“Beg, Borrow, Steal”, says Delhi HC for nation’s worsening oxygen demand

The Home Ministry on Thursday ordered that there will be no restriction on inter-state and intra-state supply of oxygen-related goods, reiterated that the supply of oxygen for industrial purposes, except that exempted by the government, is strictly prohibited.

The order came on three related developments. One, states and UTs such as Delhi alleged that their oxygen supply was being blocked by neighbouring states. Second, hospitals moved the Delhi High Court, which directed the Centre to supply oxygen at any cost (and it speaks of the enormity of today’s crisis that hospitals have to go court to find ways to procure and buy oxygen in the first place). And three, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to present a national road map on Covid-19 management, including the oxygen distribution plan.

Industry experts say India has the capacity to produce more than 7,000 metric tonnes of medical oxygen, but the problem is there are not enough cylinders and tankers to store and transport it. India also does not have enough cryogenic tankers to ensure 24×7 road transport of medical oxygen. There are also the problems of wastage and leakages in hospital pipelines that supply oxygen. Successive governments have overlooked these issues, this government also took its eye off the ball, and citizens now are paying the price. As the Delhi High Court said, “beg, borrow, steal” — but find a way to help citizens to breathe.