NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police averted a major crisis after it managed to restore oxygen supply to a hospital here where over 350 COVID patients are undergoing treatment, officials said on Thursday.
On Wednesday night, chief engineer of Batra hospital, R K Baniwal, informed the police that the oxygen at their facility will only last for two hours and they were not sure when their supply will be restored, police said.
The police immediately formed several teams and assigned different tasks to each of them, officials said.
"After enquiring from the hospital and its nodal officer, it was found that one tanker was supposed to come to the hospital from Panipat and the other from Modi Nagar.
However, the authorities were not able to get any update on their location," said Atul Kumar Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).
The police somehow managed to contact the drivers of the tankers through the nodal officers and owners of the suppliers, the official said.
Meanwhile, a team headed by SHO K M Pur was sent to Mohan Co-operative area in Badarpur with 60 empty oxygen cylinders so that they could be filled while others teams led by SHO Madan Garhi, SHO Neb Sarai and SHO Greater Kailash were sent to escort the tankers bringing oxygen after obtaining their live locations, said the officer.
The team managed to restore oxygen supply within three hours, said the police.
On Thursday, shortage of oxygen was also reported at Max hospital, Saket, police said.
The police found out that the oxygen tanker, which was to deliver the gas at the hospital, was on its way to the facility from UP's Kashipur.
SHO Malviya Nagar along with his team took position at Apsara border and provided a green corridor with sufficient force from where the tanker was escorted to the Max hospital, according to police.