Plea in Delhi HC calls for adequate protective gears for sanitation workers amid pandemic 

To ensure the safety of lakhs of sanitation workers who are carrying out waste collection and disposal during the COVID-19 pandemic, a petition was moved in Delhi High Court on Thursday seeking directions to authorities to provide them with protective gears. The petition, filed by social activist Harnam Singh through advocate Mahmood Pracha, is expected to come up for hearing in the High Court on Friday.

The plea sought directions to authorities concerned to "provide protective equipment to the sanitation workers" who have been working "tirelessly and selflessly" during the COVID-19 pandemic, which it said has put the lives of billions of people across the world at risk.

The petitioner mentioned that he had earlier approached the Supreme Court for securing the safety of the "vulnerable and highly exposed" sanitation workers, and the Supreme Court had disposed of the petition while recording the categorical submission that adequate safety equipment was being provided to them as per mandatory WHO guidelines.

"Even though the order implies that the safety of all sanitation workers has been ensured by strict compliance with guidelines for disbursement of protective equipment to them, the petitioner has come across information from several sources, including news articles, of the completely hapless and offensive extent to which sanitation workers have been left to fend for themselves against COVID-19 while performing their essential public function which is in itself crucial for restricting the spread of the pandemic," the plea said.

It said that the sanitation workers largely belong to a lower economic category and that these workers are unlikely to have the means and opportunity to approach this court, and therefore the petitioner is moving the present petition in the public interest. The plea also mentioned that the petitioner has also written letters to authorities over the issue, but so far no adequate measures has been taken in the matter, and therefore he is moving the petition due to the urgent and immediate nature of the issue.

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Ordinance for protection of healthcare workers

Union I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that the Union Cabinet had approved an ordinance to protect the health workers. Basically, the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 has been amended to make an attack on health workers a cognisable and non-bailable offence. The investigation in such cases has to be completed within 30 days and the verdict will have to be delivered within one year. Assault on health workers will attract a penalty of Rs.50,000 to 2 lakh and a jail term of 3 months to 5 years.

If it is a serious injury, an enhanced penalty in the form of Rs.1 to 5 lakh and a jail term ranging from 6 months to 7 years will apply. Moreover, twice the cost of the damaged property of healthcare workers will be recovered from the guilty. Javadekar also revealed that a decision had been taken by the Cabinet whereby non-COVID patients can be freely treated even in non-panelled or COVID hospitals under the Ayushmann Bharat Yojana. 

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(With Inputs from ANI)