TLI Staff
New Delhi: In a bid to facilitate oxygen-carrying vehicles smooth passage at national highway toll plazas, the government has waived user fee for tankers and containers carrying liquid medical oxygen (LMO).
With rising cases of Covid 19 across the country there has been emergency requirement of oxygen at hospitals treating patients infected with killer virus. There has, however, been shortage of oxygen necessitating transportation of oxygen from one part of the country to another part.
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has directed toll plazas to not collect user fee from oxygen carrying vehicles for the next two months.
“Keeping in view the current unprecedented demand of the medical oxygen across the country due to COVID-19 pandemic, containers carrying liquid medical oxygen will be treated at par with other emergency vehicles such as ambulances for a period of two months or till further orders,” an official statement said.
The Authority noted that there is already zero waiting time at toll plazas after implementation of FASTag and oxygen tankers are being provided priority passage, the decision will mean quick and seamless transportation of medical oxygen.
The current wave of pandemic has turned out to be fiercer than the first wave last year. It has created huge demand of medical oxygen and timely delivery is essential to save lives.
The central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been under opposition fire for not putting necessary health facility in place to contain the spread of corona virus. The PM’s image has taken a severe beating in the last few weeks with even international media criticizing his handling of the whole pandemic situation.
The daily case count has spiralled to more than 4 lakh a day with over 4,000 fatalities. General public are struggling to find a hospital bed for their loved ones and timely treatment remains elusive. The unprecedented crisis has been bringing pain and suffering for lakhs of people every day as testing, medicine, oxygen and ICU beds remain out of bounds for them.