Maharashtra completes work on 250 oxygen plants

Maharashtra is building 450 oxygen plants of which 250 plants are completed and other remaining plants will be soon functional said State Health Minister Rajesh Tope.

“Last time (during the second wave) our oxygen capacity was 1300 MT (liquid medical oxygen) now the capacity is about 1,400 to 1,500 MT. Along with increasing oxygen storage capacity, the State is increasing the number of dura cylinders. This will help to make available 1900 to 2000 MT oxygen” said Tope in a note released by the State publicity department. He reiterated that the State will go for strict lockdown if the daily requirement for medical oxygen touched 700 MT per day.

Tope said that Covid-19 norms issued by the State government must be strictly followed during festival season. “The Health Department and Chief Minister are not considering increasing restrictions, but we are keeping watch on the situation. We are watching where the number of cases is going up and the reasons for the same. Any further decision (about imposing more restrictions or lockdowns) will be taken after consultation with CM,” he said.

The minister said that districts, including Ahmednagar, Ratnagiri, Satara, Mumbai, and Pune have about 70 per cent active Covid-19 patients.

Tope said that by vaccinating more than 12 lakh people in a day, the State health machinery has proved that it has the capacity to vaccinate about 12-14 lakh people daily if vaccines are made available. He said that the severity of possible third wave could be reduced only if people are vaccinated in a big number. The Hindu BusinessLine