Gorakhpur: Learning lessons from tragedies is a virtue, and the corrective steps taken after the August 2017 incident at BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur in which many children died and disruption of oxygen supply was said to be a reason are bearing fruits now.
At a time when the second wave of Covid has left facilities and supplies heavily stressed across the nation, the Gorakhpur administration is confident of ensuring sufficient oxygen supply to all the covid hospitals in the district.
Divisional commissioner Jayant Narlikar told TOI on Thursday, “All the Covid hospitals in Gorakhpur have a 36-hour back-up of oxygen and since cases are still rising we are trying to ensure 48-hour back-up in all the dedicated facilities.”
District magistrate K. Vijyendra Pandian said, “We are making an oxygen cylinder bank at Kuchchuhry Club to ensure sufficient supply and back-up.”
“NE Railway gave 500 oxygen cylinders and Hindustan Urvarak Rasayan Limited has provided 100 cylinders to the bank. We also took 300 cylinders from a non-functional unit at Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority (GIDA) and arranged 155 cylinders from other sources. The cylinders would be filled and supplied to hospitals as per requirements,” he added.
“There are three manufacturing units in Gorakhpur which are producing 2,600 oxygen cylinders per day. Besides, these we are trying to restart a non-functional manufacturing unit to augment supply,” he said.
Two plants of Modi Chemical Private Limited are producing 1,600 medical oxygen cylinders per day and RK Oxygen plant at GIDA is making 1,000 cylinders daily.
The district magistrate has also given instructions for making Annapurna Gas Plant at GIDA also functional which will produce 1,000 cylinders daily further boosting the supply.