The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Centre to explain why States like Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra got more medical oxygen than demanded, while Delhi government did not receive its assured quota required to contain the Covid-19 cases in the national capital.
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli put the poser to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta as the Delhi government led by senior advocate Rahul Mehra alleged that all states have been given what they asked for.
The only state that has been left out is Delhi, he complained. He also alleged that the Centre has been very unfair. The Delhi government, promised 490 MT of oxygen, is going to augment 15,000 beds in next one week, which would take overall requirement to 976 MT oxygen, Mehra said.
On this, the bench asked Mehta, "Why did Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra get more oxygen than they asked for, but Delhi is getting less than what it asked for."
Mehta, for his part, said that it seemed the matter has become political. He said there was no need to create panic as the situation was dynamic and the system was working.
"Madhya Pradesh has more population...it would be at the life of some but let it be," Mehta said.
"Let's not get emotional about it. You can't duck it. You have to meet the demand," the bench told him, adding the Centre had to respond to this assertion by the Delhi government.
However, the bench said, "We make it clear that by no means are we interested in securing for Delhi oxygen more than what is required and that too at the cost of any other State or Union Territory. However, if submissions of the Delhi government and the amicus are accepted, it would appear that Centre needs to explain this aspect."
During the hearing, the Delhi government also stressed the need for facilitating distribution of oxygen to patients at home as well.
"Today we have allocated the 490 MT stock. We are left with none. If we could somehow get 15-20 MT immediately, we can think of setting up distribution centres to facilitate citizens," Mehra said.
The court agreed that the people at home as well as standalone clinics would also require oxygen.