Supreme Court lauds 'Mumbai model' in COVID battle; urges Delhi to see what BMC has done

Amid a major medical oxygen crisis and a surge in COVID-19 cases across India, the Supreme Court lauded Mumbai's model to curb the spread of the coronavirus, specifically the BMC. The apex court cited the national capital New Delhi as not being equally good in dealing with the oxygen crisis.

This comes after the Central Government on Wednesday moved the SC on the Delhi High Court’s contempt warning on the availability of oxygen. While hearing the case, the apex court also asked the government how it planned to meet Delhi’s oxygen demand and said that it should see the Mumbai model as BMC had performed well in the situation. 

"Bombay Municipal Corporation has done some remarkable work and not disrespecting Delhi but we can maybe see what was done by BMC. Maharashtra is also an oxygen supply state. How do we best manage and structure the demand for Delhi? So, between today and Monday, please tell us the modalities to follow to reach that figure of 700 MT. The Government of India needs to tell us how you will manage." Justice Chandrachud said.

The Supreme Court also gave the Centre a deadline for Thursday of 10:30 am and said, “In a good-faith measure to submit a tabulated plan before this court, we allow Centre to submit a plan by 10.30 am tomorrow."

Meanwhile, the Solicitor General said, "I do applaud the Mumbai model, it is not a political model. As an officer of the Court, not for Centre or State, we need to find a solution. People cannot run from pillar to post. This is not to undermine the efforts of Delhi but to illustrate the Mumbai module, in fact, now the cases are receding. Case load-wise, Delhi and Mumbai on 10th April were the same. The oxygen consumption was 10000 - this was the total. Even with 92,000 active cases had the same beds and all as GNCTD."

Delhi HC Pulls Up Centre

On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court had issued a show-cause notice to the Centre over the hearing on alleged mismanagement of the COVID-19 crisis in the national capital. Issuing the notice, the High Court had asked the Centre to explain why contempt action shouldn't be initiated against it for non-compliance with the HC's orders over the supply of medical oxygen to Delhi.

"We are facing the grim reality every day. People are not being able to secure beds or ICU Beds. Hospitals have to reduce the number of beds offered by them as they can not serve the existing capacity due to a shortage of oxygen," the bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rekha Palli had remarked.