Odisha: Another 300 MT of oxygen sent to other states

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Saturday sent another 300 metric tonne (MT) of medical oxygen to states in desperate need of the lifesaving gas, adding to the 250 MT it had sent a day earlier.
More than 20 tankers left for worst-affected states like New Delhi, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
More than 247 MT liquid medical oxygen (LMO) moved out of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) alone in the past 24 hours.
While 44.5 MT was sent for use in Odisha, 62.57 MT was sent to Andhra Pradesh and 58 MT to Madhya Pradesh. “Among others, medical oxygen was also sent to Uttar Pradesh (31.10 MT), Haryana (21.75 MT), Maharashtra (19 MT) and Chhattisgarh (10 MT),” said an RSP authority.
ADG (law and order) Y K Jethwa, nodal officer for loading and transportation of medical oxygen from the state, said police escort was provided to 29 tankers in the past two days carrying 510 MT LMO to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Three Indian Air Force flights on Friday brought eight empty tankers from Begumpet to Bhubaneswar. Sources said these tankers were sent to industries in Jajpur and Angul districts for refilling.
While there is no oxygen scarcity in terms of production, the state is ramping up infrastructure for distribution among Covid hospitals. On an average, hospitals have been consuming around 35 MT per day.