The Bombay High Court on Mondaydirected the Maharashtra government to file a reply to a PIL seeking that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, hand sanitisers, face masks etc seized by authorities be released and given to doctors and health care workers.Justice BP Colabawalla directed the state's counsel to file the reply by May 11.The court was hearing a PIL filed by Mohan Joshi, general secretary of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee.Joshi's plea contended there was a shortage of PPE kits, masks, sanitisers etc since the coronavirus outbreak began, and there have been instances of hoarding and black marketing of these items.Joshi sought that guidelines be issued for Maharashtra, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country, so that these items can be released for use by medical staff combating the outbreak.Advocate Jyoti Chavan, the state's counsel, said the court had asked the state government to file a reply detailing the quantity of such items seized, and also inform court if any application had been made by traders or owners of such items for their release.In another matter related to safety equipment in view of the outbreak, Justice Colabawalla accepted an undertaking by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that its private contractors would follow directives on providing face masks, washing facilities to its 4,000 contractual 'safai karmacharis'.He was hearing a plea filed by 'Kachra Vahtuk Shramik Sangh', a group of 4000 private solitary workers doing civic assignments on a contract basis.The petitioners, through their counsel advocate Jane Cox, told HC they go door to door collecting waste, and that the BMC gives them only one face mask and one pair of gloves for a month."They aren't given uniforms or washing facilities, while the same are given to BMC's permanent safai karmacharis. The petitioners wear their own clothes that they take back home to wash. This can lead to spread of infection," advocate Cox said.The BMC counsel Anil Sakhare told the court that, as per civic guidelines, the BMC was providing masks, gloves to the contractors of each ward.The contractors in turn were responsible for giving it to the contractual safai karmacharis, he said.Sakhare said the petitioners could make complaints to the concerned ward or contractor, adding that the BMC would ensure "contractors followed its guidelines.
