New Delhi :The Haryana government on Wednesday apprised the Delhi High Court that it will “not restrict the movement of people who man essential services”.
“Movement of people who man essential services as mentioned in the notifications issued by the Union of India, including but not limited to government as well as private doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitation workers, staff of Delhi Police, Delhi Transport Corporation, Delhi Jal Board, Municipal Corporations, High Courts, trial courts etc., shall be allowed between Delhi and Haryana on production of e-passes and they shall not be quarantined unless and until they test positive for Covid-19 or have been found to be in contact with Covid-19 patients,” Anil Grover, Additional Advocate General of Haryana, submitted before the court.
Grover further submitted that e-passes shall be issued to all the said individuals within 30 minutes of receipt of the applications. “Each e-pass shall be valid for the entire duration of the lockdown and could be used for multiple visits,” he said.
The submissions were made before a division bench of the high court presided over by Justices Manmohan and Sangita Dhingra Saihgal.
The bench was hearing a plea which said that a number of Delhi residents have to travel to Sonipat for essential work and similar is the situation for Sonipat residents and they are being stopped by the Haryana authorities at the borders.
Grover told the court that free movement of trucks carrying both essential as well as non-essential goods between Delhi and Haryana (except to and fro between containment zones) as well as transiting through Haryana shall be allowed.
Following the submissions made by the counsel for the Haryana Government, the bench ruled that the said statements have been taken on record and the Government of Haryana is held bound by the same.
“In the event of breach of any of the aforesaid statements/undertakings, the petitioner shall be at his liberty to file appropriate legal proceedings against the officials of Government of Haryana in accordance with the law,” the court said.
The petitioner, in his plea, said that that even doctors, nurses and court officials, who either reside in Sonipat or work there, are being prevented from entering or leaving the city.
The petitioner, O.P. Gupta, also said that the District Magistrate of Sonipat has imposed blanket cross-border transit restrictions between the two cities and granted exemptions to only a few categories of government officials and for the movement of goods not destined for Sonipat.
