DTC to procure 15 O2 tankers

The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) on Friday approved the procurement of 15 Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) tankers for the Capital. The decision was made by the DTC in its board resolution within 24 hours of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s directions.

A high-level meeting was chaired by Mr. Kejriwal on December 23 on the issue of the emergence of new variants of COVID-19 and the latest orders of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in the light of Omicron variant.

An emergency meeting of the DTC board was called to focus on the need for a fallback procurement of LMO in case of emergency. The tender was issued earlier this year for the procurement of 15 oxygen cryogenic tankers with a total capacity of 225 MT for transportation of liquid oxygen by the DTC.

The Delhi government will procure 5 tankers each of 10 tonnes, 15 tonnes and 20 tonnes each. Manpower for the operation of these tankers will be recruited by DTC and each tanker will be manned by a driver and a helper in shifts of eight hours each.

“The oxygen supply chain management had undergone severe pressure due to an exponential rise in demand for LMO during the second wave. In order to avoid a situation in case an unfortunate third wave occurs, we have prepared an exhaustive management plan for ensuring that no Delhiite suffers from lack of oxygen,” Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, who chaired the DTC board, said. The Hindu