Just days after the Delhi govt had booked a 5-star hotel for Covid-19 treatment of judges by falsely claiming that the Delhi High Court had ordered the same, the AAP govt has now booked 4 hotels for Covid-19 treatment of govt officials.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has issued an order to restart the Covid-19 facility in four hotels under the supervision of two hospitals. A total of 240 rooms have been booked for Covid-19 positive officers of the Government of NCT of Delhi, Autonomous bodies, Corporations and Local Bodies and their family members.
The four hotels listed in the order are 70 rooms in Hotel Ginger, 50 rooms in Vivek Nagar, 50 rooms in Hotel Park Plaza, Shahdra, Hotel Leela Ambience, CBD Ground and full Hotel Golden Tulip Essential, Hari Nagar, which has 70 rooms. While Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital will provide medical facilities in the first three hotels, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital will provide medical facilities in the fourth.
In the order, Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi Government directed the Director of RGSSH and Medical Superintendent of DDU to “provide Covid Health Care facility at these Hotels to the COVID positive officer/officials/their families treating them as if they are admitted in the Hospital. Serious patients could be shifted to the main Hospital Area.”
The order further stated that the treatment or quarantine for Covid-19 positive patients in Delhi Government, Autonomous Bodies, Corporations & Local Bodies and their family members would be provided at these hotels exclusively.
Netizens deemed the step discriminatory
Kapil Sharma, leader of BJP, tweeted the order and said, “The public is dying while searching for a single bed. How can this be tolerated?”
https://twitter.com/KapilMishra_IND/status/1387341524141289474?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwOne netizen pointed out that Leela Ambience is a 5-star hotel where single day rent for a room is Rs.7000.
https://twitter.com/Ocjain2/status/1387361765160149000?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwAnother netizen said that there is a lack of doctors and healthcare workers in Delhi and called the order a national crime.
https://twitter.com/shaff0335/status/1387374670161223684?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwHigh Court had criticized Delhi Government for 100 rooms allotment for the judiciary
On April 27, the High Court of Delhi slammed the Delhi Government for booking 100 rooms at a 5-star hotel for the judicial officers. The Court said, “We have not made any such request that you set it up at this hotel or that hotel. The purpose of the meeting was that the judiciary, especially subordinate courts. We’ve already lost to two judicial officers.”
Calling it a way of appeasement, the Court had said, “You are passing orders left right and centre without meaning to do anything about it.. We have not even asked for it. That hospital has no manpower, no equipment, no ventilator, no medicines,” the Court said. “What is the protection? That …it is to benefit ourselves or that you have done to appease us.”