Cops urge Netizens to share oxygen cylinders with needy
KANPUR COMMISSIONER ATE POLICE HAVE PROMOTED THIS CAMPAIGN ON TWITTER BY APPEALING TO PEOPLE TO SAVE OTHERS’ LIVES
LUCKNOW : In wake of high demand for medical oxygen and its black marketing, state police authorities have launched a campaign on social media to sensitise people to donate/share oxygen cylinders with people in urgent need of it, said officials on Wednesday.
The initiative is already operational in Kanpur city where police authorities have set up a cylinder bank at the Kanpur Reserve Police Lines while efforts are on to do the same in other districts.
The Kanpur Commissioner ate police have promoted this campaign on twitter by appealing to people to save others’ lives by donating cylinders to patients in urgent need of medical oxygen, said police officials.
The police have even posted a link of the form for social media users for donation of cylinders and other things like flow meter and pressure regulator, which people are finding difficult to find in the open market.
A senior police official of state police headquarters said police chiefs of other districts have been asked to start a similar initiative to help patients.
Such initiative will provide some relief to patients as well as help in curbing black marketing of oxygen cylinders. The police are carrying out a crackdown on black marketing of oxygen and medicines for Covid-19 treatment, but it cannot be stopped completely without the support of the society, he said.
He said as many as 1,256 oxygen cylinders, 830 Remdesivir injections and 531 oximeters have been seized after the arrest of 110 people for black marketing equipment in 13 districts across UP. As many as 290 oxygen cylinders meant for black marketing were seized from the state capital in the past 10 days.
The official said UP (ADG), law and order, Prashant Kumar had issued a directive to all district police chiefs to immediately release the seized oxygen cylinders and life-saving medicines for patients who require it urgently.
The ADG issued a circular for this purpose on Tuesday, stating there is no need to keep seized oxygen cylinders and life-saving medicines in police stations’ storerooms when it is required urgently for many patients suffering for Covid-19 infection, he added.