Delhi Government on Wednesday reiterated its appeal to the Centre to increase the daily quota of oxygen to the city from existing 370 MT to 700 MT per day. Faced with a surge in Covid-19 cases in the recent week, the national capital has an acute shortage of medical oxygen, with several top hospitals highlighting that their oxygen stock could run out in 6-8 hours.
Addressing a press conference, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, the nodal minister for Covid-19 management, said that the centre should factor in the increase in the number of Covid-19 patients in Delhi and accordingly increase the quota for the city. Delhi has recorded near 25,000 new Covid-19 cases in the last five days, putting a strain on the medical infrastructure in the capital.
On Tuesday, Delhi recorded new Covid-19 cases of 28,395 in the last 24 hours, and this was the highest ever daily rise since the beginning of the pandemic last year. As many as 277 fatalities were recorded in the previous 24 hours, the Delhi Health bulletin showed.
“The Centre has not taken any steps in our earlier plea for increasing the quota. Since last year, the entire country has together fought against COVID19. State governments, central government, societies, colonies cannot fight on their own and everyone has to join hands and fight this together. The centre has always supported us (Delhi) and I request them to keep up this spirit and increase the quota”, Sisodia said.
Secondly, whatever quota is there for the city, there are difficulties in getting the allocated quota. It should also be ensured that States should not interfere or restrict supplies being made to other States in line with the allocations decided by the Centre, Sisodia said.
He urged the Centre to intervene and ensure this does not turn into a battle between the States, especially when the entire country should unite together in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.
“Whatever quota is allocated to a State, the Centre should ensure that the producing state does not interfere in the supplies reaching the allocated state. Today this happened in Haryana, yesterday in Uttar Pradesh. Delhi is facing acute shortage of oxygen and centre should play a role in ensuring the quota allocated for Delhi is not taken away or hindered by other States”, Sisodia added.
In India, the Centre alone has the right to decide the quota of Oxygen for each State, and the States have no role in the decision even if they are oxygen-producing States.