Assam assures uninterrupted medical oxygen supply to Meghalaya
Assam will continue to supply 16 metric tonnes of medical oxygen per day to Meghalaya as long as the situation permits.
This was assured by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during a virtual meeting on Tuesday with Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on the prevailing COVID scenario in both the states.
The supply of medical oxygen to Meghalaya would be made from Amingaon and Bongaigaon.
Both Assam and Meghalaya pledged to intensify cooperation to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the two states.
Until the morning of May 18, 2021, Assam had 44,942 active COVID cases and 2271 fatalities as against 4915 active COVID cases in Meghalaya and 336 deaths.
Chief Minister Sarma requested Sangma to ensure smooth transportation of goods and passenger vehicles from Brahmaputra valley to Barak valley through Meghalaya.
The Meghalaya Chief Minister assured that transportation of essential items to Barak Valley through the state would be seamless and interrupted.
Reiterating Assam’s role to contain the COVID pandemic in the Northeast, Sarma said that a certain number of oxygen cylinders shall be kept ready for Meghalaya to be released as and when required.
Both the states agreed Assam shall serve the entire Northeastern region as the medical oxygen hub with optimum utilisation of its oxygen storage and transportation facilities.
Sarma said that Assam would collect liquid oxygen from liquid medical oxygen production units outside the region and store it in the facilities in the state, from where all other Northeastern states could take oxygen as and when required and in accordance with their needs.
It may be noted that Meghalaya has gone for complete lockdown in some parts of the state following a surge in COVID cases.
Acknowledging Sangma’s request, the Assam Chief Minister said that in order to complete the second dose of vaccination (Covaxin) for a few individuals who had taken their first dose from outside Meghalaya, the Government of Assam would provide 100 doses of Covaxin in exchange of a similar quantity of Covishield.
(Edited by Christopher Gatphoh)
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