Delhi High Court to begin shortly hearing Maharaja Agrasen Hospital's plea on oxygen shortage.

Hearing before Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rekha Palli.

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Adv Alok Kr Aggarwal: We had 306 patients, almost 100 critical. After we faced shortage, we contacted Mr. Mehra and we got immediate aid. However, we have started discharging patients.
Aggarwal: We are being forced to discharge due to the shortage.

Court: This has become an everyday story. Any progress on the supply front?
ASG Chetan Sharma: Every sinew in the system is being stretched My Lords, officers haven't slept all night. Aircrafts sent for tankers, but we are facing logistical issues in meeting the gap.
Nodal Officer for Centre, Piyush Goyal is on the line: We have a virtual control centre, working on a minute-to-minute basis, trying to do whatever we can.
The Delhi Govt has also linked some smaller hospitals with the bigger ones.
Goyal: So the entire supply chain has to be re-worked out. My Lords, I haven't slept all night.
Court: We have been informed that tanks have been flown to Durgapur, what about other locations?

Goyal: Lordship, yes, I am not aware of other locations yet, however filled up tanks can't be brought by air.
Court: The next question is what about trains?

Goyal: It's the first time that trains are doing something like this. But the Visakhapatnam one has worked well. Your Lordships, we are doing all we can.
Court: We don't want to interrupt in your work but you can place the details on record.

Aggarwal: The issue is we have 106 critical patients we can't even discharge them. So we will have to discharge others.
Court: We are aware of the situation, have been hearing matter since Apr 19.

Sr. Adv. Rahul Mehra for Delhi: My Lords, the issue is whatever is available to us we can give. But we can't create oxygen out of thin air.
Mehra: Yesterday instead of the supply increasing to 480 MT as allocated, we received 292 MT. 100 MT have fallen short. The Central Govt war room and our team is in touch on a constant basis. But if Mr. Satyakam can get all the reasons why this has happened..
Court: We need to know where and why it has fallen short.

Mehra: One of the reasons is that Inox is one of the major producers, distributors and suppliers - was supposed to give us 140 MT. But they are not, in their place, Air Lindae set in place.
Mehra: Air Lindae is only a producer not a transporter. So Inox assigned to pick up Air Lindae oxygen and supply it. We are stuck in this on minute-to-minute calls, because of a completely chaotic situation, having to micro-manage.
Mehra: Some hospital contacts us for 10 MT, we are able to give only 1 MT, how will the hospitals function? I'm not being alarmist or sensationalist but if nothing put in place now, a situation will arise, lot of lives will be lost.
Mehra: Delhi govt needs a 24 hr timeline, so we can schedule it accordingly. We need a commitment from the Centre. We also should have 10 IAS officers at the top and 14 danik officers monitoring it. We have 140 hospitals and nursing homes.
Mehra tells that local authorities now not stopping tanks on the road but off it, Court: We will hang whoever is responsible, we have already warned that whoever is doing this is endangering lives.
Court: The Centre is also dealing with this strictly.

Mehra: Yes, they are, but this is happening at the local level.

Court: Whoever it is.
Court tells that Mehra would have to bring the issue on affidavit alongwith details of specific instances.

Ms. Sunita Dabra: We don't know where these figures are coming from and it is not Air Lindae but Air Leaky.
Dabra: As of 22nd Apr, 3 pm, Delhi hospitals had storage of 480 MT as per our numbers. The network and logistics are strengthened but the same hospitals are demanding oxygen multiple times from the same suppliers.
Dabra: There has been some confusion, the Agrasen Hospital was not on our list.
Mehra: If they are saying there are issues with the Delhi govt, let them state that that is why the oxygen supply is not coming. If 480 MT is allocated and 300 MT is coming, we have to step in and do pro-rata basis allocation.
Mehra: Then they can't say the Delhi Govt should not cry, should not micro-manage, step in, etc.

SG Tushar Mehta: I need to put 4 broad points. Firstly, please change and remove the narrative of I, you and they. It is we, we are doing all we can.
SG: We cannot sensationalize this, no matter what benefits we may be getting outside court, because it is creating panic. I have placed all my officers on the screen. They are Secretary level people. Let some officers of the State also be there.
SG: There have been communications between the officers which I am not putting out because it will sensationalize things.

Court: Is Mr. Udit - the Nodal Officer for Delhi - there?

Mehra: He has been taking SOS calls for 24 hours straight.

Court: Can someone else join?
SG: Someone at the level of Chief Secretary may join, at the level of Mr. Udit, it may not be possible.

Mehra: We would not have any problem with this, but when the city is facing such an issue, the Chief Secretary..

Court: There is some merit in this point, Mr. Mehra.
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