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The Karnataka High Court today fumed over the lethargic attitude of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in providing food kits and rations to the poor in the city's COVID-19 containment zones.
Observing that "no effort" was made to identify needy persons in containment zones, the Court pulled up the municipal authority.
It was the absolute neglect and failure on the part of BBMP was a violation of the Court's previous order in the matter, observed by the Bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar while dealing with a batch of pleas pertaining to various issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic in the state of Karnataka.
"Even as of now, not even an effort has been made by BBMP to identify needy persons in the containment zones which are more than 3,000 in the city of Bangalore.", Karnataka High Court.
The Court noted that there was a complete lack of understanding about the concept on the part of the BBMP Commissioner, on the point of dealing with "special health needs" of persons in containment zones.
It was further stated that BBMP was supposed to deal with the needs of pregnant women/lactating mothers, and the needs of persons suffering from cardiac ailments/other ailments. The Court pointed out, it was the responsibility of the BBMP, as it would be difficult for such persons to go to hospitals for medicines and other facilities.
It was earlier directed by the court to state government, to step into the place of the BBMP in this regard. However, today, it noted that the state government had not complied with the said directions.
Therefore, the Court had directed the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department and Municipal Commissioner to be present for the next hearing via video conference, in order to ensure compliance of the Court order and the state government issued Standard Operating procedure (SOP) dated April 17.
"In the normal course, the writ court should be very slow in summoning senior government officials before the Court. In this case, there is defiance on the part of BBMP with respect to government SO...We expected that the State will step in, however, the State has not done that. The only way to ensure enforcement of SOP dated 17th April 2020 is now to procure the presence of the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department and Municipal Commissioner through video conferencing." Karnataka High Court
During the hearing, the council of the BBMP informed the court that around 900 families in containment zones had been provided with ration and food kits.
To this, the Bench responded,
"There are 3,000 containment zones and you have given food only for 900 families?... People will die of starvation."
Adding to this the Bench said, BBMP should not be in the picture at all, this level of insensitivity is should not continue further, State Should completely take over food distribution of containment zones.
The matter has been next posted for hearing on 14th July.
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