Government may lift some restrictions on use of liquid oxygen for industrial purposes

NEW DELHI: The government may soon announce some relaxations on the restrictions imposed on use of liquid oxygen for industrial purposes in the wake of high demand during the peak of the second wave of Covid-19. The demand for medical oxygen has fallen to nearly 5,600 tonnes compared to the peak demand of nearly 9,000 tonnes in a day earlier this month.
The government on April 25 had put restrictions on industrial usage of liquid oxygen for ensuring availability of adequate and uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen across the country for Covid patients. The decision was taken as the demand for oxygen in hospitals across states increased manifold.
Officials said now with the demand reducing and the trend likely to continue given the declining number of infections and hospitalisations, the option to lift some restriction is being looked into. They said it would be done in a calibrated manner and the options are being worked out taking everything into consideration.
This is also crucial to push industrial production and accelerate infrastructure projects to ramp up economic activities, which has taken a hit during the second surge of the pandemic.
Liquid oxygen is used in steel-making, refining of other metals and fabrication processes. It’s also used in chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petroleum processing, refining of glass and ceramic manufacture and pulp and paper manufacture. It is used for environmental protection in municipal and industrial effluent treatment plants.
Meanwhile, the Indian railways said the Oxygen Express trains have so far taken supply of liquid medical oxygen to 39 cities and towns in 15 states across the country. These trains have delivered more than 20,000 tonnes of medical oxygen.