Puzzled by use of tin sheets to block COVID patients’ houses, Madras HC seeks explanation

Source:-https://www.newindianexpress.com

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday censured the Chennai city corporation for blocking houses of COVID-19 patients in the city by raising tin sheets without any scientific evidence. A division bench of the Madras High Court raised several queries on the practice and directed the Chennai Corporation Commissioner to appear before it by November 10 to explain the reasons.

The two-member bench of justices M Sathyanarayana and R Hemalatha issued the directives based on the plea filed by R Priyanka, an advocate who sought better facilities in all the COVID-19 care centres managed by the city corporation.

According to the petitioner, her husband GE Balaji, who tested positive with mildly symptomatic conditions in August, was soon quarantined in a facility at Guru Nanak College. Although he had only mild fever with no co-morbidities, the corporation confined him to the facility, she added.

“Though our house had five rooms, the sanitary inspector who visited the house had already made his assumptions and filled the forms by himself and blocked the house with tin sheets,” argued the petitioner.

Recording the submissions made by the petitioner, the court asked the counsel for the city corporation to explain the rationale behind such a move.

The bench wondered under what guidelines such tin sheets are being placed in front of houses of the patients. Justice Sathyanarayana also said that when he tested positive for the virus, not a single corporation official turned up.

The corporation counsel sought time to file a detailed report on the queries raised.

The judges issued notices to the Chennai district collector, Health and Family Welfare Department and the Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner. The judges asked each of them to file individual status reports on the plea and also directed the Chennai Corporation Commissioner to appear before it to explain the reasons for raising tin sheets.