Order of the High Court of Uttarakhand on holding of Kumbh Mela, 2021, 13/01/2021
Order of the High Court of Uttarakhand dated 13/01/2021. The matter related to the proposed holding of the Kumbh Mela from February 27 - April 27, 2021, for two months.
The High Court said that while trying to organise a mega event, it is the duty of the state to be thoroughly equipped for any contingency that may arise during the period of two months when the Kumbh Mela would be celebrated. However, the data submitted by the Chief Secretary, and the Secretary, Medical Health and Family Welfare clearly revealed that the medical health care system ws woefully lacking and too ill-prepared to tackle the "demographic explosion". The availability of 5493 beds, with hardly 500 ventilators attached to 500 beds, is certainly an insufficient number of ventilators and beds available, the judges observed.
The High Court directed the Uttarakhand government to submit necessary information to the Central Government so that the Central Government can immediately issue Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Kumbh Mela, 2021. The State Government has been asked to look into the erection of sufficient number of tents, and the creation of tented layout, for housing a large number of persons (approximately ten to fifty lakh) who would come to Haridwar city/district during the Kumbh Mela.
The District Judge, Haridwar has been directed to submit a report with regard to the availability and the extent of health care system functioning in Haridwar, both in the government sector and the private one.