Delhi high court on Tuesday said that sufficient oxygen was not being supplied to Covid-19 patients in the national capital and has asked the centre to see if the oxygen can be diverted from industries that can wait now.
"Industries can wait. Patients cannot. Human lives are at stake," a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said to the central government.
The bench also noted that doctors at the Ganga ram Hospital were forcibly decreasing the oxygen being given to covid patients who are admitted there as there was a shortage of oxygen in the hospital.
The court has sought an answer from the central government standing attorney Monika Arora and asked: "Which are these industries whose supplies of oxygen cannot be curtailed” and urged her to take instructions on what all can be done to increase the oxygen supply for the covid patients.
The centre has informed the HC that in order to meet the demand for oxygen, 8 Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) Oxygen Generation plants are being set up in Delhi with the support of PM CARES Funds.
“In order to ensure a continuous supply of oxygen for medical purposes, the use of oxygen for industrial purposes has been banned except for certain critical industries with effect from 22 April,” the centre added.
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The high court also said that it will monitor the supply of oxygen on a day-to-day basis.
The charge came during the hearing of a disposed of the petition, related to COVID-19 tests, that the high court revived on April 19 by noting that the virus has raised its "ugly head" once again and the pandemic is raging with much greater intensity and "it is evident that the healthcare infrastructure is at the stage of imminent collapse".