Manipur CM inaugurates oxygen plants at three hill districts

Our Correspondent
Imphal, Aug. 9 (EMN): Manipur Chief Minister, N Biren Singh on Monday inaugurated Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) oxygen plants in Chandel, Ukhrul and Senapati districts.

The 15th Finance Commission had sanctioned the installation of eight PSA oxygen plants in the state including two PSA plants at JNIMS, Imphal and one each at Chandel, Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts. The PSA plants at Tamenglong, Churachandpur and Kangpokpi are yet to be inaugurated.

Speaking at the Chandel function, Biren Singh said that the government would install oxygen plants in all the districts of the state adding that the PSA plants inaugurated on Monday at Chandel, Senapati and Ukhrul districts would produce 1000 litres of oxygen per minute (LPM) and around 200 D-type oxygen cylinders could be refilled daily at each PSA plant.

He also informed that out of around INR 19 lakh eligible persons for Covid-19 vaccination in the state, more than INR 13 lakh people have been vaccinated so far. He urged the local leaders and others to organise mass vaccination drives at grassroots level. The government has a target to achieve 100 percent vaccination of eligible persons by September 2021, he added.

Later, the chief minister along with ministers, S Rajen Singh (Education), Vungzagin Valte (Tribal Affairs and Hill), Principal Secretary (Health) V Vumlunmang, and Director (TA and H), C Arthur Worchuiyo went to Ukhrul and Senapati to dedicate the PSA Oxygen plants.

At Ukhrul, the chief minister informed that the state Cabinet had decided to conduct recruitment of the work force for handling the oxygen plant district wise. He appealed to the eligible youth to take part in the recruitment to operate the plants in the respective districts. He also instructed the concerned officials to provide 45 more oxygen cylinders to Ukhrul District Hospital to increase its number to 100 from earlier 55 cylinders.

At Senapati district, he stated that the plant would have the capacity to refill 200 D-type cylinders every day. Another oxygen plant with a refilling capacity of 100 D-type cylinders would also come up in the district under PM CARES Fund, he added. Maintaining that the government had already initiated certain infrastructure development projects in different sectors in the district, he added that execution of such projects had been enabled only through the cooperation of its people and prevalence of peace in the district.