E-Paper
Collector: Pune will not face oxygen shortage
The district currently has an oxygen requirement of 135 metric tonnes, daily, and the new plant has a production capacity of 370 metric tonnes
Following a meeting with oxygen manufacturing units, district collector Rajesh Deshmukh claimed that the district would not face any shortage or disruption of oxygen supply.
With a new plant in place, the district currently has an oxygen requirement of 135 metric tonnes, daily, and the new plant has a production capacity of 370 metric tonnes.
In view of rising cases of Covid-19, which primarily affects the lungs, a patient’s oxygen requirement increases as the condition worsens.
Suresh Patil, joint commissioner, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Pune division, who was also part of the meeting, said, “During the meeting we assessed if they have any problems to continue with production and to ensure the smooth supply of oxygen. Air Liquide, a private firm in Chakan, is one of the largest oxygen manufacturers in Pune. We authorised the plant in October 2020 which was after the September peak had receded. During the peak the maximum requirement of the district had gone up to 370 metric tonnes, so hopefully there should be no shortage of oxygen. The 70:30 medical-industrial oxygen supply proportion is still imposed on manufacturers.”
Deshmkh said, “As of now, the district has a requirement of 135 metric tonnes of oxygen daily and manufacturers currently have 790 metric tonnes in stock. In the near future, it appears that there might be no shortage of oxygen.”
The manufacturers also demanded that the employees and truck drivers working at the oxygen manufacturing units must be vaccinated as they are frontline workers to which Deshmukh agreed.
