ITC Ltd on Saturday said it has tied up with Linde India, an industrial gases company, to air freight 24 cryogenic ISO containers of 20 tonne each to help with the transportation of medical oxygen to hospitals which are facing acute shortage of the essential item.
“With the unprecedented emergency caused by the second wave of covid-19, there has been an exponential rise in demand for medical oxygen, which is the most critical need at this hour to save valuable lives. To serve the national priority of easing the bottleneck of transporting medical oxygen, and to support the Government’s efforts, ITC Limited has tied up with Linde India Ltd. to airfreight 24 cryogenic ISO containers of 20 tons each from Asian countries for use by them to transport medical oxygen across the country,” ITC Ltd., said in a statement on Saturday.
ITC is also airlifting large numbers of oxygen concentrators for distribution, it added. Its paperboards unit in Bhadrachalam has also commenced supply of oxygen to neighbouring areas.
Several states have been making desperate calls for oxygen supplies as surge in covid cases has left the country’s medical infrastructure strained.
Supply of medical oxygen apart, lack of equipment to carry ample oxygen in time to states in need is also causing hindrance in the movement and distribution of medical oxygen.
In the last few days, several hospitals in Delhi, for instance, have made desperate pleas over depleting levels of oxygen in their facilities. Many have even reported deaths due to short supply of medical oxygen.
The Centre on Thursday issued orders under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, asking states to ensure free movement of oxygen, following reports that some states were blocking tankers headed outside, Mint reported earlier. Railways and Air Force have also been deployed to reduce the travel time of oxygen tankers. The Centre also directed states to increase the availability of oxygen cylinders as well as to upgrade logistical facilities for its transportation, according to several news reports.
