Maharashtra: Oxygen tankers to be fitted with GPS to monitor their movement

All tankers being used to carrying liquid medical oxygen in Maharashtra will be fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices for monitoring their movement

All tankers being used to carrying liquid medical oxygen in Maharashtra will be fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices for monitoring their movement.

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Nearly 250 tankers are presently being used to transport medical oxygen in the state. Of them, 125 tankers have GPS installed in them.

GPS will enable the transport authorities and the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) to track the movement of liquid oxygen in the state. It will help them in better management of oxygen supply to the hospitals.

Maharashtra transport commissioner Avinash Dhakane stated on Tuesday that all the tankers will be fitted with GPS systems in a few days.

Further, a control room for the monitoring of movement of liquid oxygen in the state has been set up and will be used to track the tankers after GPS is installed.

“We have nearly 250 tankers that are used for transporting medical oxygen. The installation process in half of the tankers have been completed and the process is on. The control room is already set up and will be used to track all movements of tankers after GPS has been fitted in all vehicles,” said a senior transport department official.

The GPS devices are being installed in the tankers by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA). The organisation has raised ₹10 lakhs for the installation.

“We have tried to do our best as this is a small contribution towards enabling the transport department to monitor oxygen tankers movement on a single dashboard. This will help save the lives of patients by providing them lifesaving oxygen on time,” said Vinkesh Gulati, president, FADA.

Liquid medical oxygen in tankers is being moved by road and railways in the state. The Central and Western Railway have transported liquid oxygen tankers by Roll On Roll Off (RORO) flat wagons from Visakhapatnam and Gujarat to Nagpur, Nashik and Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai. The tankers were then transported to oxygen plants in Nagpur and Nashik and moved to government and private hospitals.