A sign of relief comes for the people of Delhi, as it received 730 mt of medical oxygen amid the spiralling covid-19 causes in the city. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express his gratitude for the supply of the same and urged him to ensure a daily supply of 730 MT oxygen to the city.
"I express my gratitude on behalf of the people of Delhi for the supply of 730 MT of oxygen yesterday (May 5). I request you to supply the same amount of oxygen daily to Delhi," Kejriwal said in a statement.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart on behalf of Delhiites. I request you that Delhi should be given at least this much oxygen daily and there should not be any reduction in this quantity. The whole of Delhi will be grateful to you," he added.
In his letter, Kejriwal also urged PM Modi for a daily supply of 700 MT oxygen to the national capital as the demand for oxygen in Delhi has been rising for the last 15 days.
"Delhi has a requirement of 700 MT daily. We were continuously requesting the Centre to provide us oxygen. On Wednesday, Delhi received 730 MT oxygen for the first time. I express my gratitude on behalf of the people of Delhi for the supply of 730 MT oxygen. I request you to supply the same amount of oxygen daily to Delhi," he said in the letter.
Kejriwal also stated that if an adequate supply of oxygen is provided to Delhi, then the Delhi government will be able to build around 9000-9500 beds. "We will be able to create oxygen beds. I assure you that we will not let anyone die to a shortage of oxygen in Delhi," he added.
Earlier in the day, the Centre told the Supreme Court that it has complied with its order and instead of 700 MT oxygen, it ensured a supply of 730 MT to Delhi for treating Covid-19 patients.
The top Court, while staying contempt proceedings initiated by Delhi High Court against central government officials for non-compliance of direction to supply 700 MT of oxygen to Delhi, had sought an answer from the Centre on Thursday morning.
The second wave of the Covid-19 in Delhi has put huge pressure on the public health system, with hospitals in several states reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen, beds, medicines and equipment. The hospitals across the national capital have been sending SOS messages on social media depleting oxygen supplies.
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On Thursday, for the first time since April 18, Delhi has reported 335 COVID-19 deaths in a day and 19,133 new cases even as the positivity rate dropped below 25 per cent. This is the third time in the last four days that the number of new cases remained below 20,000.