Oxygen tanker diverted to Rewari, patients in home isolation worst hit

Even as the administration officials laid out a plan to augment oxygen supply, hospitals and relatives of Covid-19 patients on Saturday ran pillar to post looking for cylinders

Even as the administration officials laid out a plan to augment oxygen supply, hospitals and relatives of Covid-19 patients on Saturday ran pillar to post looking for cylinders. Although private hospitals managed to get supply later in the day, patients in home isolation were the worst hit as a tanker ferrying oxygen to Gurugram was diverted to Rewari.

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Residents who had gone to get cylinders refilled at a Manesar facility said they returned empty-handed. “We waited for the whole day for gas cylinders to be refilled. The truck did not arrive and we did not get anything,” said Surender Kumar, who had gone to Star Gases Limited, which provides oxygen supply.

Long queues were witnessed even at 9pm as people refused to leave without the gas, according to the IMT industrial association.

Sunil Jakhar, partner, Star Gases Limited, said that police stopped the tanker at Kasola in Bawal and took it over for supply in Rewari on the directions of the subdivisional magistrate of Bawal. “There were hundreds of people at the factory who were waiting but could not be supplied oxygen. We are filling cylinders free of cost and despite our repeated pleas, the truck was not released,” said Jakhar.

Jakhar said that the company hired a truck later in the evening and managed to get oxygen to the factory around 8pm. “Around 400 people with cylinders and ambulances are waiting for gas. We will fill it free of cost till we can afford to do so,” he said.

Sanjeev Kumar, SDM, Bawal, said that the truck was not seized but requisitioned by the Rewari administration. “The tanker was not seized but it was taken after discussion with nodal officer. This tanker will supply oxygen in Rewari. Gurugram has enough tankers to supply the gas and the authorities were duly informed,” said Kumar.

The Gurugram district administration, meanwhile, said that the trucks are being requisitioned to augment oxygen supply as per the revised allocation plan. “The district administration supplied 31 metric tonnes of oxygen on Saturday and most of the hospitals that raised concerns were supplied oxygen. Also, it has been decided to double the supply to Gurugram and 20 metric tonnes (MT) will now come from Bhiwadi while 15 MT will come from Panipat. Around 10 MT additional supply will remain at the disposal of district administration,” said a spokesperson for the district administration.

Earlier in the day, Max Hospital tweeted around 11am that it was led with only two hours of oxygen supply and that 70 critical patients Mayom Hospital in South City-1 tweeted around 11.45am that it would be “a losing battle, if we don’t get supply”.

Dr Vikram Aryan, managing director, Aryan Hospital on Railway Road said that they were facing an acute shortage of oxygen. “We have 30 critical patients who won’t survive without oxygen. After calls to police and district administration, we managed to get 45 cylinders,” said Aryan.