The petitioner had earlier moved the Supreme Court and then the Delhi High Court seeking urgent hearing of the matter.
TFM Desk
In reply to a petition which was filed before the Delhi High Court seeking a temporary halt on the Central Vista Project construction in the light of COVID-19, the Centre has filed its counter affidavit in court on Tuesday, claiming that various COVID-19 compliant facilities have been provided for the workers at the site, including provisions for their stay, testing, isolation and medical aid at the site.
Alleging that all this information was in the public domain but was suppressed by the petitioner, the plea terms the petition “an abuse of process of law” and seeks its dismissal with costs, LiveLaw reported.
The Centre further went on to state that the workers at the Central Vista site will have “access to immediate medical attention and proper care which would otherwise have been difficult due to burdened medical infrastructure.”
Stating that stay facility has been provided for about 250 out of 400 workers, who expressed their willingness to stay and continue work, the Centre claimed that the facility provides for strict implementation of COVID-19 protocol, including adherence to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour like sanitization, thermal screening, distancing, and masking.
The Centre has submitted that the scope of work which is subject matter of this petition in question is not the Central Vista Project, but the redevelopment of the Central Vista Avenue (both sides of Rajpath) where Republic Day celebrations are held every year. It has also dismissed claims in the petition that the project was inaugurated by the Prime Minister and stated that in terms of the tender given, the work must be completed by Nov 10, 2021. In terms of safety of the workers, the affidavit states that the contractor has provided for health insurance of all workers, the LiveLaw report said.
The affidavit also states that the 400 workers engaged at the site have been there since well before the curfew was imposed on Apr 19, and that permission for the transport of material and labour from Sarai Kale Khan to the work site was granted for the period between Apr 19-30.
Questioning the intentions and bona fides of the petitioner the centre stated that, while there are construction activities and projects going on in 16 locations in the capital, the petitioner had only gone after Central Vista.
The petitioner had earlier moved the Supreme Court and then the Delhi High Court seeking urgent hearing of the matter.