnight won’t result in hunger deaths: HC
PRAYAGRAJ: Taking a serious note of the rise in Covid-19 cases in the state, the Allahabad high court on Tuesday said, “We do not think that a lockdown for a fortnight would bring the economy of the state to such a halt that people would die of hunger.”
Hearing a PIL seeking better facilities at quarantine centres, a division bench comprising Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Ajit Kumar fixed August 28, 2020, as the next date of hearing in the matter.
The high court, on several dates of hearing, had issued various directions to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state.
PRAYAGRAJ: Taking serious note of the rise in Covid-19 cases in the state, the Allahabad high court on Tuesday said, “We do not think that a lockdown for a fortnight would bring the economy of the state to such a halt that people would die of hunger.”
Hearing a PIL seeking better facilities at quarantine centres, a division bench comprising Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Ajit Kumar fixed August 28, 2020, as the next date of hearing in the matter.
The high court, on several dates of hearing, had issued various directions to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state.
On Tuesday, the court directed the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary to apprise it whether there was any plan of action to contain the infection when the economy was reopened after nationwide lockdown and whether it was ever implemented.
The court also asked the chief secretary to inform if any action had been taken against the district authorities who had not followed the planning, if there was any.
The chief secretary was asked to come up with a roadmap to contain the contagion from now onwards by the next date of hearing.
The court said, “We do not doubt the government’s will, but we are equally conscious that measures taken are not enough and are needed to be made more severe and stringent, but of course, workable too, at the same time.”
“When we have to balance between bread, butter and life, the latter has to prevail. Food is for life to survive and not vice-versa. We do not think that a lockdown for a fortnight would bring the economy of the state to such a halt that people would die of hunger,” observed the bench.