Over 800 MT O2 brought through 30 IAF flights so far, says Punjab

Punjab has managed to get a total of 804.26 metric tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) till date by operating 30 flights with assistance of Indian Air Force after the state started getting cryogenic tankers airlifted to the facilities from where Centre had allocated the quota.

In a written statement, members of the State Covid Control Room said that “due to the long journey involved in engaging to take trucks to and fro Bokaro and Hazira from where the state of Punjab gets its LMO quota, the state government had decided to conceptualise new ways to get the life saving medical supplies and then the Punjab government had decided to airlift oxygen tankers to Bokaro and Hazira plants from Chandigarh air base and to bring them back by road. The decision remarkably turned the situation in the state’s favour and the state was able to obtain adequate oxygen supplies”.

The officials informed that they were “in touch with oxygen generation plants situated in different parts of the country which give supplies to Punjab government and the government was closely monitoring and ensuring timely movement of trucks carrying LMO”.

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They added, “A double tap on truck movement was being kept from the State Covid Control Room and also a police constable was accompanying each truck to keep a check on delays in case of a breakdown etc. All these efforts were in addition to the two Oxygen Expresses that the state has rolled to Bokaro and Hazira.”

The officials said: “With these efforts the state could arrange uninterrupted oxygen supplies for medical purposes. There has been an improvement in the supply of oxygen and we will try our best that no coronavirus patient suffers due to shortage of the life-saving gas.”