Gujarat HC on suo motu PIL on COVID: ‘Not satisfied with govt's policy, people think they are at God's mercy’
"People now think that they are at God's mercy," a division bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Bhargav Karia said.
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FollowNew Delhi: The Gujarat High Court on Monday heard a suo motu PIL over the coronavirus situation and asked the state government why do people have to stand in queues if oxygen and beds are available.
The PIL was heard by the division bench comprising Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Bhargav D Karia.
"People now think that they are at God's mercy," a division bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Bhargav Karia said.
"We're not satisfied with government's policy. Something needs to be corrected so that people can do something about this pandemic. Court also says that it will meet next on Thursday, 15th April to check what actions are taken by government," Gujarat High Court said.
After advocate general Kamal Trivedi informed the HC about steps taken by the Gujarat government to tackle the Covid-19 situation, the court said the reality is quite different from what the government claims.
"The situation is quite different than what you are claiming. You are saying that everything is alright. But, the reality is contrary to that," the high court said during the hearing held via video-conferencing.
There is a "trust deficit" among people, it observed.
The Gujarat HC also directed the Vijay Rupani-led government to pace up the Covid-19 sample collection and testing. The Court said that it will meet next on April 15 to check the actions taken by the state government.
The High Court said, "It takes 4-5 days for a common man to get a report, whereas officers can get an RT-PCR report within hours. Sample collection and testing should be faster."
The chief justice said that "news channels are flooded with the harrowing tales, unfortunate and unimaginable difficulties and unmanageable conditions of the infrastructure".
"When you (Advocate General Kamal Trivedi) are saying that oxygen and beds are available, why do people have to stand in a queue," it asked.
Gujarat reported 5,469 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, its biggest single-day rise since the beginning of the pandemic, which took its caseload to 3,47,495, the health department said.
The death toll due to the virus went up to 4,800 as 54 patients succumbed to the infection during the day. The number of active cases in the state now stands at 27,568.
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