Nitin Gadkari’s NHAI roped in for oxygen plants project

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will complete civil works of 581 Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) oxygen plants, to be set up in districts within 15 days of getting the project sites.

The NHAI, under Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, will deploy the contractors of its ongoing projects near these sites to get the job done fast. Each site, finalised by the Health Ministry, is near a district hospital and has adequate space and power supply.

“As soon as we get each site, we will complete civil works in 15 days,” NHAI chairman S S Sandhu NHAI told The Indian Express.

On Tuesday, the government selected NHAI as the nodal agency for civil works of the oxygen plants — this is given its expertise in quick execution, as also its footprint across the country, officials said.

The NHAI has already communicated to its project implementation units across India to be ready and finish each work within the given deadlines. The units are to get in touch with district authorities for finalisation of the project sites.

Around Rs 15 lakh is expected be spent on each site on the civil and electrical works done by NHAI. The money will come from PM-Cares fund but for now NHAI will spend from its coffers, sources said.

Preliminary work such as engineers coordinating with district officials is already under way. Each site is around 10×7 feet to house the oxygen generator. The oxygen plants will be set up by DRDO and HLL Infra Tech Services Limited — DRDO will set up400 of them, and HLL Infra Tech the remaining 181.

“The idea is that our civil works should be complete before the oxygen plants arrive,” a senior official at NHAI said.