ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court has directed the Ghaziabad district magistrate to furnished the report of the inquiry it conducted into the alleged black-marketing of medical oxygen.
The Bench of Justices Sunita Agarwal and Sadhna Rani passed the order hearing a public interest litigation filed by Ghaziabad's Loni MLA Nand Kishor.
The MLA had submitted a written complaint regarding the alleged black-marketing of the oxygen to the Ghaziabad SSP on May 1, whose report is yet to be submitted.
The MLA had sought a high-level inquiry into the issue, alleging the diversion of oxygen cylinders from Ghaziabad to Delhi and Haryana on account of 'corrupt practices' of the ADM (City).
Pleading for the district administration, Additional Advocate General (AAG) Manish Goyal submitted that a three-member committee comprising the ADM (City), deputy CMO and the joint commissioner (industries) was constituted by the DM for regulating the distribution of oxygen to hospitals for the treatment of Covid patients.
Goyal told the court that 35 dedicated hospitals were there in the district in April and May and no complaint was received regarding the shortage of oxygen from any of these.
For the Loni constituency, there was only one Covid designated hospital having 12 beds and no complaint of oxygen shortage was received by the committee and allegations in this regard are baseless, Goyal submitted.
"However, an inquiry was instituted by the district magistrate on the complaint filed by the petitioner before the SSP, Ghaziabad, and Asmita Lal, Chief Development Office, was appointed as inquiry officer," Goyal submitted, adding that the inquiry report has not been submitted so far.
The court said, "While entertaining the present petition, it is directed that the District Magistrate, Ghaziabad, shall file his personal affidavit within a period of two weeks bringing on record the statement made by him in the written instruction sent to AAG Manish Goyal and the inquiry report shall also be brought on record with the said affidavit by the next date fixed."
The court fixed June 7 for next hearing into the case.