JOIN USShortage of oxygen becomes fresh bone of contention between Mamata and Centre
Shortage of oxygen supply for Covid-19 patients has become a fresh bone of contention between the Centre and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Banerjee alleged that the Centre was allotting oxygen produced by plants in Bengal to other states, jeopardizing the treatment of Covid-19 patients in Bengal.
Addressing a virtual press conference on Friday, the Chief Minister accused the Centre of having a “ step-motherly attitude” for Bengal with regard to oxygen supply.
“SAIL used to supply oxygen to us. But the Centre is diverting the supply to Uttar Pradesh. Why this step-motherly attitude towards Bengal? We have written to the Centre urging it not to divert oxygen supply meant for Bengal to other states,” said Mamata.
Later in the day, the West Bengal government stated in a release that on April 21, the Union Health Ministry allotted 200 metric tonnes of oxygen from different plants to outside the State.
“As per current patient load and rising trend of the infections, it is expected that the consumption level in West Bengal will radically rise to 400 metric tonnes per day in the next couple of weeks. Hence present allocation of liquid oxygen to outside West Bengal will jeopardise the medical treatment of Covid patients in the State,” stated the release.
It further stated that the state government requested the Centre on April 22 to consider the need of West Bengal and not to divert medical oxygen available in the state to elsewhere.
Lashing out at the Centre, the Chief Minister said that Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on March 7said that Covid-19 was on its way out from the country but the present situation clearly showed that the Centre was clueless about the issue.
“The Centre did not even bother to implement the recommendation of the World Health Organization on boosting stock of oxygen,” said Banerjee.
She said that the state government earlier had 15,000 oxygen cylinders in stock and has recently acquired 5,000 more from the industrial sector. “We will soon increase the stock even further,” said Mamata.
Referring to the Election Commission’s (EC) order banning rallies and processions in Bengal for the remaining two phases of the Assembly elections, the Chief Minister alleged that it was issued late evening on Thursday perhaps keeping in mind the Prime Minister’s programs.