Only 1 oxygen plant working in Himachal, govt claims 4

Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service
Shimla, April 23

Even as the Himachal Government yesterday claimed four pressure swing adsorption oxygen generation plants have been made operational in the state, an investigation by The Tribune found that only one such plant at Zonal Hospital, Dharamsala, is functional. The ones at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital (Shimla), Government Medical College and Hospital (Mandi) and Dr YS Parmar Government Medical College (Nahan) are yet to be made operational. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is funding the project. Shimla’s former Deputy Mayor and CPM leader Tikender Panwar said: “Why mislead the public and make false claims when the situation is quite the contrary?”

Dr Ravinder Mokta, Medical Superintendent, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, said: “The structure is ready and the company is doing some last-minute testing. We are hoping to start the plant in the first week of May.”

At Nahan college, civil and electrical works have been completed at a cost of Rs 14 lakh, but the plant is yet to be commissioned. “The case surge in Maharashtra has delayed the arrival of engineers. The technical team is now scheduled to arrive on April 26 for commissioning the plant,’’ said Dr RK Pruthi, Deputy Commissioner, Sirmaur. Similarly, the plant at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College and Hospital in Mandi is also not functional. Dr RC Thakur, principal, said it would take another two days as engineers were yet to report at the site. — TNS

Tech teams stuck in Maharashtra

• Seven oxygen generation plants were proposed to be set up in the hill state under a Centre-funded project
• The government on Thursday claimed that four of these have been made functional
• An enquiry found that only one such plant is functional and the others are at different stages of commissioning
• Authorities say Covid surge in Maharashtra, which is providing technical help, delayed the work