New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday said if governments want, "they can make heaven and earth meet", as it asked the Centre to ensure there is no obstruction in transport of oxygen to Delhi.
A division bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said if in case supply of medical oxygen to Delhi is blocked, then authorities responsible will be held criminally liable.
The bench said it is urgently required to resolve the issues with Centre's allocation of oxygen for Delhi from plants in other states like Haryana by the local administration there. It stressed that the Centre should provide adequate security for vehicles transporting oxygen and it should consider forming dedicated corridors for their swift movement.
Meanwhile, in an order the DDMA asked all Delhi hospitals to form 'audit committees' to supervise, rationalise use of medical oxygen.
The DDMA on Thursday appointed two senior bureaucrats as nodal officers to ensure smooth movement of tankers and facilitate oxygen supply to city hospitals, and directed the Delhi Police to provide security logistics from manufacturers' sites to various health facilities here.
Special Commissioner Muktesh Chander to provide security logistics for movement of oxygen tankers from manufacturers' sites to Delhi hospitals.
The move comes hours after Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia alleged that the police force in UP and Haryana were blocking oxygen transport to the national capital.
and urged the Centre to ensure normal supply even if that meant taking the help of paramilitary forces. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), in an order, said the Delhi Police will keep record of entry and exit of all oxygen tankers through various checkposts to monitor their movement.
The DDMA has also set up a round-the-clock control room to redress grievances and complaints from city hospitals within 30 minutes.
The Delhi Police will share the record of entry and exit of all oxygen tankers immediately with the control room, the order said.
Senior iAS officer Udit Prakas will be responsible for ensuring smooth and seamless movement of tankers till borders of Delhi and sort out all issues pertaining to suppliers, states and the central government, it said.
The order added that IAS officer Vijay Bidhuri will be responsible for controlling, coordinating and facilitating the supply of oxygen to health establishments.
