Collect CSR funds from Vidarbha industries for Covid management: HC

NAGPUR: With the district administration facing cash crunch to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court (HC) directed the Nagpur and Amravati commissioners to submit names of industries working under their jurisdictions with their budgetary allocation for corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds in Vidarbha.
A division bench comprising justices Sunil Shukre and Avinash Gharote asked collector Ravindra Thakare to make a request to NTPC plant at Mouda and Mahagenco unit at Koradi to make their funds available for Covid-19 under CSR. The bench also told Amravati collector to request India Bulls Power company at Nandgaon Peth for allocating CSR funds for Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal, Washim and Buldhana districts.
“There is a further need to garner funds from the heads of CSR of different industries operating in different districts of Vidarbha. So, it’s necessary to have detailed information about funds available with each of them. The details shall be placed by Nagpur and Amravati divisional commissioners on record with companies’ names and budgetary allocation under CSR,” the bench said.
During hearing of suo motu PIL based on TOI report, the judges requested amicus curiae Shreerang Bhandarkar and other lawyers, including Bhanudas Kulkarni, Sudhir Puranik, Tushar Mandlekar, M Anil Kumar, Nidhi Dayani and others to inform about industrial units in the region who’s CSR could be utilized for Covid-19 management.
“If CSR funds have been received by the collector, those could be spent for setting up oxygen plants at hospitals of registered societies/trusts which are providing treatment to the patients free of cost,” the bench said.
Collector told to grant funds for oxy plants
The HC directed the collector to sanction and allocate substantial money from the funds of District Planning Committee (DPC) and District Mining Resource for setting up oxygen plants at government hospitals in Nagpur district.
The judges reminded the collector of statements made by senior counsel MG Bhangde and additional pleader Deepak Thakare regarding Maharashtra chief secretary conducting a meeting on April 15 on setting up oxygen plants across the state.
“We’ve not been apprised of the outcome of this meeting. We also don’t know whether any such meeting was held. We direct the collector to place on record all the information about this meeting,” the bench said.