Urging the Lieutenant-Governor and the Delhi government to “think about the future rather than the past”, the Supreme Court on Thursday made stinging remarks about the fruitless nature of the meeting hosted by the L-G over “tea and snacks” on Wednesday while dengue and chikungunya infections continue to hold sway over the Capital, claiming more and more victims.
A Bench led by Justice Madan B. Lokur severely criticised the attitude of the officialdom towards the health crisis even as Solicitor-General Ranjit Kumar informed the court that another meeting was scheduled for Thursday evening.
“We expect the participants to keep the interests of the people of Delhi in mind and look at the entire exercise in a positive manner and think about the future rather than the past. We also expect the efforts to be consultative, collaborative and cooperative. Needless to say, if any follow-up meetings are required, they can certainly be held,” the court observed.
The court directed the authorities to take measures to prevent and treat chikungunya and dengue and arrive at a time-frame within which necessary steps would be taken. It also directed them to identify the nodal authority for implementation of these health measures.
The court instructed the authorities to remove the “huge amount of garbage” lying in and around the city, saying this was an open invitation for the spread of diseases.
Annoyed over the serving of refreshments at Wednesday’s meeting, the Bench observed: “If we knew what is required to be done, we would have done it. We would not have had tea and snacks.”
The Bench was irked with the minutes of the meeting and said nothing substantive had taken place. “We have gone through the minutes of the meeting held yesterday and we are quite disappointed with the outcome,” it said.
