Allahabad HC asks govt to set up panel for Covid plaints

The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to constitute a three-member Pandemic Public Grievance Committee (PPGC) in every district to look into the grievances of the public in Covid treatment in the State.

The panel would comprise one chief judicial magistrate (CJM) or a judicial officer, professor of a medical college and an administrative officer of the rank of additional district magistrate (ADM). The court, in its order on Tuesday, further directed that in rural areas complaints can be made directly to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of concerned tehsil, who shall transmit the same to PPGC. The committee will also look into all the viral news itself.

Earlier, the State government counsel had informed that the government had announced a compensation of Rs 30 lakh to those who caught Covid infection during panchayat election duty, on which the court asked the State government to rethink about the compensation amount and increase it to one crore.

The court observed, "It is not a case that somebody volunteered to render his/her services during election, but it was all made obligatory to those assigned with election duty to perform their duties during election even while they showed their reluctance."

While hearing a PIL relating to Covid care, a Division Bench comprising Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Ajit Kumar said that the recent surge of the Covid-19 pandemic in the State is engulfing the remote rural areas and smaller city and town areas of almost all the districts of Uttar Pradesh. The court went on to observe, "It would be in the fitness of the things that purchase of vaccine is not only expedited but vaccination programme is launched at a war-footing.

"Even in our last order we had made clear that unless and until everyone was vaccinated, nobody was safe. We hope and trust that the State government would try to purchase as many vials of desired vaccines as possible to vaccinate the maximum number and at least more than 2/3 of the population in 2-3 months' time." Not satisfied with the affidavit filed by Badugu Deva Paulson, secretary (Home), Government of Uttar Pradesh, the court said that neither the required information, as mandated by its earlier order, was given nor compliance was made of its various directions passed earlier. The court was unhappy with the affidavit as no information regarding the number of ambulances in the State or the meals provided to Covid patients of government hospitals were mentioned in the affidavit.