Covid-19: UP officers to check movement of oxygen

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Greater Noida: Amid severe shortage of oxygen for COVID-19 patients, the Uttar Pradesh administration has issued an order and stationed officers at a Greater Noida oxygen manufacturing plant to check movement of oxygen cylinders, hindering supplies to hospitals in the national capital.

Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate Suhas L Y on Tuesday issued orders posting two senior officers round-the-clock at Inox Air Products Pvt Ltd’s Greater Noida factory that manufacturers and supplies medical oxygen.

The officers, of the rank of deputy district officer, will “be present at the company site during the allotted hours and ensure adequate supply of oxygen to Covid-19 hospitals” in the Gautam Buddha Nagar district, the order by Suhas said.

One officer has been posted at the factory from 8 am to 8 pm and another for 12 hours beginning 8 in the evening, according to the order reviewed by PTI.

Supply to Delhi to be hit

The factory supplies medical oxygen to hospitals in Delhi. The order has hampered supplies to several hospitals in the national capital.

Also, the company is unable to supply oxygen from its Rajasthan plant due to restrictions imposed by the state government.

This is creating an acute shortage in the national capital, three persons aware of the development said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged the Centre to provide medical oxygen to Delhi, saying some hospitals are going to run out of supplies in a few hours.

“Serious oxygen crisis persists in Delhi… Some hospitals are left with just a few hours of oxygen,” he tweeted. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said they have just a few hours of oxygen left. The hospital has 485 COVID beds, of which 475 are occupied. Around 120 patients are currently in the ICU.

Sources said the hospital needs about 9,500 cubic metres per day of oxygen. Against this, it is being supplied about 5,000 cubic metres a day. It had oxygen to last just six hours.