Jagan thanks PM Modi for hike in O2 share, seeks more

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for increasing oxygen allotment, enabling AP to resolve the oxygen crisis. In a letter to the PM, he also sought an allocation of 910 MT of oxygen to AP to save the lives of Corona patients in these critical times.

The Chief Minister wrote, “I place on record my gratitude for supporting Andhra Pradesh in fighting the COVID Second wave by increasing the allotment of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) from 480 MT as on 24th April to 590 MT on 6th May and also allotting 7 ISO containers. I also profusely express my thanks for running a special train from Reliance plant, Jamnagar, yesterday with 80 MT of LMO to AP. I wish to bring to your kind notice that the AP Government had taken action to add 30,000 more ICU and oxygen beds in view of Covid pandemic. The present level of caseload and hospital admissions itself requires 910 MT of LMO every day.”

The letter further said: “It is to bring to your notice that due to reduced storage at RINL, Visakhapatnam, we are able to draw daily production of 100 MT LMO only in place of 170 MT allotted.”The CM urged that similarly, the government is facing problems in getting the allocated quantity from Tamil Nadu, which is creating serious emergency situations in various big hospitals in Rayalaseema region. He informed the PM that on May 10, the LMO supplies from Chennai and Karnataka were delayed by a few hours, which led to the unfortunate incident of 11 deaths due to lack of oxygen in Tirupati.

Pointing out the dire situation in Rayalaseema region, and its dependence on the supplies from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the CM lamented that AP’s request to DPIIT to increase allocations from the two states was not considered.

The Chief Minister stated, “With such a situation in Rayalaseema region, the Oxygen Express from Jamnagar, Reliance plant carrying 80 MT of LMO served us as a life saviour, in its true sense. It will stabilise the LMO supplies to the Rayalaseema region hospitals for the next 2 days. We are trying our best to lift the stocks from Odisha using the ISO Containers, but we are not able to meet the demand from Rayalaseema region of AP.”

The CM pleaded that in order to meet the LMO demand from Rayalaseema region the Centre should continue the Oxygen Express from Jamnagar every day with at least 80 MT of LMO. He said this would help stabilise the situation in Rayalaseema in view of increasing caseload.  

The Chief Minister appealed to the PM thus, “I request you to direct the concerned authorities to continue the Oxygen Express from Jamnagar Reliance plant till the caseload comes to manageable levels and also request allocation of 910 MT of LMO to our State to tide over the crisis.”