Delhi Govt seeks extension of deadline to ascertain Oxygen deaths, demands formation of probe committee
New Delhi : Delhi Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Manish Sisodia informed on Thursday that the Delhi government has written a letter to the Centre stating that the deadline given to the UT is insufficient to determine the fatalities occurred due to the lack of Oxygen.
The city government has also demanded to initiate a probe to investigate the fatalities related to Oxygen supply.
“The Centre has given us a deadline of August 13 to furnish a report identifying the deaths of Covid-19 patients caused due to the lack which we got to know a few days ago. “I’ve written to the union health minister that the deadline given of August 13 is insufficient to determine the count of people who died due to lack of oxygen. I’ve also demanded to allow the formation of a committee that will investigate the matter,” the deputy CM said during a digital address.
Sisodia stated the August 13 deadline as unrealistic. He also called the approach of the union government to document oxygen-related deaths insensitive and impractical.
“25,000 people have lost their lives in Delhi due to Covid-19 so far. We don’t believe in the notion that no one among them died in dearth of Oxygen supply just because there is no evidence to ascertain that. What the union government is trying to do will only mock the misery of those who lost their loved ones,” he said. This matter needs to be handled with sensitivity
“A thorough investigation is required for accountability of the matter. Only compiling the dead would not suffice. Those who behaved negligently and brought the misery (oxygen-related deaths) must be held accountable for justice,” he added. ould be done to determine how many (Covid-19 patients) died due to insufficient oxygen supply.
The issue started on Monday when Sisodia, citing news reports, claimed that the Delhi government did not receive any communication from the Centre asking to furnish a report on the people who died due to the oxygen supply.
However, union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya countered his claim with a tweet posted on Wednesday that carried a snapshot of the email addresses to whom queries regarding death due to oxygen was delivered on July 26. The snapshot showed two emails addressed as belonging to the Delhi government.
Responding to this, Sisodia said during his digital address that whether the Delhi government received the communication from the Centre is “a very small issue and not worthy of discussion”.
AAP government had earlier formed a committee to probe the deaths related to Oxygen reported amid the second wave. However, it was stalled by the LG Anil Baijal.
UNI
