NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court asked the city government on Friday to explain why is it yet to pay compensation to a Mohalla clinic doctor who succumbed to Covid in 2020.
Justice Prathiba M Singh observed that in the instant case, the fact that the deceased was a doctor and thus, eligible to receive compensation under the government scheme is not in dispute and “there is no reason why there should be so much delay” in the payment of the compensation amount to his family.
The court was hearing a petition filed by the deceased’s daughter and son, who claimed that despite repeated requests, they have not been given the Rs 1 crore compensation announced by the Delhi government for Covid warriors as well as the Centre under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan package for such cases.
“This is not a doubtful case at all,” the judge said while seeking a “specific affidavit” in relation to both the schemes from the government.
The petitioners’ lawyer said the deceased worked as a doctor at a Mohalla clinic and he succumbed to Covid on June 15, 2020. Two years and 10 months have passed since his demise but the authorities are yet to release the compensation amount, lawyer Gaurav Jain, who appeared in the court on behalf of the petitioners, argued.
The court was informed that the government in 2020 decided to give Rs 1 crore to the families of those who died during Covid duties and a compensation amount was also announced.
