Covid: Aifi backs govt decision to limit oxy supply to industries

Forging industry body, AIFI on Monday supported the government's decision to limit oxygen supply to industry and divert it to meet the rising demand for medical oxygen amid a record number of coronavirus infection cases in the country.

Even as the move has affected the domestic forging industry, the diversion of the oxygen supply for saving lives in the need of the hour, Association of Indian Forging Industry (AIFI) President Vikas Bajaj said in a statement.

Seeking to address the shortage of medical oxygen amid rising numbers of active COVID-19 cases, the Central Government on Sunday banned the supply of the gas for industrial purposes except in nine specified areas.

"The second wave of India's COVID-19 outbreak has already proven to be much worse than the first. We completely support the government's decision to limit oxygen supply to industry and divert it to meet the country's rising demand for medical oxygen and save lives as it is the need of the hour," Bajaj said in the statement.

Currently, more than half the world's steel is made using the basic oxygen process, which uses pure oxygen to convert a charge of liquid blast-furnace iron and scrap into steel, according to AIFI.

Steel mills are thus reliant on oxygen supplies and the forging industry is therefore dependent on them for rolled steel, he said.

"We are affected indirectly by a shortage of oxygen. We need oxygen for Furnaces, which are in short supply," Bajaj said.

Otherwise, the forging industry depends on gas and electricity as required, he said, adding," steel mills use oxygen, which has a huge effect on us because we rely on them for raw materials."

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