Supply daily 700 MT oxygen to Delhi, Sisodia urges Centre
Delhi got 488 MT oxygen on May 7, 30% less than required: Chadha
New Delhi, May 8: Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday urged the Centre to maintain the supply of 700 MT of oxygen to Delhi and suggested streamlining processes to ensure better distribution of the lifesaving gas among all the states.
He claimed that the daily oxygen supply to Delhi has dipped in the past two days from 700 MT despite directions in this regard by the Supreme Court.
“Delhi has a current need of 700 metric tonnes (MT) of oxygen. On May 5, Delhi received 730 MT of oxygen for the first time, thanks to the Centre,” he said at an online briefing.
“However, the supply dipped to 577 MT on May 6 and further to 487 MT on May 7. It is very difficult for us to manage the needs of the hospitals at less than 700 MT supply,” Mr Sisodia said. He said during court proceedings the Central government claimed that India has surplus oxygen and it also said that while there is a daily consumption of 7,000-8,000 MT of oxygen, there is an availability of 10,000 MT.
“There is a need for the Central government to streamline their processes, manage supply better, and ensure that all the states receive better quantities of oxygen and that they don’t have to fight for it,” he said.
“At present, Delhi requires a minimum of 700 MT of oxygen supply to cater to patients. An increase in Covid beds and health infrastructure would necessitate oxygen allocation of 976 MT in the coming days,” he said.
He hoped that the Centre will cooperate with the Delhi government and ensure daily 700 MT supply of oxygen in view of the Covid crisis.
Meanwhile, AAP leader Raghav Chadha said that it was due to the better distribution management of the Arvind Kejriwal government, its MLAs, and its officers that the administration is somehow able to make do with 488 MT of oxygen against its actual demand of 700 MT. The national capital had received 730 MT of oxygen on Wednesday, the highest so far.
Mr Chadha, who is also the vice-chairman of Delhi Jal Board (DJB), said receiving 700 MT of oxygen just for a day won’t do the job and that the Centre needs to provide the supply continuously as it is Delhi’s right.
“Delhi has received 700 MT of oxygen only once so far. This came after the SC and Delhi HC scolded the Central government. We had thanked the Central government for the supply then and told them that we need the same supply every day. “You just can’t give it (oxygen) only for a single day. We cannot give patients oxygen one day and not on the other because we didn’t get it from the Centre,” he added.