Delhi govt opposes oxygen use audit

The Delhi government on Thursday opposed the Centre’s plea for auditing oxygen utilisation in the capital while repeatedly requesting the Supreme Court to order an audit of what it said was the Centre’s arbitrary allocation of oxygen and mismanagement of transportation to New Delhi and other states.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta said the Centre had supplied 730 MT of oxygen on Wednesday, which was more than the SC's 700 MT benchmark, but insisted that there should be a simultaneous audit of oxygen utilisation in Delhi as experts were of the firm view that the state could manage the situation with 500-600 MT with proper distribution and utilisation as Mumbai has been doing.

To buttress the Centre's stand that Delhi was seeking excess oxygen, the SG said, "On Wednesday, not one complaint of stock out was received from Delhi. It may be noted that this was based on supplies of oxygen of 585 MT the day before on May 4, made to Delhi."

For the Delhi government, senior advocate Rahul Mehra said the Centre's allocation did not reflect ground realities and was mere paperwork and if at all an audit was required, it should be of the central government's arbitrary allocations. He then went on to say that as yet, the Centre had not taken over the entire fleet of oxygen tankers in the country for engaging them in equitable and timely distribution of oxygen to states.

Though the SC has directed the Centre to maintain 700 MT oxygen supply to Delhi till Monday, Mehta informed a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah that the supplies would drop to 560 MT on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For two days after that, it would be 640 MT and 700 MT, respectively. For May 11 and 12, it would be 560 MT. Supply would increase to 640 MT and 700 MT on May 13 and 14, respectively, the Centre said.

Mehra turned the heat on the Centre by telling the bench that though the SC has stayed contempt proceedings against the Centre, it continues to be in breach of SC orders for maintaining supply of 700 MT of oxygen to Delhi, a mark which is going to be met only twice in the next eight days.

"If allocation of a lesser quantity of oxygen was enough to meet the demand of Delhi hospitals, why are patients and their relatives running from hospital to hospital, which are sending SOS messages about no oxygen or its alarmingly low levels. No one can deny the scarcity of oxygen. There should be no oxygen audit in Delhi at this juncture as that will divert the attention of medical professionals and hospitals from treatment of Covid patients," Mehra said.