An Andheri based teacher has filed public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court seeking a dedicated vaccination booking portal for Mumbai.
The PIL has sought to set up a separate portal for Mumbai and to streamline the booking process by having fixed timing and providing information in real-time on the availability of vaccines at the centres.
The petition has claimed that the existing Co-WIN portal is not user-friendly as it does not have a fixed opening time. The PIL filed by Yogita Rajesh Vanzara points to the fact that the vaccine booking portal does not have a fixed schedule and timing for citizens to log on and book a slot for getting jabs at the vaccination centres as a result of which precious time of people in the age group of 18-44 years is wasted in keeping track of when the booking function on the portal gets activated.
Moreover, the PIL has also sought a system to ensure that senior citizens are not made to return home without getting their jabs as centres have a tendency to administer available vaccines to walk-in citizens, even though time slots have been allotted.
The petition also highlights the issue of citizens from economically backward finding it difficult to get vaccine bookings due to their technical ignorance or inaccessibility due to lack of a proper internet connection. The petition also points to the fact that the servers are unable to take load due to the large number of people trying to book vaccination slots.
To avoid these situations, the petition has sought directions to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to open slots for booking vaccine at a pre-determined time with due intimation for a full week, instead of on daily basis.
On the issue of centres not being a senior citizen and disabled friendly, the PIL has sought directions to make the centres’ wheelchair friendly as well.
The petition has also raised the issue of non-availability of vaccines for citizens who have got appointments for the jab especially senior citizens who have to return home without the jab as the centres that have walk-in facilities exhaust the vaccines. In light of this, the PIL has prayed for directions to administer the vaccine to walk-in citizens only after ensuring that people who have booked vaccines through the portal are given the vaccination.
The PIL is expected to come up for hearing in due course.
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