New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to “forthwith” provide oxygen by whatever means to the hospitals in the national capital which are treating serious COVID-19 patients and are facing scarcity of oxygen. “Why is the Centre not waking up to the gravity of the situation? We are shocked and dismayed hospitals are running out of oxygen but steel plants are running,” the high court said.
The High court said heavens are not going to fall if the industries, including steel and petroleum, run on lower capacity till oxygen is imported. It said certainly all hell will break loose with the stoppage of medical oxygen for hospitals.
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli, which was conducting the hearing on a holiday, said the responsibility to ensure oxygen supply is squarely on Central government’s shoulders and if necessary, entire supply of oxygen to industries including steel and petroleum can be diverted for medical usage.
“The steel and petrochemical industries are oxygen guzzlers and diverting oxygen from there can meet hospitals’ requirements,” the bench said. “If Tatas can divert oxygen they are generating for their steel plants to medical use, why can’t others? This is the height of greed. Is there no sense of humanity left or not,” the court observed.
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