High Court raps Chandigarh over Rs 10K security for Oxygen cylinders

Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 18

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today virtually rapped the UT Administration for prescribing a security payment of Rs10,000 for supplying oxygen cylinders to home. “People will not run away with oxygen cylinders,” the Bench pointed out.

The Bench also made it clear that Rs2,000 for a CT scan/HRCT chest was on the higher side. “Thus, we direct that the same may be reconsidered,” the Bench of Justice Rajan Gupta and Justice Karamjit Singh asserted.

‘Rs2K for CT scan on higher side’

“People will not run away with oxygen cylinders,” the Bench pointed out. It also made it clear that Rs2,000 for a CT scan/HRCT chest was on the higher side. “Thus, we direct that the same may be reconsidered,” the Bench of Justice Rajan Gupta and Justice Karamjit Singh asserted.

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Speaking for the Bench, Justice Gupta asserted that Rs10,000 for oxygen was a little repugnant to the idea floated by the court on the supply of oxygen to residents. “Why is the supplier so insecure? Can’t he, instead of money, keep something else as security?”

Justice Gupta added that the earning of the people had declined and some were leading a hand-to-mouth existence. “There is sufficient oxygen in the atmosphere. It is not that one goes out to look out for oxygen. You step out and there is oxygen. It is for the first time that we are hearing “we need oxygen, we need oxygen”. Now for that also you have to pay. Oxygen, water, air… Will people have to pay for this also?”

Displaying the humanitarian side of law, Justice Gupta added: “If someone is not able to arrange Rs10,000, he will go here and there, beg, borrow or steal or leave it to fate. You have to think of something else”.

Responding to the assertions, UT senior standing counsel Pankaj Jain submitted that the issues would be examined by the department concerned at the earliest.

“This court shall be apprised accordingly,” Justice Gupta added. Jain siad 174 oxygen concentrators had been received from the Government of India. The Administration now had a bank of 100 concentrators for backup oxygen supply. He further referred to the status report filed by Dr Amandeep Kang, Director, Health Services, Chandigarh, to state that vaccine wastage in the city till May 16 was 0.94 per cent, which was “very low”. Efforts were on to take it to zero. He has further submitted that an order has been passed by the competent authority on May 17 fixing the outer limit for ambulance services.