Chennai: The DMK MLA and IT Wing State Secretary P.T.R. Palanivel Thiyagarajan had filed a PIL at the Chennai High Court requesting for an open report of the district-wise data of COVID-19 spread and the measures taken by the government. The Chennai High Court bench has directed the Tamil Nadu government to file its reply within three weeks.
Chennai: The DMK MLA and IT Wing State Secretary P.T.R. Palanivel Thiyagarajan had filed a PIL at the Chennai High Court requesting for an open report of the district-wise data of COVID-19 spread and the measures taken by the government. The Chennai High Court bench has directed the Tamil Nadu government to file its reply within three weeks.
In the PIL, the Madurai Central Constituency DMK MLA and IT Wing State Secretary P.T.R. Palanivel Rajan had requested information regarding the number of people tested for COVID-19 in the state, number of infected people and the number of people who have expired.
He had further stated in the petition, "Even though the TN Health Department has been providing this information regularly, it is not a complete report. Without a full report, we cannot contain the virus. Neither the complete lockdown that was implemented from July 5 to July 12 nor the other measures of the government , to control the spread of COVID-19 have actually attained any result. The increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Madurai is worrying. The danger of the disease spreading to other districts is high."
"One of the main reasons for the continued spread of the disease is due to the complete lockdown implemented in some places and partial lockdown with relaxations in other places. This leads the people to cross the borders of the districts in huge numbers. People also end up stashing goods unnecessarily," the petition noted.
"While the vaccination or the medication for COVID-19 is still not ready, the full impact must be made known to the public. Only this can help them understand the situation and drive the people to observe the safety measures religiously. Information regarding the number of tests done per district, number of people who have recovered, number of beds in hospitals and the number of sample collection centers must be announced openly through the District Collectors," the petition added.
The case came up for hearing yesterday before the bench comprising Justices Sundaresh and Hemalatha. The Chennai High Court bench directed the Tamil Nadu government to file its reply within three weeks.