Amid the political blame game between Delhi and Haryana Governments over the quota of medical oxygen, the Central Government on Wednesday evening allocated 107 metric tonne supply of oxygen per day for Haryana.
Home-cum-Health Minister Anil Vij confirmed the increase in oxygen quote for the state.
“Medical oxygen: revised allocation plan for Haryana as issued today by Government of India. Haryana is allocated 107 MT of oxygen. 80 MT from Air Liquide Panipat, 7 MT from Jindal Steel Ltd Hisar and 20 MT from Inox Barotiwala,” Vij posted in a tweet.
Haryana had demanded that the quota of medical oxygen for the state, which has been fixed at 80 metric tonne per day by the Centre, should be raised at least to 120 MT, keeping in view the sharp surge in cases in the state.
There has been a sudden increase in oxygen requirement in hospitals -- both in government and private sectors -- in Haryana, particularly in the districts falling in the National Capital Region.
A day before, the Chief Minister Manohar Lal had claimed that there is no shortage of oxygen supply in hospitals right now.
Liquid oxygen is being produced in the oxygen plant at Panipat. Simultaneously, efforts are being made to ensure the availability of oxygen in gas form, he had said.Earlier in the day, Vij had on Wednesday alleged that a tanker carrying medical oxygen for COVID patients in hospitals, which was going from Panipat to Faridabad, was looted by the Delhi Government.
“If governments indulge in such things, then it will result in chaos,” he said.
Vij had said that from now onwards, all oxygen tankers will now move with a police escort. The State Government will write to Delhi government officials about the incident, he added.
On the other hand, Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had alleged that an oxygen tanker was held up at the Delhi-Haryana border in Faridabad by a government official and resumed its journey only after intervention by the Central Government.
Faridabad in Haryana lies adjoining the national capital.
Talking about the medical oxygen supply in the state, Vij said given the increased demand for oxygen due to a surge in COVID cases, Haryana can spare the supply for others only after the state meets its own demand.
He claimed that pressure was being put on the state to give medical oxygen to Delhi.
He said that 270 MT of medical oxygen is available in the plants in Haryana.
The Minister said the two neighbouring states of Himachal and Rajasthan from which Haryana earlier used to get the supply for oxygen have currently stopped it to meet their own demand.
We used to get supply from Baddi in Himachal Pradesh and Bhiwadi in Rajasthan but the governments there have stopped the supply now, he said.“‘In our plants in Haryana, we have deployed officials and police because we want to first meet our requirements. We have no problem in doing so if we have spare supply, but our first priority is Haryana,” he said.
On Remdesivir, Vij said there are two depots selling the antiviral drug and a strict vigil is being kept so that no one indulges in its black marketing given the surge in demand. We have deployed drug department officials there and the movement of every vial is being recorded. All chemists have been asked to keep a record of Remdesivir being sold to anyone by noting their Aadhaar card number, he added.
DRDO TO SET UP 2 COVID-19 HOSPITALS IN PANIPAT AND HISAR
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will set up two dedicated COVID-19 hospitals of 500 beds each in Panipat and Hisar.
Vij said that the Army’s Western Command has been asked to provide doctors and other medical staff for the facilities. DRDO will set up two Dedicated COVID Hospitals in Haryana of 500 beds each at Panipat and Hisar.
SP AND DCs CONCERNED TO REACH OUT TO FARMERS
A day after Haryana BKU president Gurnam Singh Chaduni accused the Haryana Government of trying to crush the farmers’ protest in the name of COVID-19 outbreak, Vij said that we are concerned about the health and safety of farmers.
The concerned DCs and SPs were asked to contact the farmer leaders’ to launch the exercise of conducting Corona tests and to administer vaccines to farmers sitting on dharna. They could not meet the farmers’ leader on Tuesday and have been asked to invite them for talks, Vij said.
The government had on Monday decided to conduct Corona tests and vaccinate all agitating farmers sitting on a dharna at state’s border with Delhi from over past four months against the three central farm laws.
While announcing to continue the protest, Gurnam Singh Chaduni had refused to accept the spread of COVID-19 in the state and accused the State Government of crushing the farmers’ protest in the name of virus.
