Noida’s ‘oxygen langar’ at Botanical Garden wrapped up

Noida: After nearly three weeks since it started, the drive-through ‘oxygen langar’ service at Botanical Garden Metro Station parking lot in Sector 38 has been wrapped up as not a single patient turned up there in the past couple of days

Noida: After nearly three weeks since it started, the drive-through ‘oxygen langar’ service at Botanical Garden Metro Station parking lot in Sector 38 has been wrapped up as not a single patient turned up there in the past couple of days.

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The free oxygen service for Covid-19 patients was started on May 5 by the management of Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Khalsa Aid International, an NGO, and the district administration.

When it started, at least 20 Covid patients with dangerously fluctuating oxygen levels were being given relief with the help of 20 oxygen concentrators round the clock per day. At least 10 beds were set up in the parking lot for patients who needed the service.

However, 20 days on, the number of patients seeking oxygen at the site has significantly reduced. “Since May 21, we haven’t got a single patient at the oxygen langar. Hence, on Monday, we decided to wrap up the arrangements,” said Lt. Colonel (retired) Surjeet Singh, who is part of the initiative.

However, Singh said that the service has not been shut but only shifted from the Metro parking lot to the gurudwara in Sector 18.

“We have put four beds at the gurudwara’s dispensary in case patients need the oxygen langar service. The service at Botanical Garden was started at a time of emergency for patients who were unable to find beds or oxygen support for themselves. But now, the situation seems to have got better and we have scaled down our service back to the gurudwara,” said Singh.

He said that we will continue to provide oxygen cylinders to be taken home to those who need it, at a refundable security deposit of ₹8,000. “In case a person cannot afford the security deposit, our team will go to their residence to verify the authenticity of the case and then lend the cylinder free of cost,” said Singh.

Meanwhile, in Ghaziabad too, the takers for oxygen langar service have reduced. In Ghaziabad, the Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurudwara in Indirapuram, along with NGO Khalsa Help International, had started providing a drive-through oxygen service free of cost to patients in need from April 23. On May 9, a similar set up was put up at Hapur mod Gurudwara with 10 beds.

However, now, the set up at Indirapuram has been removed as number of patients reduced. “Earlier, we were getting at least 500 to 700 patients a day at the Indirapuram Gurudwara alone. However, since last week, the number of patients reduced to about 100 a day. Hence, we have now restricted the service only to the Hapur mod Gurudwara where patients are availing oxygen langar service,” said Gurpreet Singh, founder of Khalsa Help International.