Noida authority provides 1,500 oxygen cylinders to Covid-19 patients

NOIDA: The Noida authority on Thursday said that it has provided over 1,500 oxygen cylinders to Covid-19 patients in need from its various centres in the city in the past 17 initial days of the service. The authority started supplying oxygen cylinders on May 3 from its two counters set up at community centres in sectors 93B and 135, amid the shortage of oxygen in the city.

The authority provides the D-type oxygen cylinders of two different capacities -- 40-litre and 5-litre -- for ?500 and ?200, respectively.

On May 11, the authority decentralized the process of distribution and started refilling empty cylinders at 10 more locations in the city, said officials. On May 16, it also started home delivery of oxygen cylinders to home-isolated patients who are either living alone or whose relatives cannot reach refilling stations. “Now, the pressure on the authority to provide oxygen cylinders has eased out, though we are supplying cylinders to the needy continuously since we started. We are now not receiving many calls,” said Santosh Upadhyay, officer on special duty, Noida authority.

According to the officials, the authority has delivered 1,334 cylinders from its two counters in community centres, while it supplied 179 cylinders and 30 oxygen concentrators since May 11, when 10 more centres were set up. More than 10 cylinders and 16 oxygen concentrators were delivered at home since May 16, they said. “We accept empty cylinders and deliver the same within 48 hours after re-filling. Now, the demand is falling rapidly,” said Upadhyay.