"Oxygen Demand Will Rise To 550 Tonnes In A Week": Mamata Banerjee To PM

Ms Banerjee said the demand in Bengal had already gone up to 470 metric tonnes of medical oxygen per day, and that it was expected to rise to 550 MT

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday - for a second time in two days - to highlight a potential shortfall in oxygen supply to the state, which is among those worst-affected by the second wave of coronavirus infections. Ms Banerjee, sworn in as Chief Minister for a third time on Wednesday, flagged the increasing consumption of oxygen in the state and urged the centre to allocate more; she said the demand had already gone up to 470 metric tonnes per day, and was expected to rise to 550 MT. "... consumption of medical oxygen is increasing rapidly due to increase in Covid positive cases. It has gone up to 470 MT per day in the last 24 hours and expected to increase to 550 MT in the next seven to eight days," she wrote. Ms Banerjee said the Bengal Chief Secretary had already raised this issue with senior central government officials, including the Union Health Secretary.