"We are objecting to shifting of liability:" Central government moves Delhi High Court against order to ensure supply of oxygen to Delhi

The Central government moved the Delhi High Court seeking a recall of the order directing it to ensure that the national capital receives its allocated share of 490MT of oxygen..At a special sitting held on Sunday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a Division Bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli that both the Central and the Delhi governments have to work towards ensuring supply of oxygen to the national capital and the responsibility does not fall on the Centre alone. .Relying on a Court's order, Solicitor General stated that it was an "admitted position" that it was Delhi government's responsibility to get tankers for the transport of oxygen..SG Mehta added that in spite of being informed that there was a meeting for getting eight containers, the concerned Delhi government officer did not attend the virtual meeting. ."It is not my intention to say that he was negligent.. this principle that you do it in any circumstances whether they do it or not...(that) affects the totality of things...we are objecting to shifting of liability.. Centre is helping. Lakshadweep is arranging tankers. It's a matter of innovative thinking. Just approach the Central government," SG Mehta argued..He also contended that there was a "systemic failure" in Delhi and the same ought to be rectified. ."Can't hospitals tell that 12 hours down the line that we would run out (of oxygen).. Systematic failure doesn't mean the government has failed..All mapping has to be done in advance. Have a three-day plan and you intimate to the supplier..Systematic failure is not a political statement. It doesn't mean that the leadership failed.".Mehta reiterated that oxygen supply ought to be properly channelised and used judiciously in Delhi in order to avoid last-minute alarms. ."Water has gone above the head, now we mean business:" Delhi High Court directs Centre to supply 490MT oxygen to Delhi, warns of contempt action .Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra for Delhi government, on the other hand, maintained that the State government was taking all steps in its capacity to augment the number of tankers. .He contended that while the Central government disturbed Delhi's pre-surge supply chain, it did not address the problem of how the new allocation order was to be translated into practice.."Where do I get the tankers from? Every local officer is manning tankers in their States. I've done better than Centre. I got 7 tankers.. as if from thin air. I've done it in the last one week. Onus was on Central government but we did it in the larger interest. We built capacity of 133 MT," Mehra told the Court..He further argued that there is complete disruption in system because of the allocation which doesn't consider how it would be transported to Delhi. Systematic failure is at their end..It was added that the Delhi government is in talks with Adani Group and other major industries to help them procure tankers. .The Court was also informed that till yesterday midnight, only 422 MT had come to Delhi..The Court observed that Central government's assertion that Delhi government had not made any efforts did not seem to be right. .In response to SG Mehta's request to remove the portion on initiation of contempt action against its officers, the Court said, "That's the last thing on our mind. We know officers are working hard. We know Ms Dawra (Central government officer) contracted the virus.".The Court today gave time to Delhi government to file its response to the application. .The Court also asked the Amicus Curiae, Rajshekhar Rao, to circulate a note on legal issues arising in the matter as well as suggest ways to resolve the issues. .This application will be heard next on May 6. .Read complete account of the hearing here: