A company official of Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd., which operates the world’s biggest refining complex in Gujarat, informed today that the refinery has started supplying oxygen from Jamnagar to Maharashtra at no cost due to acute shortage faced by the state.
The official who asked not to be identified due to the company’s internal policy informed that Reliance is diverting some oxygen streams meant for its petroleum coke gasification units after making it suitable for medical use.
Eknath Shinde, the Urban Development Minister of Maharashtra had shared about the development of the state receiving 100 tons of gas from Reliance through a Tweet.
रिलायन्स च्या जामनगर प्लँट मधून महाराष्ट्रासाठी १०० मेट्रिक टन अतिरिक्त ऑक्सिजन पुरवठा होणार.
— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) April 13, 2021
विभागीय आयुक्त, रायगड व ठाणे जिल्हाधिकारी आणि एफडीए आयुक्त यांची समन्वय समिती ऑक्सिजन पुरवठ्याबाबत समन्वयाचे काम करेल.
The announcement was made by Shinde following a review meeting at the Linde plant in Taloja in Navi Mumbai over the growing demand for oxygen in the metropolitan region and Pune.
Maharashtra is facing a shortage of oxygen because of the rising number of COVID-19 cases. Many people who are severely affected by the coronavirus have dangerously low levels of oxygen and are required to administer with supplemental oxygen.
Parallelly, a network of nitrogen supplying tankers is used to pick up the slack to ensure there is no logistical issue. All the tankers will be granted sufficient police protection and provided with priority on the roads, Shinde said.
Besides, instructions are also issued to the administration to make sure that private establishments that supply oxygen to hospitals are asked to augment their capacities in the coming days. In addition, all tankers used to plying nitrogen will be used to transport oxygen from the plants to the hospitals.
The minister has asked all district collectors to analyze the demand regularly and ensure an adequate supply of oxygen based on their requirements.
In another attempt to ensure enough oxygen supply, the state-run Bharat Petroleum Corp. has built up a stockpile of 20 tons of oxygen at its Kochi refinery in southern India that it is supplying to bottlers for medical use, a company official said.
