Tankers carrying oxygen on way from Bokaro

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 1

In a major relief to the critical Covid patients gasping for life, Punjab has airlifted tankers to bring medical oxygen from Bokaro.

This was done to meet the increasing demand of the life-saving gas in the state after the Centre allocated 90 MT oxygen from the steel city and total 195 MT from other parts of the country on a daily basis. The state is producing 32 MT oxygen from its own sources every day and the daily demand is 250 MT, which was expected to touch 300 MT soon.

Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan told The Tribune the empty tankers were airlifted from Punjab to Bokaro and refilled ones were being brought by road as the Railways had refused to carry those.

Principal Secretary Industries Alok Shekhar, who arranged the supplies and coordinated the logistics, said the first fleet of IAF aircraft with two empty tankers had taken off for Bokaro on April 28 and after being refilled hit the road on April 29 with police escort and green corridor passage all through the way.

“So far, a fleet of four aircraft, each carrying two empty tankers, is being flown to Bokaro daily. Since these tankers have more than 3.5-metre height, the Railways refused to carry those on ‘Oxygen Express’ train,” Shekhar said.

6 plants revived

• As many as 14 large-sized tankers have been pressed into service
• The state has enhanced its production of the life-saving gas by 14 MT daily after reviving six defunct plants and enhancing capacity of the existing units