MP: IAF C-17 ferries another empty oxygen tanker to Jamnagar


PTI | Indore | Updated: 26-04-2021 17:40 IST | Created: 26-04-2021 17:04 IST
MP: IAF C-17 ferries another empty oxygen tanker to Jamnagar
Representative image Image Credit: ANI
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An Indian Air Force C-17 transport plane on Monday airlifted another empty tanker from Indore in Madhya Pradesh to Jamnagar in Gujarat for filling medical oxygen, a senior official said.

''The C-17 transport plane took off from Hindon airbase to reach Indore and later flew with a 20 MT (metric tonne) empty oxygen tanker to Jamnagar,'' said Aryma Sanyal, director, Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport, Indore.

Once filled with oxygen, tankers will travel to Indore by road from the Jamnagar plant.

On Friday and Saturday, the IAF plane had carried empty oxygen tankers from Indore to Jamnagar.

A district official said it takes about 20 hours by road for a tanker to reach Indore from Jamnagar, located 685 km apart from each other.

''Thanks to the IAF, this distance is covered in just one hour. Indore is getting the much-needed oxygen supply in the shortest possible time,'' he said.

Tankers loaded with oxygen are not transported by IAF planes as the gas is inflammable and may pose a threat.

The airlifting of empty tankers to oxygen filling sites using IAF planes was started after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan urged the Union government to help his state fight a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Indore district is the worst-hit both in terms of the number of COVID-19 cases and fatalities in Madhya Pradesh.

Since March 24, 2020, the district has reported 1,03,592 infections and 1,106 fatalities.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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