After long closure, BPCL restarts operations to make O2 cylinders
PRAYAGRAJ: As part of efforts being made to end the crisis of oxygen amid the unprecedented rise in Covid cases, Bharat Pumps and Compressor Limited (BPCL), the public sector unit located in Naini here, restarted operating on Tuesday after remaining defunct for around a decade after being declared a sick unit.
The BPCL has received an order from the state government to manufacture 2500 oxygen cylinders in 21 days’ time. The state government placed the order for cylinders after getting an approval from the union heavy industries ministry to restart the sick unit. The UP government has also transferred around Rs 3.69 crore to the company for manufacturing the cylinders.
BPCL came to a halt in 2012 and by December 2020, the company was totally closed. However, recently when the state faced shortage of oxygen and cylinders needed to refill them with the oxygen, BJP MP from Prayagraj Rita Bahuguna Joshi and the party Phulpur MP Keshari Devi Patel initiated the proposal for restarting the company.
Divisional commissioner Sanjay Goyal sent a proposal to the state government for starting the manufacturing of cylinders at BPCL. “After getting the approval from the heavy industries ministry, the state government has moved forward to place the order,” said deputy director (industries) Ajay Kumar Chaurasia. “The company has been given the order for supplying 2500 oxygen cylinders having 46.7 litre of capacity,” he added.
The process for manufacturing the cylinders has begun at the company which presently has 65 employees. The company has recalled 15 employees who
are experts in manufacturing cylinders and 10 of them have already join the company.
Moreover, the land for oxygen plant being established by Prabha Engineering and Construction for manufacturing 1100 oxygen cylinder per day at Sector 3 of Naini Industrial Area has been taken over by the company.
The land, spanning over an area of over 7,400 square metres, has been purchased by a city-based businessman Umesh Jaiswal for establishing a plant for producing oxygen. The project is worth around Rs 14 crore. For the proposed plant, the district administration and Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation have helped the businessman get the land.
“We are in talk with the CM office and it is expected that chief minister Yogi Adityanath himself will come to Prayagraj for laying the foundation stone of the industry in a couple of days,” said Jaiswal.