The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Union government to take a decision by tomorrow on revised allocation of 475 tonnes of oxygen to Tamil Nadu. The court passed the order after State Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan informed it that the revised quantum was agreed upon by the Centre, but a release order issued on May 5 did not include the state.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation on handling of COVID-19 crisis in the state.
During the hearing, Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation Limited P. Umanath told the court that the oxygen reserve in the state will last only till tomorrow and that there might be a shortage from Saturday—despite the state producing 400 tonnes a day—if the Centre does not release the revised allotment it had agreed upon.
Additional Solicitor General R. Sankaranarayanan told the court that he had informed the Union Health Ministry about the state's need for oxygen.
The bench directed the Centre to take a decision by tomorrow and observed that there should be equitable allocation among all states.
The high court adjourned the PIL to May 12 for further hearing and said it might hear the petition early if required.
Meanwhile, senior advocate and DMK Rajya Sbaha MP P. Wilson sought permission to move court tomorrow if oxygen is not released by the Centre.
The chief justice said he is available anytime, day and night, to hear the case and that he has not moved out of Chennai even during summer vacation only to continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation.
Wilson had earlier told the judges that the increased allocation of oxygen to Tamil Nadu to the tune of 500 MT per day was agreed upon between all the five Southern States and was also submitted to the empowered group of secretaries.
But the secretaries have sat over this recommendation from Sunday, citing some proceedings before other High Courts, even though it has no bearing on the supply of oxygen to the Southern States, he had said.
With inputs from Lakshmi Subramanian
