Ashis Sinha I Bokaro: Amidst severe shortage and an increased demand for liquid medical oxygen (LMO) during the ongoing Covid-19 second wave, Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) dispatched three filled tankers for Lucknow on Friday.
Director-in-charge of Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL), Amarendu Prakash along with district administration official Bokaro today flagged-off the Oxygen Express train with three LMO tankers at around 01.50 PM.
As per the requirements, today we have dispatched 50 tonns of LMO (in three tankers) for Lucknow. In view of the huge demand of LMO we are at plant focussing on increasing its production. We have reduced the industrial uses of liquid oxygen at plant, said Amarendu.
“Everyday we are producing 150T of LMO at BSL and sending the entire production of liquid oxygen for the well being of the people across the country according to the need. Recently we have dispatched LMO to Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisghar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and also for our state Jharkhand, said Amarndu Prakash.
“We at SAIL are ready to meet the crisis. To combat severe shortage of medical oxygen all units of SAIL are supplying LMO according the demand, need as well as availability of tankers presently,” he said.
Since August 2020, BSL has supplied more than 6900 tonnes of LMO to cylinder fillers and hospitals in Bihar, UP, MP, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Jharkhand, informed MK Dhan, Chief of Communication BSL.
“Dispatch through railways was done for the first time today,” he Dhan.
Notably, SAIL has provided 660 tonnes of LMO per day, by average, in its factories in the last one week. All plants of the company have been advised to maximise LMO production and optimise shipping logistics in order to reduce oxygen tankers’ turnaround time, official sources said.
The ‘Oxygen Express’ was sent from Lucknow to Bokaro via Varanasi, to carry the LMO. For this train movement a green corridor between Lucknow and Varanasi has beet created. This train will cover the distance of 270 km in 4 hours 30 minutes. Later the tanker will move through road.
To ensure the timely supply of oxygen from one place to another, the Indian Railways has recently launched ‘Oxygen Expresses’, these are special trains that will take oxygen cylinders according to the need.
