HC seeks report on quarantine centres
DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand high court has sought a report on the condition of quarantine centres in four districts with a high prevalence of COVID-19 positive cases within three days after a Public Interest Litigation alleged they were in pathetic condition and lacked basic facilities.
The HC has directed secretaries of the District Legal Services Authorities of Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehradun to visit quarantine centres and submit a report to the court within three days.
HC gave these directions while hearing PILs filed by Rajendra Arya and Sachdanand Dabral, who had raised many issues regarding COVID-19 epidemic in the state and how authorities were dealing with it. The order was issued on Wednesday but its copy was made available on Thursday.
The court order stated, “It has been brought to our notice that the conditions in many of these quarantine centres, to say the least, is pathetic.
It has also been alleged that there are not enough toilets in these centres. Many of these institutional quarantine centres are in extreme unhygienic condition.
We, therefore, direct the secretaries of the District Legal Services Authorities of Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehradun concerned to make a personal visit of these centres within three days and file its report before the Registrar General online. The district administration shall provide them with such logistics and preventive gear, keeping the present condition Covid-19 pandemic in mind.”
The High Court said that Amit Negi, secretary, health department “has very fairly submitted that it is possible that in this short duration some of the quarantine centres may actually be lacking in facilities, however, he has assured this court that all efforts shall be made to upgrade these centres by providing sufficient toilets and by maintaining proper hygiene and that he will make sure that the inmates are given their meals in proper time, three times a day”.
Shiv Bhatt, counsel of petitioner Sachdanand Dabral also apprised the HC that “there has been an incident where a government official has manhandled a person simply for asking for better facilities in the quarantine centre.”
Responding to this allegation, High Court directed Amit Negi, secretary health department to initiate “a formal inquiry in this matter and apprise this court through the Advocate General by the next date of listing (June 2, 2020)”.
“Meanwhile, what we have been informed, as of now, is that although the government has not been able to construct and make functional any quarantine centres on border itself, for logistical reasons, but such quarantine centres have been established in the border districts, that is, in Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehradun”, the order said.
Uttarakhand has reported 493 COVID-19 positive cases till Thursday evening.
The doubling rate in the state stands at 3.99 days for the last seven days, while the rate of infection stands at 2.49%.
So far Uttarakhand has tested over 25380 samples, of which over 19,702 have tested negative.