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Mumbai: Amid increasing demand for medical oxygen in Maharashtra, State Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte has written to Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, asking to increase the present allocation of oxygen supply of the state by at least 200 metric tonnes.
In a letter, Kunte has urged the Union Cabinet Secretary to pay personal attention to the immediate supply of oxygen to the state from nearby and convenient places, keeping in view the rapid rise in covid-19 infection in 16 districts of the state.
He said geographically close locations will reduce the turnaround time of oxygen tankers, which are limited in number. He added that it will also enhance the state’s daily lifting and better demand management.
Kunte further requested that the location of oxygen to the state from Gujarat’s Jamnagar can be enhanced from the current 125 metric tonnes per day to 225 metric tonnes per day. Similarly, he said, allocation from Bhilai may be increased to 230 metric tonnes from the current 130 metric tonnes.
Kunte said it is also learnt that the government of India is getting ISO Tankers from Singapore, Dubai and other locations abroad, besides oil companies and CONCOR to facilitate Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) transport. He, therefore, requested the centre to allocate at least 10 LMO tankers to Maharashtra to enable the state in ltheliftingg of GoI allocated LMO quota from Steel Plant at Angul in Odisha via RoRo.
In the letter, Kunte said Maharashtra continues to face an onslaught of the second wave of the covid pandemic with a current active caseload of 6,63,758, of which 78,884 cases admitted are on medical oxygen including 24,787 in ICU.
