BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s approach towards implementing Covid Standard Operating Procedure in over 5,000 containment zones in Bengaluru is a mockery of court proceedings, the Karnataka High Court said on Thursday, and directed the State government to appoint a senior official to implement the SOP.
During a hearing of Covid-related PILs, a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Alok Aradhe passed the order and asked the State government to suggest a name. The court accepted Additional Advocate General Dhyan Chinnappa’s submission of appointing Principal Secretary to the Social Welfare Department G Kumar Naik. The bench then directed the government to issue a notification and ordered Naik to take immediate steps and file a report.
The SOP requires the BBMP to identify people in need and ensure supply of food packets, ration kits, other essential services at their doorstep, and ensure movement of people in containment zones is restricted. Despite repeated orders, the affidavit filed by the BBMP had no information about identifying the number of affected people in containment zones, and the people in need of relief, and no mention of implementation of orders, the bench said.
Even though several orders had been issued, and the number of cases crossing 1,500 in Bengaluru each day, the BBMP showed no inclination to implement the SOP. This was a “classic case” to invoke Section 99 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act to order the State government to take over the BBMP, the court said. However, since the city was seriously affected by the pandemic, “We are not doing it. This is a fit case to initiate proceedings under Contempt of Courts Act against BBMP officers, but sending top official to civil prison will not resolve the issue,” the court said.