BLACK-MARKETING OF OXYGEN: LONI MLA MOVES HC AGAINST ADM, OTHERS

PRAYAGRAJ: BJP MLA from Loni constituency of Ghaziabad Nand Kishore has filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court seeking a CBI probe against Shailendra Kumar Singh, ADM (City) of Ghaziabad, and some other persons for their alleged involvement in black-marketing and illegal sale of oxygen in Delhi, Haryana, etc, ‘resulting in the deaths of scores of Covid patients in Ghaziabad and nearby areas’.

The petitioner has also asked the court to direct the state government to devise a proper plan/policy/guideline for the payment of compensation to the families of the Covid patients who died due to non-supply or shortage of oxygen in Ghaziabad and other districts of the state. According to the petitioner, ADM (city) Singh is in-charge of oxygen distribution in Ghaziabad and under his nose black-marketing of oxygen was taking place.

As alleged in the petition, there are around three Covid hospitals in Ghaziabad. However, since past several days, despite his repeated requests and also of the district magistrate of Ghaziabad, the ADM did not make even a single oxygen cylinder available in the Covid hospitals, as a result of which many patients died a slow, agonizing death for want of life-saving oxygen.

The petitioner has alleged that the ADM had been illegally black-marketing the oxygen supplies from Ghaziabad to Delhi and Haryana, etc and earning crores of rupees at the expense of the lives of citizens in Ghaziabad and other districts of Uttar Pradesh.

The petitioner has filed some audio and video clips along with the petition.

On May 5, the petitioner had filed a complaint, raising all these issues, to senior superintendent of police (SSP), Ghaziabad.