42 lakh fully vaccinated, don’t see 3rd wave coming, BMC tells Bombay HC

Daya Joshi, 79, got the first jab of the Covaxin vaccine in the door-to-door vaccination campaign by BMC and NGO Project Mumbai at Andheri in July. Pic/Satej Shinde

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation told the Bombay High Court on Monday that it does not apprehend a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the city, as the vaccination drive is going on smoothly, with over 42 lakh people fully vaccinated and over 82 lakh people having received the first dose. BMC counsel Anil Sakhare also told the HC that 2,586 bedridden people have so far been administered both the doses of the Covid-19 vaccine while 3,942 such people have got the first jab.

"The work is on. It is going on smoothly. Now, there is no shortage of vaccines too. Mumbai is safe. We do not see a third wave (of the Covid-19) coming," Sakhare said. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni was hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocates Dhruti Kapadia and Kunal Tiwari earlier this year, seeking a direction to both the Union and Maharashtra governments to start door-to-door vaccination for senior citizens aged 75 and above, specially-abled people and those who are bed-ridden.

The plea said such people would not be in a position to step out of their houses to go to the vaccination centres and get inoculated. The Union government had earlier said it would not be able to start a door-to-door vaccination programme, but last month gave the go ahead to it. The Maharashtra government in August said it would initiate the drive and had started door-to-door vaccination of bedridden people as a pilot project.

‘PIL purpose served'

On Monday, Kapadia told the HC that the purpose of filing the PIL was served, as now even the Centre has framed a policy to vaccinate such people at their homes. The court then disposed of the PIL and said, "We are happy now that even these persons are not deprived of the Covid-19 vaccine." While Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal didn't respond to mid-day, Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said that he could comment only after he received some communication from the legal department.