PremiumArvind Kejriwal on Friday informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the oxygen crisis across the national capital. Raising alarm that a "big tragedy" may happen due to oxygen shortage in hospitals, the Delhi Chief Minister said the Centre should take over all oxygen plants through the Army.
CM Kejriwal appealed to PM Modi to take strict action to contain the situation due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, else "there'll be a tragedy".
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Premium In a meeting chaired by PM Modi today on the Covid situation, CM Kejriwal requested him to direct chief ministers of all states to ensure smooth movement of oxygen tankers coming to the national capital.
"People in major pain due to oxygen shortage. We fear a big tragedy may happen due to oxygen shortage and we will never be able to forgive ourselves. I request you with folded hands to direct all CMs to ensure smooth movement of oxygen tankers coming to Delhi," he said during the meeting.
'Huge shortage of oxygen in Delhi'
"There's a huge shortage of oxygen in Delhi. Will people of Delhi not get oxygen if there is no oxygen-producing plant here?" Kejriwal asked.
"We need a national plan to deal with the crisis. Centre government should take over all oxygen plants through the Army and every tanker coming out of the oxygen plant should be accompanied by an Army escort vehicle," he said.
"The oxygen supply scheduled to come to Delhi from Odisha and West Bengal should either be airlifted or brought through the Oxygen express started by the Centre," he said.
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Premium Premium "Please suggest whom should I speak to when a patient at a hospital in Delhi is about to die due to lack of oxygen supply? We can't let people die. I appeal to you to take strict action, else there will be a tragedy in Delhi," the Delhi CM said.
The chief minister also objected to different rates being charged from state governments and the Centre for the Covid vaccine, and said "one nation, one rate" policy should be followed.
Kejriwal was among other chief ministers who attended a meeting with PM Modi over the prevailing Covid-19 situation.
Modi holds meeting with CMs of 10 states
Prime Minister Modi held a meeting on Friday with chief ministers of 10 states with the most number of Covid-19 cases.
The meeting via video conferencing comes amid a huge spike in Covid-19 cases, which have now clocked a daily total of over 3 lakh in the country.
Chief ministers of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi are among those who attended the meeting.
PM Modi will hold a meeting with leading oxygen manufacturers in the country via video conference amid concerns expressed by some states that their supply of the life-saving gas is running short with a number of hospitals sending out SOS.
Several hospitals in the Capital have been flagging crises of oxygen, beds and medicines on social media and have even approached the court for help.
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