Cancel order to send 80 tonnes of oxygen to AP, T’gana: CM to PM

Cancel order to send 80 tonnes of oxygen to AP, T’gana: CM to PM

CM’s Letter Says TN May Face Shortfall

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:26.04.2021

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to immediately cancel the order to divert 80 tonnes of oxygen produced in Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. With the number of active cases crossing one lakh, the state’s requirement for medical oxygen will increase significantly in the coming days, the chief minister said.

In a letter sent to the PM, chief minister Palaniswami said the state is taking all efforts to reduce positive cases but considering the current trend, the state would require 450 tonnes soon, which would be more than Tamil Nadu’s current production capacity of 400 tonnes.

In the latest national medical oxygen allotment plan, the allocation for Tamil Nadu has been fixed at 220 tonnes and based on this wrong allotment, 80 tonnes of liquid oxygen was diverted from manufacturing facilities located at Sriperumbudur to Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, the CM said. “As per Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisations (PESO) data, the consumption of oxygen in Tamil Nadu has already reached 310 tonnes, as against the inadequate allotment of 220 tonne made to the state,” Palaniswami said.

NO ENTRY: A deserted G N Chetty Road on Sunday night

Sterlite: All-party meet in TN today

The state government has convened an all-party meeting to be chaired by the CM on Monday to discuss the reopening of Sterlite copper plant in Tuticorin to manufacture oxygen. The meeting will start at 9.15am at the secretariat. “Invitations have been sent to all recognised political parties, including the AIADMK, the DMK, the BJP, the Congress, the PMK, the DMDK, the CPI and the CPM,” sources said. The Supreme Court will hear Vedanta’s plea to reopen the plant at at 11.30am on Monday . P 5

500 oxygen-bed care centres in city zones

The Chennai city corporation is planning to open a 500 oxygen-bed covid care centre in each zone. Guindy trade centre at south zone, Kilpauk indoor stadium for central zone, and K P Park for north zone have been tentatively identified for this. While the Guindy centre has 500 beds, the K P Park facility, shutdown in February, will reopen this week with 1,200 beds. Of the 11,645 beds at 13 covid care centres, 2,410 beds are currently occupied.

‘Depriving hotspot Chennai of oxygen wrong’

The chief minister said, “Compared to the maximum active cases number of 58,000 during the surge in 2020, the active caseload has already increased to over a lakh today. This has increased the oxygen demand. All efforts are being made to provide uninterrupted and adequate oxygen supply.”

Further, the states to which the allotment has been made have fewer active cases than Tamil Nadu and also have major steel industries located within their state/ close to their states. Hence, the diversion from the Sriperumbudur plant, which supplies Chennai city that has the second biggest caseload in South India, seems to have no justification. This needs to be immediately corrected, the chief minister said.

“While Tamil Nadu has never imposed any restrictions so far and is always ready to support other states, such mandatory diversion of liquid oxygen from the needs of our state can lead to major crises in Chennai and other districts. Hence, I request that diversion of 80 kilo litres from Sriperumbudur plant may immediately be cancelled,” Palaniswami said.