Data shows mismatch in claims of oxygen requirement and utilisation by Karnataka

The State authorities, which has been requesting the Union authorities to extend Karnataka’s allocation of oxygen to 1,792 metric tonnes per day (MTD) based mostly on the quantity of energetic COVID-19 instances, lifted solely 650-670 MTD of the allotted 802 MTD between April 30 and May 2.

This mismatch associated to the claims on estimation of oxygen requirement and utilisation got here to mild on Tuesday in the course of the listening to of a batch of PIL petitions on COVID-19 points by a Special Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar.

The State authorities had, on April 28, instructed the court docket that it had written a letter to the Centre stating that 1,471 MTD of oxygen could be the requirement for COVID-19 sufferers as on April 30. On Tuesday, the federal government once more instructed the court docket that it had written one other letter on April 30 to the Centre indicating that it required 1,792 MTD as on May 5 based mostly on the energetic instances. It mentioned the minimal requirement was about 1,162 MTD, as per the norm that 17% of the entire energetic instances would require oxygenated beds and 3% ICU beds.

What SC chart mentioned

However, the Bench famous a chart reproduced in the Supreme Court’s April 30 order on oxygen allotted to every State by the Centre that indicated that the oxygen manufacturing capability in Karnataka, as on April 28, was 625 MTD. The allocation of 802 MTD was made because the State authorities had said that it wanted 770 MT of medical oxygen per day, however the authorities lifted solely 441.19 MT as on April 26, the chart indicated.

When the Bench inquired about how a lot oxygen the State authorities has been lifting day-after-day, Advocate-General Prabhuling K. Navadgi mentioned the State had lifted 671.95 MT of oxygen on April 30 and 650.97 MT on May 1. He identified that as a result of some technical causes, the whole lot couldn’t be lifted for utilisation.

Mr. Navadgi additionally clarified to the Bench that 695 MT of oxygen was out there from the crops inside Karnataka and 110 MT was being routed by way of Odisha and Visakhapatnam.

On the opposite hand, Union authorities counsel M.N. Kumar instructed the Bench that the Centre had, on May 1, elevated the oxygen allocation to Karnataka to 865 MTD from 802 MTD.

The Bench directed the Centre to take a choice by Wednesday morning on rising allocation of oxygen to the State, mentioning that it meant to difficulty route for rising the oxygen allocation to Karnataka, on the strains of the route issued by the Delhi High Court to the Centre.

If the Centre isn’t in favour of rising oxygen allocation, then it has to say that the State authorities is making a false declare, the Bench noticed orally.