NHAI to establish oxygen plants in 15 districts of state

PATNA: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will set up oxygen generation plants in 15 districts of the state to meet the demands in the government and private hospitals.
While each plant will have oxygen generation capacity of 960 litres per minute (LPM), as many as 111 cylinders can be filled with liquid oxygen, an NHAI communique said, adding that the oxygen will be provided to the hospitals through the pipeline system.The plants will be established from the amount under PM Cares Fund.
The 15 districts where the NHAI will establish the oxygen generation plants are Patna, Begusarai, Madhubani, Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, Nawada, Siwan, Araria, West Champaran, Purnia, Saharsa, Samastipur, Vaishali, Rohtas and Buxar.
Meanwhile, former deputy CM and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi said the petroleum ministry has sanctioned oxygen generation plants in each of the nine medical colleges of the state at an expenditure of Rs18 crore. The oxygen generation capacity of each plant will be 2,500 LPM. The plants will be ready in three months. On the other hand, Indian Oil Corporation has given six tankers to the state to transport oxygen.
Union MoH Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who reviewed the oxygen availability at the ministers’ group, said oxygen plants had already been established at Muzaffarpur and Katihar Sadar hospitals. He added that Bihar has been allotted 16,136 oxygen cylinders, including 2,827 D-type and 13,309 B-type cylinders.
Besides, Bihar’s Redmesivir quota has been increased to 1.50 lakh doses till May 16.
Meanwhile, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president and Jamui MP Chirag Paswan said he on Friday took up the matter with PMO and Union health ministry regarding the opening of oxygen generation plant in his constituency. The need of Jamui for an oxygen plant has been appreciated and it will be duly established, Paswan said. If sanctioned by the Centre, Jamui will be the 16th district in BIhar to have such a plant.