E-Paper
Shooters join hands to combat oxygen shortage in UP
A group of national level shooters, including many from Uttar Pradesh (UP), have come together to help the state combat oxygen shortage
A group of national level shooters, including many from Uttar Pradesh (UP), have come together to help the state combat oxygen shortage.
They have developed a digital portal for oxygen monitoring which they feel would help in ensuring timely supply of oxygen.
National level shooter Raj Kumar, who runs an organization named Rodic Consutants, came up with the idea and sought support in the initiative to fight Covid.
Well-known shooters like Asutosh Dwiwedi (UP), Pardeep Kumar Singh (Haryana), Tabish Ahmed (UP), Rahul Soni (Delhi), Monu Kumar (Delhi), Harpreet Singh (Delhi) and Shalender (UP) joined Kumar whose portal has been regularly monitoring and tracking the real-time location of vehicles so that oxygen reaches hospitals without delay.
Using the ‘hub and spoke’ model to streamline the oxygen supply - the model requires intensive manpower to ensure hassle-free supply – the shooters are conducting data gathering and entry, GPS Web application monitoring, oxygen tanker location tracking and monitoring with regional transport office (RTO) and medical department.
Kumar said in the ‘hub and spoke’ model, the state has been divided into five hubs – Lucknow, Kanpur, Modinagar, Ghaziabad and Varanasi - for route optimization. Gorakhpur and Bareilly are functioning as co-hubs.
“Each hub comprises 5-6 cities. The spokes are 57 medical colleges across UP where the demand for oxygen has increased. This model is flexible to allow modifications in case of any fluctuations in oxygen demand. The creation of an additional hub requires approximately 9-10 hours of turnaround time,” said Kumar.
The shooters remain present at the oxygen manufacturing facilities where the tracking devices are installed and enabled. These devices ensure minimum turnaround times and facilitate end-to-end coordination between multiple departments for seamless movement of oxygen tankers.
“We are witnessing spike in coronavirus cases across the country. Collaboration is the key to winning the battle against COVID-19. We are contributing by setting up a command centre for oxygen movement across the country like we did successfully for UP,” said Kumar.
“In this endeavor we required volunteers to support us for efficient management of this entire process. I had appealed to all my fellow shooters across India to come forward and support us as volunteers. We have received a very positive response from the community,” he added.
Deepak Dubey, who coached many national level shooters appreciated efforts of Kumar and his team. “It’s a real service to the people of the state by the sportspersons. Such initiatives will go a long way in alleviating the miseries of Covid-19 patients. I urge more people to come forward to join the cause,” he said.
