A train carrying six tankers of medical oxygen for supply in Madhya Pradesh left from Bokaro in Jharkhand on Tuesday morning, a railway official said.
In the wake of the Covid-19 spike, hospitals in parts of the country are facing oxygen shortage. Industrial oxygen is being diverted for medical use.
“The ‘Oxygen Express’ loaded with six tankers having a combined capacity of 64 MT of the life-saving gas left from Bokaro at 5.30 am. It is expected to reach Jabalpur tonight and Bhopal on Wednesday,” the official said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also informed that the train will reach the state on Tuesday night.
Out of the six tankers, two will be unloaded at Jabalpur and four at Mandideep station near Bhopal, Chouhan said in a message.
The train will reach Bhopal after its journey via Kotshila, Jharsuguda, Bilaspur, New Katni and Jabalpur, the railway official said.
Special arrangements have been made at Jabalpur and Mandideep to unload the tankers, he said.
Bhopal’s Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Uday Borwankar is monitoring the train’s movement for its smooth journey so as to provide relief to people in need of oxygen in hospitals as soon as possible, the official said.
Madhya Pradesh reported 12,686 Covid-19 cases on Monday, taking the tally above the five lakh-mark.
The state’s caseload stands at 5,11,990, including 5,221 deaths, as per official figures.
