Plea in Delhi HC demands compensation for families of COVID patients who died due to lack of oxygen
May 13, 2021
New Delhi [India], May 13 : A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been moved in the Delhi High Court seeking direction to the Centre and state government to give appropriate compensation to families of people who died due to lack of supply of oxygen on time.
The petition also sought direction to provide compensation to people severely affected during the Covid-19 pandemic and who are unable to meet their basic needs after having lost their sole breadwinner.
The petitioner Purav Midha, a practising lawyer sought the issuance of direction to form a committee headed under the guidance of a High Court Judge (Retired) to collect appropriate data and pay compensation as decided by this Court.
The plea also sought direction to the respondents to formulate appropriate guidelines, on compassionate grounds to provide adequate ex-gratia monetary compensation to families of people who lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic due to lack or non-supply of oxygen on time and also to the people adversely affected during this pandemic.
The plea was listed for hearing today but got adjourned for May 17, as the concerned bench did not assemble today.
The petition stated that the majority of people who lost their life due to lack of supply of oxygen and/or lack of necessary medicines belong to service class families or daily earners, where only one person of the family is an earning member and the other members are solely dependent on said income for their sustenance.
"The said citizens are also the taxpayers of our country. In such a structure, whereby the death rate is only increasing at an alarming rate per day, it is imperative for the State to formulate appropriate guidelines, on compassionate grounds, for ex-gratia compensation to the families of the COVID-19 casualties, solely with the purpose of aiding the families for their basic survival and sustenance during this pandemic," the plea said.
"There are a couple of schemes which have been formulated by Government of NCT of Delhi for economically weaker section of society, however, while keeping in view the current situation of our country, it is imperative to formulate a National Relief Plan u/s 11 of the National Disaster Management Act, 2005, whereby funds from National Disaster Response Fund ("NDRF") or any other existing fund such as PM CARES Funds, State Disaster Relief Funds can be utilized, for providing relief, in the financial aspects, especially to people who have no finances for sustenance and survival means thereof, by way of compassionate compensation to the dependents of COVID-19 related deaths," the petition added.
