The Kerala government on Monday contended before the Supreme Court that the Union government has failed to resolve the issue arising out of Karnataka’s blockade of national highway and other roads connecting to Kasargod, over high incidence of Covid-19 patients.
In an affidavit to the Karnataka government’s petition against the Kerala HC’s April 1 order, the state government said the unilateral blockade cannot by any stretch of imagination be stated to be reasonable restrictions on the people’s right to access food and proper healthcare.
“The act of Karnataka in blocking the national highway and other roads to Kerala preventing people from getting access to medical treatment and movement of essential goods is violative of fundamental rights guaranteed to the citizens under the Constitution,” it said.
The Kerala government asked the court to dismiss the plea by Karnataka against the High Court’s order to remove blockade at the inter-state border to allow people to access medical facilities in Mangaluru.
Maintaining that Karnataka’s move was “arbitrary, illegal and violative of statutory guidelines and punishable under the Disaster Management Act,” the CPM-led government said the Union Home Secretary failed to discuss the matter and resolve the issue, despite the top court’s direction on April 3.
“We direct the Union of India and the States of Karnataka and Kerala to confer immediately and formulate the parameters for passage of patients for urgent medical treatment at the inter-state border at Talapadi,” the top court’s bench had then ordered.
In its response, the Kerala government also pointed out that Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, even after the apex court’s order, openly declared that blockade would not be removed.
Notably, the Karnataka government, for its part, apprehended the spread of Covid-19 in its districts, as Kasargod in Kerala has emerged as a hotspot with over 100 patients of the disease.
‘Will sterilise vehicles’
The Kerala government, on the other hand, asserted it was giving treatment to Covid-19 patients in an excellent manner. It said it had already assured the High Court that its Health and fire departments were ready to sterilise all vehicles carrying patients from Kasargod to Karnataka for treatment purposes.
The court is to consider the matter on Tuesday.