Court dismisses plea against use of railway coaches for isolation

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

12.04.2020

The Madras high court dismissed a plea seeking to restrain the Union government and the railways from converting train coaches into Covid-19 isolation wards. “Allowing such pleas will reduce energetic services rendered by various people,” the court said.

The plea moved by M Munusamy claimed that provisions for ventilators and other equipment needed to treat Covid-19 patients cannot be provided in the coaches and added that sanitary condition of the coaches would not be appropriate.

Justice S Vaidyanathan passed dismissed it after the railways counsel P T Ramkumar submitted that the coaches are converted to isolate patients with mild symptoms, who might not need hospitalisation.

Ramkumar said Covid-19 patients are categorised into three groups - mildly and very mildly affected persons, moderately affected persons and severely affected persons.

“Those, who fall under Group-I (mild and very mild) will be housed in the coaches, which are merely going to be used as isolation wards and will not, at any cost, be used as hospitals,” Ramkumar said.

The carriages will be mobile and can be moved to places in need where there is no place for setting up isolation wards, he added.

573 coaches turn isolation wards

Southern Railway has readied 573 sleeper class coaches into insolation wards as part of the railways’ initiative to assist in the fight against Covid-19. The Railway board had initially told the zone to convert 473coaches but later increased the target to 

573. The coaches have one bathing room, plastic curtains at every cabin, clamps for oxygen cylinders, extra mobile charging points, coat hooks and mosquito nets. Coaches, more than 15years old were converted for the purpose.