Army And IAF Units Located In Agra Help Set Up Oxygen Plant For Agra District
Entire Agra district was reeling and under tremendous stress due to extreme shortage of medical grade Oxygen. This district has a huge population of Ex Servicemen and their dependents. Population of areas surrounding Agra district are also dependent on civil medical facilities of Agra.
During normal times, Agra district required just 15 to 20 MT of oxygen on daily basis. This has surged to 70 MT on daily basis due to the pandemic. So when Shri Prabhu N Singh the District Magistrate approached the military Station HQ for help, the Station Commander along with the Air Force Base Commander agreed at once. The Raksha Mantri has already empowered the Defence Forces to take any decision to help the Civil authorities in combating the pandemic.
The IAF immediately sung into action and airlifted various components and copper tube bundles from Ahmedabad on 29 Apr. The Army Base Workshop provided the Electronics and Mechanical Engineering Workforce and supervision and lo and behold, what would have taken a month to set up was ready in seven days.
The District Magistrate removed all the RED TAPISM and so various clearances were given in no time and even power connectivity was provided without a fuss. A dedicated team has been deployed to oversee the manufacturing and hassle free supply of oxygen to the hospitals.
On30 Apr itself the Plant was able to supply 1000 oxygen cylinders. The capacity is likely to be increased as the system stabilized. 60 % of the production will be given to the hospitals in the District. Balance 40 % can be taken by people directly from the Plant on production of a valid medical certificate.
All districts in the country must take this initiative. The defence forces will always be there to help. What they need is empowerment from the Raksha Mantri and a request from the Civil authorities.
