Keypoints:
- Daily, each plant will be generating two tonnes of oxygen. It will help to cater 200 oxygen beds.
- Plants will be set up in Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, Badlapur, Mira Bhayander, Vasai Virar, Navi Mumbai and Panvel.
- Government has decided to install 5 to 6 oxygen plants to generate 1.5 tonnes of oxygen daily from the air in Gadchiroli and Vidarbha region.
Amid the oxygen shortage created by the Covid surge, state government has decided to install 14 plants in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to generate oxygen from air. Daily, each plant will generate two tonnes of oxygen which will cater to 200 oxygen beds.
Oxygen plants will be set up in Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, Badlapur, Mira Bhayander, Vasai Virar, Navi Mumbai and Panvel.
The decision was announced on Sunday in which Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde said,”The demand for medical oxygen has increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At present there is severe shortage of oxygen due to rising number of patients. To overcome the shortage, 14 new plants that will generate medical oxygen from the air are being set up under the local municipal corporations.”
There is high requirement of oxygen in MMR, considering this, the government has decided to set up three plants in Thane Municipal Corporation, two in Kalyan-Dombivali and Navi Mumbai, and one each in Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar, Ambarnath, Badlapur, Mira-Bhayander, Vasai-Virar and Panvel.
The Minister also said that work has been started and these plants will become operational in the next few days.
Shinde also said that the process of shortlisting organisations and issuing order for the same has been done. Operation will begin in a few days.
The state government decided to set up these plants to ensure there is no shortage of oxygen in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, he said.Shinde said the agencies involved in oxygen production have been identified and work orders have been issued.
