'Delhi to have 44 O2 plants in month, will import 18 tankers from Thailand'

New Delhi: With Delhi facing a crippling shortage of life-saving oxygen, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said his government will import 18 cryogenic tankers from Thailand. During an online briefing, Kejriwal also said that within a month, the Delhi government will set up 44 oxygen plants at various hospitals, including 21 ready-to-use oxygen plants that will be imported from France.

The Centre will install eight oxygen plants by April 30, he added.

He said the situation has improved significantly in the past two days after the chaos witnessed last week due to an oxygen shortage.

Due to a shortage of tankers, the Delhi government was also facing problems in transporting its oxygen quota decided by the Centre, the chief minister said.

He thanked the Centre for providing five oxygen tankers to Delhi.

The Delhi government has urged the Centre to provide Indian Air Force aircraft for bringing oxygen tankers from Bangkok. The tankers will start arriving in Delhi from Wednesday, he stated.

Saying that the current COVID 19 wave is extremely dangerous and contagious, he pointed to the growing demand for ICU beds for serious patients.

The Delhi government will add 1,200 ICU beds by May 10, including 500 each associated with LNJP and GTB hospitals and 200 at Radha Soami Satsang Beas COVID centre, he added.