Covid: Bengaluru asks PM Modi for additional allocation of oxygen and vaccines to curb rising cases

BENGALURU: Bengaluru has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for additional allocation of oxygen and vaccine to save lives and curb the spread of the virus.
Representing the city at the national video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta urged that it was much required assistance which it was looking from the centre.
Speaking to the media, after the video conference, Gupta said, “The video conference with the prime minister was quite fruitful and it gave all district administrations a platform to share their efforts. We, as part of the Bengaluru administration, have brought to the notice of the prime minister that there is a need for additional allocation of oxygen and vaccine.”
Gupta said the exact numbers and allocation has been conveyed to the state government and that it was the government that will communicate the requirements to the centre.
“Our request has been communicated to the state government and I am certain that the state will put our demands in front of the centre comprehensively,” he said.
While additional oxygen allocations required for the city is close to 200 KL for a “comfortable” buffer, vaccine doses are dependent upon availability which is dependent on total allocation for Karnataka.
Despite 17 district administrations from Karnataka participating in the video conference, only Gupta was allotted the time at the nationwide VC wherein 46 District administrations participated from across the country.
At the other end, the state government also made a representation to the centre, seeking “temporary” use of Defence lands in Bengaluru and Belagavi for Covid-19 relief purpose.
Deputy chief minister (DCM) Laxman Savadi in a letter to union defence minister Rajnath Singh has urged the centre to set up additional Covid Care Centres (CCC) in both these locations.
Congratulating the union minister for setting up of Covid hospitals and medical centres by the defence research and development organisation (DRDO) in Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi and Ahmedabad, Savadi said a similar effort to ease the stress and strain on Karnataka medical infrastructure could be a useful measure under such trying circumstances.