HC notice to Centre, state over virus spread in Shimla

Shimla, October 5

Expressing concern over the sudden rise in Covid cases in Shimla after the lifting of curbs, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued notices to the Union Health Secretary and the state Chief Secretary.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice L Narayana Swami and Justice Anoop Chitkara passed this order on a suo motu proceedings initiated by it on a news item published in The Tribune on September 30 under the headline “73% Covid cases reported in Shimla after lifting of curbs”.

It was reported that the easing of restrictions and the lifting of the barrier at Shoghi had led to a spurt in Covid cases in Shimla as 73 per cent of the total 1,064 cases in the district had been reported in the last 23 days.

It was reported that a large number of people were visiting Shimla and spreading the infection. As many as 780 of 1,064 cases had been reported after September 5. It was further mentioned in the report that the first Covid case was reported in the district on May 24 and the average of three to five cases per day increased to 34 cases per day after the restrictions were lifted.

The news report mentioned that another serious concern was that there was no check on people coming from containment zones. The court treated this report as a public interest litigation petition and sought response from the Union Government and the state authorities, including state home and health secretaries and directed the officers to file their replies within two weeks. — OC

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