Oxygen Tankers Were Kept Waiting For 20 Hours Outside Delhi Hospitals During The 2nd Wave, SC Oxygen Audit Reveals

While the Supreme Court panel report has already slammed the Kejriwal government for demanding four times as much oxygen as was required during the second wave, it has also highlighted shocking cases of mismanagement of oxygen supply in Delhi.

Emails from oxygen suppliers to government officials show how tankers were kept waiting for hours outside hospitals during the peak of the second wave. Mukesh Gupta from the Goyal Gases MG Pvt Limited had written two harassed emails to government officials during the period, which are included in the 11th Annexure on page 132 of the Oxygen Audit report.

In the first email, Mukesh Gupta had highlighted two instances where Delhi government tankers had already reached the hospitals where his oxygen delivery company was supposed to supply oxygen, which prevented them from unloading oxygen. “Delhi Government tanker arrived on dated 9.5.2021 afternoon in DDU hospital at level of 1500 mmwc when critical level is 600 mmwc. And there was time of 7 hours to reach at critical level when our tanker was just 2 hour away. they have decanted the tanker sent by Delhi Gove ( Tanker of M/s Semicon Speciality Gases limited) without informing to us which is leading lot of practical difficulties which are not attributable to us causing hindrances in supplying the allocated quality of oxygen delivered to the hospitals. Adversely hampered the Turnaround of our tanker and hampered the lifting of procurement qty and also reduce our qty which is mentioned in allocation,” he’d written in the email, sent on 10th May.

There was another similar incident. “Delhi Government tanker arrived again on dated 10.5.2021 at 10 am ( Informed by Mr Anand) in DDU hospital at level of 1900 mmwc when critical level is 600 mmwc. DDU hospital has informed us to not send the tanker today which is leading lot of practical difficulties which are not attributable to us causing hindrances in supplying the allocated quality of oxygen delivered to the hospitals. Adversely hampered the Turnaround of our tanker,” he wrote.

In another email, Mukesh Gupta complained how their tanker had been kept waiting for 20 hours outside LNJP hospital. “We as a supplier are facing lot of practical difficulties which are not attributable to us causing hindrances in supplying the allocated quality of oxygen delivered to the hospitals,” he’d written. “Yesterday one of our tanker HR 38 4074 reached LNJP at 12 noon dated 7.5.2021 and decanted (unloaded) fully at 0850 hrs dated 8.5.2021 because hospital was unloading one reliance vehicle of approximately 15 mt. Infact our tanker has unnecessary waited there for 20 hrs that has adversely hampered the Turn around of our tanker and hampered the lifting of procurement qty and also reduce our qty which is mentioned in allocation,” he wrote. Gupta attributed this to mismanagement. “The hospitals are not informing to vendors and unnecessary our tankers and drivers are waiting in covid hospitals for a very long period,” he’d written in the email.

All this was happening while there was a severe oxygen shortage in Delhi. On 8th May, the same day when the Goyal Gases oxygen tanker had been kept waiting for 20 hours outside LNJP hospital, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia had claimed that Delhi had received only 488 MT of oxygen, while its demand was 700 MT. The very same day, the central government had said that Delhi was getting sufficient oxygen, but was using it inefficiently. With the Supreme Court investigation now revealing that fully loaded oxygen tankers were kept waiting for 20 hours outside hospitals in Delhi, questions will be raised whether Delhi’s supposed oxygen shortage was largely because of government mismanagement.

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