PremiumNEW DELHI: Odisha has increased the supply of oxygen, having sent 13,306 MT of medical oxygen so far to 13 states including Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Rajasthan.
A total of 726 containers carrying 13,305.86 MT of medical oxygen have been escorted so far from the four industrial districts of the state by Odisha Police in past 23 days and more are leaving today, said Y.K. Jethwa, an additional director general of police in the state.
Premium Premium Jethwa who is also the nodal officer overseeing the logistics for the transportation of Oxygen said Odisha Police is ensuring that there is no delay in loading and transporting of oxygen and the lifesaving gases are going to Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
The state government has established a dedicated green corridor with round-the-clock monitoring for oxygen movement from the steel plants of these four industrial districts and regions.
Of the total oxygen sent, 223 tankers with 4,386.679 MT of oxygen have been sent to Andhra Pradesh, and 181 tankers with 3,053.149 MT of oxygen to Telengana. Tamil Nadu has received 312.36 MT of medical oxygen, Haryana has received 2,015.81 MT, Maharashtra has received 566.67 MT of oxygen and 399.28 MT of oxygen filled in 26 containers have been dispatched to Chhattisgarh.
Similarly, 46 containers have carried around 898 MT of oxygen to Uttar Pradesh and 120.96 MT have been sent to Karnataka from Odisha so far.
Lack of oxygen has been a big crisis in hospitals and there are several cases of covid-19 patients dying due to lack of the life saving gas.
Odisha Police is committed to ensure that there is no delay in loading and transporting so as to promptly serve thousands of patients in needy states, Jethwa said.
Odisha's response comes after chief minister Naveen Patnaik spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and few of his state counterparts on 22 April and offered them to help with Oxygen. Besides, the Union government, especially the steel ministry, is in touch with all the steel companies and also with Odisha administration.
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