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Govt steps in to counter oxygen crisis; MHA directs free movement India has floated a global tender for procuring 50,000 tonnes of oxygen
On a day when the Union government stepped in to prevent states from hindering the movement of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) to other states, India also placed four orders with foreign suppliers for 2,500 tonnes of the essential commodity. Additionally, from Friday, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will airlift empty oxygen tankers and reach them to industrial units that have switched to producing medical grade oxygen. While one C17 aircraft of the IAF, used for strategic airlift missions and transportation of troops and cargo, would fly from Delhi to
Durgapur in West Bengal with empty tankers, the other would transport oxygen tanks between Hyderabad in Telangana and Angul in Odisha. The filled-up tankers would return by road since they cannot be airlifted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high level meeting on oxygen availability on Thursday, following rising instances of Covid-19 patients dying due to the lack of oxygen and leading hospital chains like Max Hospital going to court to seek its timely replenishment. “Domestic production of oxygen as of today is not short, but we are tying up imports to meet any contingency,” said an official. India has floated a global tender for procuring 50,000 tonnes of oxygen. The first imports would be coming from Singapore, China and the Gulf countries since they are the nearest geographically, the official added. The immediate concern, however, is the availability of empty cryogenic tankers, especially for imports from China. These tankers, which maintain a temperature of minus 183 degree Celsius, would be transported by sea to India...Read More