HC directs WB govt to file report on adherence to COVID-19 guidelines
Considering the gravity of the grievance expressed bythe petitioner, a division bench comprising Chief Justice T BN Radhakrishnan and Justice Arijit Banerjee said that it willtake up the issue for hearing again on Friday, when it willconsider the report to be placed by the state government.
On an earlier order by the high court on April 8, thesecretary to the department of health and family welfare ofthe state government submitted a report on Thursday before theChief Justice's bench on steps taken to control the spread ofthe novel coronavirus in West Bengal.
Senior counsel Bikash Bhattachar, appearing forpetitioner Fuad Halim, submitted through video conference,that the guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation(WHO) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) fortackling COVID-19 are not being adhered to by the state ofWest Bengal.
"The state shall respond to this specific grievance byway of a further report on the next date of hearing," thedivision bench directed.
The court directed that a copy of the order becommunicated to the state Advocate General and the health andfamily welfare department secretary immediately.
Moving the PIL on April 8, the petitioner's lawyeralleged that frontline workers fighting the coronaviruspandemic such as doctors, nurses, paramedics and other relatedstaff were not being given proper protective gear.
Bhattacharya had also claimed that all necessary dataregarding the tests done and number of affected persons werenot being shared by the government. AMRMM MM