[COVID vaccination] Plea in Bombay High Court seeks door-to-door vaccination facility for senior citizens, specially-abled people

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking directions to the Centre and State governments, along with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), to start a door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination for citizens above 75 years of age and those who are specially-abled or bed-ridden..The plea filed by two Mumbai-based lawyers, Advocates Dhruti Kapadia and Kunal Tiwari, states that while the authorities are doing the extraordinary work in helping citizens get vaccinated, there are many individuals who are completely bed-ridden and/or people who are not in a position to move to a centre nearby to get vaccinated.."... the senior citizen who are at advance age are unable to visit at COVID-19 vaccine centre and there are no arrangements made by the respondents (such as) home pick up and drop facility or any method by which they can get vaccinated at their home..", states the petition..Specially-abled and handicapped citizens across the country who are unable to visit COVID centres due to their disability can get vaccinated if a door-to-door vaccination facility is made available to them, the petitioners state. This would enable them to get vaccinated in time without causing a further health disaster, it is pointed out..The plea was filed after it came to the petitioners' knowledge that there were several senior citizens who did not know how to register themselves online or book appointments for COVID-19 vaccination..The petitioners highlight that senior citizens are mostly not familiar with technology or able to easily book online appointments. There is no telephone line arranged for booking the appointment for vaccination either, it is noted..Many such citizens do not have a PAN Card or the Aadhaar card, which are mandatory for registering oneself for COVID-19 vaccination, the plea states further. In this backdrop, the petitioners have sought to waive off the mandatory requirement of having such documents in the interest of "natural justice.".The plea also notes that there are long queues and long waits at COVID-19 centres, which is another hurdle for the senior citizens and specially-abled citizens..As such, the petitioners have called for enabling door-to-door vaccinations for such people, adding that the authorities could fix charges of around Rs. 500 for availing the special service..A letter of the BMC from March has also been referred to, which had sought for permission to take its vaccination drive door-to-door across the city in a bid to increase the number of beneficiaries vaccinated per day. However, the petitioners note, the BMC's request was declined on the ground that there is no such policy for door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination..As such, the plea has also urged the Court to direct the Central Government to set up a policy on an urgent basis for door-to-door COVID-19 vaccinations for senior citizens and specially-abled citizens..The plea is likely to be heard in the next week.