Ensure supply of food at Covid-19 containment zones: HC

The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday directed the state government to ensure the supply of food packets and essential supplies to the 500 containment zones in Bengaluru.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar, which heard the PILs concerning Covid-19, asked the BBMP commissioner to file a compliance report on supplying food packets to the needy in the containment zones.

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It took exception to the commissioner’s preliminary report on compliance to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which stated providing food to the needy in the containment zones is being attended to “as far as practicable” and people living in the containment zones had no restrictions in obtaining food.

“The minimum expected is an assurance to make an endeavour to achieve its obligation as per the SOP dated 17-04-2020,” the bench stated. “Even that assurance is completely missing in the report submitted by the commissioner. Therefore, it is necessary for the state to intervene and implement the circular dated 17-04-2020,” it added.

One paragraph of the preliminary report signed by the BBMP commissioner states: “The inquiries at the ground level have revealed that most of the ‘containment zones’ in the city have not gone for a total lockdown or seal down to completely restrict the movement of the people living in the containment zones in obtaining essential supplies on their own.”

“Therefore, no serious adverse consequences have emerged as a result of the declaration of the containment zones within the city, which are primarily declared by the BBMP to handle the existing and potential health crises which are being attended to with utmost priority by the BBMP officers.”

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The bench observed that it was an obligation on the part of the BBMP to supply the essentials and ration from the fair price shop to the doorstep of the card holder.

The commissioner’s stand that the ration is supplied as far as practicable is in violation of his own orders, besides a serious breach of the fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, the bench stated.