Assam assures uninterrupted medical oxygen supply to state

GUWAHATI, May 18: Meghalaya and Assam have pledged to intensify cooperation to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the two neighbouring states.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and his Assam counterpart, Himanta Biswa Sarma discussed the prevailing COVID scenario in both the states through a video conference in the presence of senior government officers on Tuesday.
Sarma assured Sangma that Assam would continue to supply 16 MT of medical oxygen per day to Meghalaya from Amingaon and Bongaigaon as long as the situation permitted.
To a request from the Assam CM, Sangma assured that transportation of essential items from Brahmaputra valley to Barak Valley through Meghalaya would be seamless and interrupted.
Reiterating Assam’s role to contain the COVID pandemic in the Northeastern region, Sarma said that a certain number of oxygen cylinders shall be kept ready for Meghalaya to be released as and when required.
Moreover, both the states agreed that Assam shall serve the entire NE region as the medical oxygen hub with optimum utilisation of its oxygen storage and transportation facilities.
Sarma said that Assam would collect liquid oxygen from liquid medical oxygen production units outside the region and store in the facilities in the state, from where all other NE states could take oxygen as and when required and in accordance with their needs.
Acknowledging Sangma’s request, the Assam CM said that in order to complete the second dose of vaccination (Covaxin) for a few individuals who had taken their first dose from outside Meghalaya, the Assam government would provide 100 doses of Covaxin in exchange of a similar quantity of Covishield.