FIRST OXYGEN TRAIN ARRIVES IN GORAKHPUR

LUCKNOW: The state government has said that 1010.50 metric tonnes of oxygen has been supplied across the state over the past 24 hours, even as the train carrying tankers full of liquid oxygen arrived in Gorakhpur on Saturday. A special control-room had been set up in the home department to keep a watch on daily oxygen requirement and prompt distribution across the state, said additional chief secretary, home, Awanish Awasthi.

Officials of home, food and drug supply administration (FDA), medical education, medical, health and family welfare and transport departments had been maintaining 24x7 coordination through this control-room, he said.

Awasthi said three companies – Linde, Inox and Reliance – were ensuring oxygen supplies through train. “For the first time, oxygen was supplied through train for Gorakhpur by Linde. In all, 44 trains, including 30 oxygen express and 14 Jeevan Rakshak oxygen express, have supplied liquid medical oxygen in Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Moradabad, Agra, Varanasi, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Mirzapur, Bareilly and Saharanpur divisions,” he said.

Giving the breakup, he said so far 95.29 metric tonnes of oxygen had been supplied in Kanpur, 48.72 metric tonnes in Varanasi, 35.35 metric tonnes in Prayagraj, 301.42 metric tonnes in Meerut, 46.97 metric tonnes in Moradabad, 70.10 metric tonnes in Agra, 56.23 metric tonnes in Gorakhpur, 53.73 metric tonnes in Saharanpur and 119.01 metric tonne oxygen in Lucknow.

“An additional, 64.30 tonnes of oxygen was supplied using air separator units,” Awasthi said.

“About 820.88 metric tonnes of oxygen was provided against the demand to refill 754.99 metric tonnes of oxygen,” Awasthi said and added that 3,900 patients in home isolation were provided 29.23 metric tonnes of oxygen over the past 24 hours.

Awasthi said 612.98 metric tonnes of oxygen was supplied by Food and Drug Supply Administration. He said 299.62 metric tonnes of oxygen was supplied to medical colleges and hospitals while another 97.89 metric tonnes of directly to private hospitals.