AHMEDABAD: The
Gujarat high court rapped the state government for not heeding its earlier directions to remain cautious about an anticipated surge in Covid-19 cases. The HC reminded the government of the lapse after advocate general Kamal Trivedi said the present surge is like ‘a
tsunami of corona’.
During the hearing on Thursday, the bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Bhargav Karia reminded the state government of its earlier order, passed in the suo motu petition filed last year, in which it anticipated a surge in Covid-19 cases as was seen in western countries and directed the state government to stay prepared with adequate Covid hospitals, beds, testing facilities and directed it to strictly enforce Covid safety protocols in public behaviour.
The chief justice read out the directions and said, “All these suggestions were apparently not given due attention, and the result is this. Even people are taking it very lightly.” He added, “If this (earlier direction) was considered earlier, as for the situation now a little more of a push was required, if all these things had been done a little earlier, the situation would have been better.”
Advocate general Kamal Trivedi explained to the court how the guard was lowered on various fronts, but the government is now fighting a war, and requested the court to see that people do not treat the government as irresponsible. While describing a move to reduce queues of ambulances outside Civil Hospital, he told the court, “Sometimes we get totally lost in the process...but the intention is not bad.”
He accused the press of projecting that the government has bad intentions. To this, the chief justice replied that it was never a statement from the press. The press is saying that the government is not alive to the situation as it should have been. The CJ reminded the state government of the warnings issued by the Centre and said, “You have to go full throttle to control the situation.”