Allot 1.2k tons of oxygen to Karnataka immediately: HC tells Centre

BENGALURU: After the Union Government failed to take a decision on increasing the oxygen quota for Karnataka despite sufficient time being granted, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to immediately allocate 1,200 metric tons a day to the state, considering the gravity of the situation, and to uphold the right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The court also directed the State Government to estimate the projected demand for oxygen over the next seven days and submit additional representation to the Centre for adequate supply. The Union Government should consider it in four days from Wednesday. Till such time the request is considered, the Centre should allocate 1,200 MTD to the state, the court ordered.

“The minimum requirement of oxygen in the state is 1,162 MTD. The state’s request for supply of 1,792 MTD of oxygen, considering the active cases by May 5, is pending before the Centre. In the circumstances, we have no option but to issue mandatory directions to the Government of India to consider the state’s request”, a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar said in the order passed during a special sitting on the crisis in the state due to lack of oxygen, medicine and beds. 

Referring to the Supreme Court order on buffer oxygen stocks to meet any emergency, the court noted that the state government has not created any buffer stock and even the minimum requirement is not being fulfilled.Bengaluru Urban District is reporting the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases in the country for several days. As of today, the Centre has not explained why buffer stock has not been created for Karnataka. 

Many districts like Chamarajanagar do not have oxygen bottling plaints. Perhaps, the incident like in Chamarajanagar would not have happened if buffer stocks had been created, the court felt.Meanwhile, the court also recorded the statement of M B Naragund, Additional Solicitor General of India, on behalf of Centre, that it is likely to reallocate the supply of Remdesivir to the states in two days.