Assam will receive 160 metric tonnes (MT) of liquid medical oxygen every week via the Oxygen Express.

Carrying four containers with 80 MT of oxygen, Oxygen Express had left Tatanagar station in Jharkhand at 5.55pm on Saturday, and arrive at the Inland Container Depot at Amingaon.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was present when the Oxygen Express arrived in Assam. CM Sarma said, for the first time central government has sent four tankers carrying 80 MT of liquid medical oxygen via Oxygen Express.

Sarma said, “I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union railway minister Piyush Goyal for the initiative which will boost oxygen availability in the state at a critical time”.

Two Oxygen Expresses would be sent twice every week by the Indian Railways, said the Chief Minister.

“So Assam will get additional 160 MT of medical oxygen every week…this oxygen will be supplied to other states of the Northeast such as Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and Mizoram as well after meeting the state’s requirements primarily for treating critical COVID-19 patients in the hospitals,” he said.

Sarma further said, “We have about 800 litres of oxygen storage capacity in the state as of now”.