Green corridor facilitated for O2 transport to Sriganganagar

Raj Sadosh

Abohar/Sriganganagar, May 13

A fool proof VIP-level security was provided and a green corridor was offered to an oxygen tanker that left Bhiwadi at 1.35 am and reached Sriganganagar at 12 noon. The Transport Department and the state police escorted the vehicle that covered a distance of 442 km on the national highway. Cops were deployed at all terminals on the route.

As Sriganganagar is located around 40-km from Abohar, Covid patients here prefer to avail facilities in Sriganganagar instead of travelling 98-km to Faridkot where the number of available beds was insufficient. A private hospital lab in Sriganganagar gives Covid test reports on the same day while reports from Faridkot state lab are received here after four to five days.

The tanker was taken directly to a private medical oxygen cylinder refilling plant at Rico Udyog Vihar on Hanumangarh Road. The district administration had taken this plant under its supervision. The tanker was not allowed to stop anywhere. The driver and his assistant were served tea and snacks within the tanker itself.

Escort vehicles were changed in the respective police stations jurisdiction areas. All these practices were done to ensure that the tanker reaches the plant on time. Officials said there was a huge shortage of oxygen cylinders in civil and private hospitals authorised for Covid patients. Non-essential surgeries have been postponed. In many hospitals, oxygen concentrator machines were being operated. Medical oxygen gas cylinders were also being sent from Sriganganagar to nearby Hanumangarh and Churu districts.

Meanwhile, seven more patients succumbed to the infection in the past 24 hours here and 508 fresh cases were reported while 541 persons recovered from the virus. With this, the number of active cases increased to 5,511 and 217 persons were undergoing treatment at the Covid-19 centre. Also, 40 out of 50 beds at Saraf Cottage adopted by the Tapovan Trust have been occupied. Out of 275 indoor patients, around 160 were on oxygen support. As per the new guidelines, the patients having oxygen level above 90 were advised home isolation. As the district administration tightened lockdown curbs, all main roads wore a deserted look, however Covid norms often go for a toss at vegetable markets.