Jalandhar: Oxygen Express brings 40 MT O2

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 17

The first consignment of 40 metric tonnes (MT) of liquid medical oxygen for Covid patients loaded on an Oxygen Express was welcomed here by MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh and Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori today.

The MP and the DC said out of 40 MT oxygen, 20 MT was for Jalandhar district where as remaining the stock would be distributed among Amritsar, Pathankot and Hoshiarpur districts. They said the state had an 804 MT oxygen quota from Bokaro.

They said to address the shortage of oxygen due to the surge in Covid cases, earlier, the state government was sending vehicles by air or road for getting them filled at these plants, which was taking around five to six days. However, they said in the larger public interest the government then roped in the services of the Railways for starting this Oxygen Express which chugged off from Dappar (Mohali) to Bokaro. Markfed is the nodal agency for this supply and it was operating this Oxygen Express in collaboration with the Railways, they said.

They said from here, the tankers would be shifted on vehicles, which would move to oxygen plants at Jalandhar for decantation and further supply. They said after decantation, the empty container would be loaded back on train for refilling. A viable mechanism has already been put in place for expediting the process of decanting and sending back the container as fast as possible for loading it again on the train, they said. On the occasion, SDM Vineet Kumar and others were also present.