NEW DELHI, May 8: The National Highway Authority of India has granted exemption from toll fee to tankers and containers carrying Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) across National Highways to ensure their uninterrupted speedy movement in the country.
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 spokesman of the government said on Saturday.
Although the toll plazas have nearly zero waiting time after implementation of FASTag, the NHAI is already providing priority passage to such vehicles for quick and seamless transportation of medical oxygen. Instructions have also been issued by NHAI to all its officials and other stakeholders to assist the government and private efforts to fight the pandemic in helping them in pro-active manner.
About transportation of oxygen through the Railways, the spokesman said the Indian Railways so far had delivered nearly 3400 MT of LMO in more than 220 tankers to various states across the country. Fifty-four Oxygen Expresses have already completed their journey so far.
It is Indian Railways endeavour to deliver as much LMO as possible in the shortest time possible to the requesting states.
The spokesman said so far 230 MT has been offloaded in Maharashtra, 968 MT in UP, 249 MT in MP, 355 MT in Haryana, 123 MT in Telangana, 40 MT in Rajasthan and 1427 MT in Delhi.
Presently 26 tankers are on the run with 417 MT of LMO which are expected to arrive in Maharashtra, UP, Haryana and Delhi. Running of new Oxygen is a very dynamic exercise and figures keep getting updated all the time. More loaded Oxygen Expresses are expected to start their journeys later in the night.
(Manas Dasgupta)