BMC, BPCL set up 2 oxygen refilling plant

Mumbai Amid surging Covid-19 cases, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday started two oxygen refilling plants at Mahalaxmi Race Course and Mahul. During the second wave between April and June last year, Mumbai faced an acute shortage of medical oxygen.

The oxygen refilling plants have been set up as part of joint efforts between the BMC and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). The BMC said that BPCL will supply the oxygen on a chargeable basis.

Inaugurating the plants via video conferencing, the state environment minister, Aaditya Thackeray, said that BMC is the first civic body in India to have its own oxygen refilling plant.

P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner (projects), said that these new oxygen filling plants will be cost-effective, saving ₹1.5-2 crore for BMC every year. As many as 112 oxygen cylinders could be filled at a time at the Mahul plant.

“During the second wave we were heavily dependent on private suppliers and other municipal corporations were getting priority over the BMC as these plants and the suppliers were based in their area. It was necessary for us to have our own oxygen plants and minimise dependency on private vendors,” said Velrasu.

The BMC also said that the pressure of oxygen filling has been increased to 150kg/cm² from 1.5kg/cm².

The Mahul plant has been built over an area of over 850 square meters and is equipped to fill 1,500 jumbo cylinders per day, while the Mahalaxmi plant can refill 100-150 dura cylinders per day.