CIL installing 25 Oxygen generation plants
Ranchi 19/05/2021 (HS)Coal India Limited (CIL) is pumping Rs 35 Crore into installation of 25 Oxygen generation plants, across 22 hospitals, to revive increased supply of the life saving gas. Residents of Jharkhand will be benefitted as subsidiary of Coal India in the state would supply oxygen to the patients from its two upcoming Oxygen generation plants in Ranchi and Ramgarh.
Of the 25 plants, five are being installed at CIL’s own hospitals at an investment of Rs 4.25 Crore covering 332 beds. Of this five, Central Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of Coal India, will be putting up two plants at a total investment of Rs 1.57 Crores. One at Central Hospital, Gandhi Nagar, Ranchi with 700 litre per minute capacity supporting 70 beds. The other of 500 litres per minute capacity will be set up at Ramgarh Hospital catering to the oxygen needs of 50 beds.
These oxygen generations plants will be set up in CIL’s own hospitals and in district hospitals where four of CIL’s subsidiaries operate to support 3,328 beds. While the combined oxygen generation capacity of 20 plants is a little above 12,700 litre per minute, four of the plants together generate 750 Cubic metre per hour. One is a refill plant. Fully financed by CIL, these plants account for Rs. 30.75 Crore or 88% of CIL’s total Rs 35 Crore investment. CIL spent Rs 264 Crore exclusively on Covid relief measures during FY’21, which is about 50% of its total CSR spend of Rs 523 Crore.
“Responding to the oxygen need and to scale up its availability we are installing Oxygen plants on a war footing. All CIL owned five plants will be installed before July, in phase wise manner, beginning from the first week of June. Plants supported by CIL at district hospitals are expected to be completed by August”, said a senior executive of the CIL. In a unique model, CIL has engaged a voluntary organization to establish oxygen banks at 10 locations of Jharkhand and Bihar at Rs 1.34 Crore, 20 ventilators at each location will be given at no cost door delivery to the afflicted.
At a time when Oxygen has become a vital element in Covid treatment, CIL as whole has 2,324 oxygen cylinders and 237 ventilators ready for use at its hospitals. “With the government declaring Covid measures as common CSR theme for CPSES in FY’22, we shall further augment our Covid relief measures” said the executive.
