GSL to ready oxygen plant for South Goa hospital

PANAJI: Aiding the state government in its fight against Covid-19, Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) will procure and set up an onsite oxygen generating plant for the South Goa district hospital. GSL has placed the order for the oxygen plant with a Coimbatore-based firm and hopes to commission the plant within a month’s time, reports Newton Sequeira.
The plant, which costs approximately Rs 1.1 crore, will be able to generate 960 litres of oxygen per minute. Minister of state for defence Shripad Naik and GSL chairman and managing director B B Nagpal confirmed the development.
Nagpal also said that GSL will supply 40 oxygen concentrators to the state government, which cost a total of Rs 26 lakh.
“This will strengthen Goa government’s fight against the pandemic. Further to contain the spread of Covid-19, an isolation centre with 25 beds has been kept ready at GSL’s Unit lll at Zuarinagar,” Naik said.
GSL has already supplied four oxygen concentrators to the health department, with the remaining 36 expected once supply resumes. GSL officials said that because of the demand across the country, oxygen concentrators are no longer available.
“The state administration had requested us for an oxygen generator. The drawings for the plant are ready and the civil works will start soon. Installation and commissioning will be done by us within three to four weeks,” Nagpal said.
The defence minister has asked all defence undertakings and the armed forces to help out states affected by the pandemic. The defence ministry’s roadmap includes the use of emergency powers for procurement of equipment to enhance infrastructure and setting up Covid-19 hospitals to assist the civil administration.
All companies and factories under the ministry of defence (MoD) have been told to immediately buy oxygen-producing machines and provide extra beds to civil administration and state governments to combat the Covid crisis.