6K oxygen cylinders imported, could help set up 3K O2 beds
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said his government has imported 6,000 oxygen cylinders from China which will be stored at three depots and used in case the third wave of coronavirus hits the Capital in the future, at which point these cylinders can be used to add 3,000 oxygen beds in the city.
Kejriwal also said the second wave is waning gradually and the city government has started preparations for a possible third wave.
"Around 6,000 oxygen cylinders have been airlifted from China, of which we have received 4,400. The remaining 1,600 will arrive within two to three days," he told reporters.
The chief minister thanked the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Beijing for the assistance in importing the oxygen cylinders.
The city government is creating three depots to store the cylinders. These can be given to people in need and can be used to create additional oxygen beds at hospitals, Kejriwal said.
"In case of the third wave of COVID-19, these 6,000 cylinders can be utilised to prepare 3,000 oxygen beds. Perhaps, this is the largest such consignment brought to India since the pandemic began," he said.
He said HCL and Give India Foundation donated for this purpose.
"Besides, we are purchasing oxygen concentrators on a large scale. Oxygen concentrator banks have been set up in all the districts to provide them to people in need. We are also going to buy oxygen tanks and are creating oxygen storage space.
"Whatever problems we faced during this wave are now being resolved," he said.
The chief minister said the number of cases has reduced to around 1,500 from a high of around 28,000 in April. The infection rate has also dipped to around 2.5 per cent after touching the 36 per cent-mark in the last week of April, he said.
"It seems that this wave is subsiding but there has been no laxity in our efforts. We have already started preparing for the next wave," he said.
HC pressure on O2 refillers
Meanwhile, now that the Delhi High Court's intervention had solved the oxygen crisis in the city, the court on Monday directed refillers, providing oxygen cylinders to hospitals treating COVID-19, to regularly update the data, including the quantity of gas supplied to them by suppliers, on the Delhi government's portal without fail.
"This has to continue. It is not that when we issue notice then only the data has to be filled up by the refillers. We don't want to make it unpleasant. You are part of the infrastructure system which is serving the society," a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh said and discharged the notice issued to the refillers.
The 15 refillers, who were present in the hearing in pursuance to the court's notices issued to them on May 2, claimed that they have been regularly providing the requisite information and uploading it on the Delhi government's portal.
They have been asked to provide information on opening stock of oxygen, quantity received and the time and thereafter, the quantity further supplied by them to the hospitals.
While the Delhi government had earlier contended that the refillers were not regularly providing the information, the State's nodal officer apprised the court during the day's hearing that as on day, all of them have provided the data.
Regarding the data entry operators deputed by the government to the offices of refillers to update the data, the court said they should be provided to them till one week after the lockdown is lifted and thereafter, the refillers will have to make their own arrangements.
