Every state in India is currently experiencing a rapid rise in the number of Coronavirus cases, and there’s a severe shortage of oxygen in the country, due to which a lot of lives are being lost. As a result, oxygen is being diverted from one state to another, as per the requirements of a particular state.
Addressing the issue, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Palaniswami has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop diverting 80 MT liquid oxygen from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, as Tamil Nadu requires all the oxygen it can get right now, with its cases crossing the one lakh mark in a day.
Palaniswami said that the state would soon require 450 MT of oxygen, which is already more than the state can produce, which is 400 MT. He said that it is now acceptable and totally unjustifiable to allocate just 210 MT oxygen to TN and divert the rest to AP and Telangana.
According to Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), TN has already reached the point where it requires 310 MT of oxygen, and that the need will only further increase in the coming days.
On the other hand, Palaniswami said that both AP and Telangana have lesser cases when compared to TN and that while their government and state is willing to help out other states when necessary, he said that it is now important for him to prioritize the people of his state first.