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NATION                                                                       APRIL 30, 2021  |    The Indian Eye                          10





                       cOvID-19 crISIS IN INDIa




            Worst-case Scenario with rising deaths




                 and shortage of oxygen and vaccines





                    Courts last at Govt; Centre reviews situation; and Air Force aircraft

                                                    bring aid from foreign countries





        Our Bureau                                                                                                    cation. The HC had also warned
        New Delhi                                                                                                     the Centre that it may consider
                                                                                                                      initiating contempt proceedings
            ndia is living a nightmare.                                                                               in case of non-compliance.
            There is no good news on                                                                                      The Centre on Sunday re-
        Iany front.                                                                                                   viewed the state of COVID-19
            Delhi’s  new  COVID-19                                                                                    preparedness in Delhi in view
        cases slightly dipped on Sun-                                                                                 of the spurt in cases across the
        day to 20,394 but the city saw                                                                                country.
        407 deaths in the last 24 hours.                                                                                  Cabinet     secretary    Rajiv
        This is the second consecutive                                                                                Gauba today reviewed various
        day when Delhi saw more than                                                                                  aspects of COVID-19 prepared-
        400 deaths. According to Del-                                                                                 ness  in  Delhi.  Officials  of  the
        hi Health Department, the city                                                                                Government of NCT of Delhi
        also saw 24,444 discharges in the                                                                             (GNCTD) made a presentation
        last 24 hours. The total count of                                                                             in the meeting, covering issues
        cases in the city has gone up to                                                                              of recent trends in the active
        11,94,946  including  92,290  ac-                                                                             cases, deaths and positivity rate;
        tive cases and 10,85,690 recov-      an iaF MCC iL 76 airlifted three cryogenic liquid oxygen tanks from Singa-  availability and expansion plans
        eries. The death toll has gone                            pore on Saturday. (ani Photo)                       of medical infrastructure; status
        up to 16,966.                                                                                                 of oxygen availability; home iso-
            The city saw 412 deaths,  Jamnagar, and two from Hin- Court order.                                        lation procedures and helpline;
        25,219 new cases, and 27,421 re- don to Bhubaneswar, the IAF                 A Bench of Justices Vipin        ambulance services; and test-
        coveries on Saturday. India on  informed.                                Sanghi and Justice Rekha Palli       ing. The meeting was attended
        Sunday reported 3,92,488 new            C-17 transport aircraft are  in an urgent hearing asked Del-          by the Home Secretary Dr VK
        COVID-19 cases, slightly less  also preparing to airlift more  hi Government to respond to                    Paul, member, NITI Aayog,
        from  yesterday’s  high  of  over  oxygen containers from Singa- the Centre’s application seek-               Chief Secretary, Delhi and oth-
        400,000 cases.                       pore, the Ministry of Home Af- ing to recall yesterday’s High            er  senior  officials  of  GNCTD,
            Bringing much-needed relief  fairs (MHA) informed.                   Court order. The HC on May 1         senior  officials  of  the  Union
        amid the ongoing COVID-19               “IAF C17 transport aircraft  has asked Central Government             Health Ministry, and Commis-
        crisis in the country, the India  gearing up to airlift more emp- to ensure that Delhi receives its           sioners of Municipal Corpora-
        Air Force (IAF)’s C-17 aircraft  ty oxygen containers from Sin- allocated supply of 490 MT pos-               tions of Delhi and Chairman,
        on Sunday airlifted four cryo- gapore today. These containers  itively today, by whatever means               NDMC.
        genic oxygen containers from  will further boost oxygen avail- and considering the fact that                      The Cabinet Secretary em-
        Frankfurt in Germany to Hin- ability in the country in view of  Delhi is not an industrial State,             phasised the need to ramp up
        don airbase near Delhi.              the current Covid - 19 surge.  and does not have availability            the medical infrastructure in
            Along with this, 450 oxygen  The airlift is being coordinated  of cryogenic tankers of its own            Delhi, at the earliest, to cater
        cylinders from Brize Norton in  by MHA,” the MHA Spokes- which could be requisitioned                         to the increasing demand for
        the UK were also airlifted to the  person tweeted on Tuesday.            under the Disaster Manage-           COVID beds, ICUs and venti-
        Chennai airbase in Tamil Nadu.          In view of the prevailing Ox- ment Act-like other States have         lators. He also stressed the need
        Additionally, C-17s airlifted  ygen shortage of for Covid pa- done.                                           to make available all relevant in-
        two cryogenic oxygen contain- tients, the Delhi High Court on                It falls upon the Central Gov-   formation on COVID beds and
        ers from Chandigarh to Bhu- Sunday issued a notice to the  ernment to arrange the tankers                     other facilities/ medicine avail-
        baneswar,  two  from  Jodhpur  Delhi Government on an appli- as well, so that the allocation                  ability to  the  public,  through
        to Jamnagar, two from Hindan  cation filed by the Centre seek- made to Delhi could be fulfilled,              dedicated websites/ apps, on the
        to Ranchi, two from Indore to  ing to recall yesterday’s High  lest it remains only a paper allo-                Continued on next page... >>


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