HC seeks reply from Delhi govt on plea seeking hunger relief centres

Though the petitioner organisation sought an urgent hearing considering the COVID-19 situation, the division bench of Justices D N Patel and Jasmeet Singh listed the case for hearing on May 13.

The Delhi High Court on Friday sought response from the Delhi government on a petition seeking resumption of hunger relief centres in the national capital and providing of dry ration to the poor and needy persons not covered under the Public Distribution System.

“With tighter restrictions, lockdowns and curfews on the anvil, it has therefore become imperative that immediate and urgent directions are needed to alleviate the suffering both in the short term and in the medium term as the pandemic and the declaration of disaster under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act are nowhere close to its end,” Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan said in an application before the court.

Though the petitioner organisation sought an urgent hearing considering the COVID-19 situation, the division bench of Justices D N Patel and Jasmeet Singh listed the case for hearing on May 13. Senior Advocate Parikh, while seeking a hearing on Monday, told the court that delay would cause a lot of injustice.

Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan had earlier written to the Delhi government urging it to provide hot cooked meals through homeless shelters and dedicated relief centres, and asked it to ensure that no person desirous of obtaining food is turned away from the centres. It had also sought universalisation of the public distribution system by providing ration to all persons in need of food security, irrespective of whether they possess a ration card or not.

“The petitioners state that the demand for food among those that are needy far outweigh what concerned citizens, some political parties and private non-governmental organisations are able to arrange — particularly in these times of curfews and lockdowns and that the State ought not to abdicate its duty towards ensuring that no one goes hungry in the national capital,” reads the application moved by Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan before the court.

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