Uttarakhand to receive 80 metric tonnes of oxygen

Dehradun, May 12: Eighty metric tonnes of oxygen sent by the Centre by an Oxygen Express train was dispatched to different districts of Uttarakhand on Wednesday.

Flagging off trucks carrying the life-saving gas to different places of Kumaon and Garhwal divisions from the Harrawala station here, Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal for extending a helping hand.

Enough oxygen is being supplied by the Centre to the state in view of the difficult circumstances arising out of the surge in COVID-19 cases, he said.

Though there was never a shortage of oxygen in the state, its consumption has gone up with the rising number of oxygenated beds in hospitals and COVID care centres, Rawat said.

Oxygen supply from the Centre will continue in the future too, he added.

Vaccination of people aged 18-44 years has also begun in the state and the exercise has received an enthusiastic response from the beneficiaries, the chief minister said.

Uttarakhand is grappling with the second wave of COVID-19 at every level and the Centre has assured the state of all possible help, he added.