Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) has come forward to augment supply of oxygen by 35 lakhs litres per day in Covid-hit Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The company will be offering free supply of medical oxygen B type cylinders free of cost to match the increasing number of Covid patients who are in dire need of oxygen. It has submitted its proposal to the Telangana government.
MEIL is planning to supply 500 to 600 oxygen cylinders per day with each cylinder having a capacity of 7,000 litres. The total quantum of supply of oxygen thus will be around 35,00,000 litres.
MEIL has received request to refill oxygen cylinders from Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (50 cylinders), Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital (200), Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences (100) and Hyderabad Care Hi-tech hospital (50). These hospitals have augmented their Covid bed strength based on the spurt in cases.
On the other hand, MEIL, with the technical support of DRDO, is planning to construct 30-40 oxygen generation plants. Each plant can generate 150-1000 litres per minute based on the technology of on-board oxygen generation used in fighter planes.
Director DRDO Col. B.S. Rawat has appointed senior scientist Raghavendra Rao to coordinate the initiative.
MEIL is currently manufacturing a 30 metric tonnes per day Cryogenic Oxygen Liquefaction Plant and the same will be installed and commissioned at ITC Bhadrachalam by May 13. The cryogenic Oxygen will then be converted into usable liquid oxygen for medical purposes at the MEIL facilities.
Sources say that if required by the state governments, MEIL is ready to import 2 – 3 cryogenic oxygen tanks from its own unit in Spain which will help in the sourcing and movement of liquid oxygen.
