Transportation of oxygen from West Bengal to Kerala witnesses high octane drama

The transportation of the Liquified Medical Oxygen (LMO) from a metal plant in Burnpur, a township in Asansol of Paschim Bardhaman district in West Bengal, to Kochi on Thursday morning marked the profitable end result of a dramatic sequence of occasions spearheaded by the Kerala Motor Vehicle Department (MVD).

On the way in which to Kochi, makes an attempt had been allegedly made in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to even usurp the 9 kilolitres of LMO saved within the tanker, main to rigidity.

“We were asked to give up the oxygen with a promise to replace them. However, our men resolutely defended. They took the key of the tanker away and contacted the District Collector and the State Transport Commissioner. Eventually, the police intervened, facilitating the onward journey,” stated B. Shefiq, Joint Road Transport Commissioner, Tripunithura, who was in cost of the mission.

The journey was marred by obstacles because the tanker engine stuttered to a halt at Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, main to a delay of eight hours.

In truth, the drama started to unfold with the seizure of the three tankers after the multinational firm that owned them and deployed for the transportation of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) for the Kochi-based Petronet LNG declined to give up them citing internationally-accepted technical requirements. They claimed that transporting oxygen in LNG tankers will lead to chemical reactions with hydrocarbons main to an explosion.

However, the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) had granted an exemption in view of the prevailing oxygen scarcity paving the way in which for the seizure of the tankers primarily based on a directive issued by District Collector S. Suhas underneath the Disaster Management Act.

However, changing the tankers right into a kind match for transporting oxygen known as for a pricey technical course of known as “purging,” that concerned a number of rounds of circulation of nitrogen to strip them of the hydrocarbon presence.

“Much to their credit, Petronet LNG bore the cost of ₹15 lakh – ₹5 lakh for each tanker – out of their CSR funds. Once purging was done, the standard operating procedure called for clearance of the tanker by an external agency and a Hyderabad-based engineering firm did it at a reduced rate of ₹40,000 per each tanker as against the original fee of ₹75,000,” Mr. Shefiq stated.

Hiccups nonetheless continued as a LMO-producing firm primarily based at Kanjikode in Palakkad declined to provide oxygen in a transformed tanker. That’s when the Central allocation of 100 tones of LMO to Kerala from the plant at Burnpur got here in useful.

“A MVD team then went about making hose, nozzles and couplings for facilitating the filling of oxygen into the tankers, custom made for LNG movement,” stated Mr. Shefiq. Later, a committee involving the Transport Secretary and Transport Commissioner determined to airlift the tankers and the primary of the tanker was airlifted from Coimbatore on account of inclement climate in Kochi on May 15. Ernakulam RTO P. A. Shabeer and Enforcement RTO Shaji Madhavan had been additionally concerned

A crew of 9 KSRTC drivers and an assistant motorized vehicle inspector was additionally despatched alongside. The drivers got a day-long specialised coaching in working the tanker.

Initially, the oxygen wasn’t delivered because the plant operators demanded a certificates of purging issued within the final 24 hours. This hurdle was overcome with the assistance of an area company at Burnpur, the fee of which was met by the Kerala Medical Services Corporation.

Eventually, the tanker was introduced to Kochi after protecting practically 2,500 km. The different two tankers collectively carrying 18 kilolitres are on the way in which and can attain right here in a pair of days.