Nodal officer appointed to monitor installation of oxygen plants in Jammu

Authorities on Saturday appointed a nodal officer for monitoring and installation of oxygen plants at government medical colleges and hospitals in the Jammu division, an official order said.

The appointment was made in the wake of the rise in COVID-19 cases in the Union Territory, the order issued by Principal Secretary, Public Works (R&B) Department, Shailendra Kumar said.

“Sanction is hereby accorded to the appointment of Sami Arif Yaswi, Development Commissioner (Works), Public Works Department, as Nodal Officer for monitoring and installation of oxygen plants at various government medical colleges and other hospitals of Jammu division,” the order read.

It said Executive Engineer (Mechanical), Babu Ram, is kept at disposal of the nodal officer, who would ensure the easy passage of the plants and machinery to the respective locations, where these are to be installed in close liaison with the divisional commissioner, Jammu and respective deputy commissioners of the Jammu division.

The nodal officer was also asked to ensure the adherence of timelines fixed in the contract document for installation of these oxygen plants along with the prescribed specification mentioned in the contract document.

He would also submit the progress report for the installation of these oxygen plants to the administrative departments on daily basis, the order said.

Meanwhile, National Conference state secretary and former MLC Rattan Lal Gupta lashed out at the administration for “letting down” the Jammu region on the health infrastructure front, especially in setting up oxygen generating plants and allocating adequate beds for COVID-19 patients.

''With each passing day the situation is deteriorating and becoming grimmer with the administration only making hollow assertions which are quite opposite to the scenario on ground zero'', Gupta said in a statement here.

He sought a probe into the laxity in setting up oxygen-generating facilities in the Jammu region and fixing the responsibility of the officers, who “compromised” with medical emergencies.

“Disciplinary action should be initiated against the erring officers for their negligence and delaying tactics,” he said.

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