State government guidelines issued for oxygen producers.
LMOs should be stored up to 95% of capacity till further orders.
To cope with the possible third wave of Covid-19, the state government has issued guidelines to producers regarding the storage of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO).
Accordingly, all LMO manufacturing companies and oxygen rechargers in the state should store up to 95 per cent of their capacity by September 30, 2021, and comply with the oxygen storage conditions till further orders. To this end, all manufacturers have been instructed to ensure that LMO production is being carried out at full capacity in their projects.
The Collector should ensure that all LMO producers in the district are conducting storage (both, public and private) and that maximum oxygen storage levels are maintained. It has also been directed to start this work as soon as possible.
The Department of Public Health and the Department of Medical Education and Medicine have also stated that non-medical oxygen should be used appropriately if the demand for medical oxygen increases.
The second wave of Covid-19 in Maharashtra lasted from April to June 2021 and during this period 1850 metric tons of oxygen was used in seven lakh cases. Fact: All this medical oxygen is available only from manufacturers in Maharashtra. While the second wave of covid was going on, it was observed that many producers did not have adequate stocks of oxygen and were falling short in meeting the demand. Based on this experience, measures are being taken to ensure that adequate medical oxygen is available as part of the preparation for a possible third wave.
While implementing the above instructions, the Commissioner of Food and Drug Administration at the state level will be in charge, while at the district level the Collector (excluding the municipal area) and the concerned Municipal Commissioner in the municipal area will act as the competent authority and take action in case of violation of these instructions. These instructions will be effective from the date of this order and will remain in force until further orders.
