Haryana, Punjab get O2 boost as Centre revises supply plan
Haryana has been allocated 162 MT oxygen, Punjab 136 MT and Delhi gets 480 MT supply
CHANDIGARH: The Centre on Wednesday revised the quota of oxygen supply to Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
A total of 19 states and Union Territories have been included in the new plan.
“Keeping in view the increased demand from states, we have increased the quantity of oxygen supply,” said a communication from joint secretary, Union health ministry, Nipun Vinayak to the state governments.
As per the revised supply plan, Haryana has been allocated 162 MT oxygen. Delhi has been allocated 480 MT, Punjab 136 MT, Chandigarh 20 MT, Himachal 15 MT oxygen and Jammu and Kashmir 12 MT.
Earlier, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had urged Union health minister Harsh Vardhan to increase the oxygen supply quota to at least to 120 MT. Khattar’s Punjab counterpart Capt Amarinder Singh had also demanded an uninterrupted oxygen supply to the state.
CHANDIGARH: Following a wrestle over supply of medical oxygen, the Union health ministry on Wednesday issued an updated supply plan for Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
A total of 19 states and UTs have been included in the new supply plan. Delhi will get a higher 480 MT medical oxygen against 378 MT allocated earlier.
The earlier allocation plans were issued by the central government on April 15 and April 18 did not include all the states.
However, allocation was revised for Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on April 18.
Haryana health minister Anil Vij on Wednesday had said that a Faridabad-bound tanker carrying medical oxygen from Panipat was waylaid in Delhi and the oxygen was forcibly taken by the Delhi government.
Vij said that following the incident, he has ordered that all vehicles carrying oxygen cylinders will be escorted by police.
Following parleys between the state and central officials, Centre, later in the evening, said that supply of medical allocation plan is being updated.
“This is keeping in view the increased demands from states on quantity of oxygen supply and its sources. The supply plan has be made in consultation with the states, oxygen manufacturers, department for promotion of industry and internal trade, All India Industrial Gases Manufacturers’ Association and Union steel ministry, under the overall guidance of the Empowered Group-II,” said a communication from joint secretary, Union health ministry, Nipun Vinayak to the state governments.
As per the revised supply plan, Haryana has been allocated 162 MT oxygen. Delhi has been allocated 480 MT, Punjab 136 MT, Chandigarh 20 MT, Himachal 15 MT and Jammu and Kashmir 12 MT oxygen.
“The Union home secretary will have a video conference with top officials of the state governments to emphasise the need for adhering to allocation and allowing unhindered passage to medical oxygen carriers passing through their states,” said an official.
ACS (health) Rajeev Arora said that Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has directed that medical oxygen supplies emanating from manufacturing units in Haryana should be moved in an organised manner as per schedule. “This will help reduce chaos and disarray,” he said.
Earlier, Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh had urged the Centre to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supplies, with at least 120 MT daily allocation for the state, while reiterating his request for urgent steps to set up two pending PSA plants approved by it two months ago.
In a letter to Union health and family welfare minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Capt sought immediate consideration to his request for uninterrupted oxygen supplies from the liquid medical oxygen (LMO) suppliers as per commitment on daily basis. While the capacity for storage of medical oxygen for all healthcare facilities in the state is around 300 MT, daily requirement of medical oxygen as per the present caseload in Punjab is around 105-110 MT, the chief minister pointed out, adding that this was expected to rise up to 150-170 MT in the next two weeks as per the projections of increase in hospital admissions.