Cops recover 197 of 706 Oxygen cylinders sold illegally

Solan, May 3

As the country faces shortage of medical oxygen, the local police have served notices on firms and individuals to whom Baddi-based Indo Gases illegally sold 706 cylinders over the past around two weeks.

Among the buyers were industrial units in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh belt, a distribution facility in Ghaziabad and firms in Delhi and other parts of the country, said sources.

Thirty-seven sales of cylinders—706 filled and several empty—were registered in the seller company’s records since April 19, data accessed by a six-member government probe committee from the Excise Department showed.

Baddi SP Rohit Malpani said 197 cylinders had been recovered and handed over for use in medical exigencies.

“All the buyers are being contacted telephonically by the police and served notices to surrender the cylinders,” he said. — TNS