“The main reason for the shortage of oxygen supply in Delhi is the jungle raj by the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments”, said the deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday. He urged the central government to intervene in the matter even if it meant deploying paramilitary forces to transport the oxygen cylinders.
While addressing a press conference here in New Delhi, Manish Sisodia alleged that despite the centre’s allocation of oxygen cylinders to the national capital, the government and police officials of the two states were not allowing the oxygen supply to leave for Delhi.
“Their government officers and police are not letting supply from their oxygen plants come to Delhi. Our officers spoke to theirs and I tried to speak to the centre, but the things are not changing on the ground,” Sisodia added.
He further stated that this was not the time to “fight each other”, but to be united. “When the Central government yesterday increased Delhi’s oxygen allocation and fixed the same for the other states too, why are the government of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh behaving as if they have some dispute with Delhi? This is not the time to fight each other but to be united”, he added.
Sisodia claimed that as of yesterday, when the centre increased the oxygen share of each state, Delhi had been allocated 378 MT of oxygen. Out of this, only 177 MT of oxygen reached Delhi because of the coercive behaviour of Haryana and UP police.
He appealed to the central government to step into the matter even if it meant deploying paramilitary forces to accompany oxygen cylinders while transporting them.
According to a report by ANI, the capital had recorded 24,638 new cases of Coronavirus and 249 related deaths as of Wednesday. There are currently 85,364 active cases in the city while the death toll stands at 12,887. The fatality rate stands at 1.39% and the COVID-19 positivity rate at 31.28 %.
