New Delhi: Even as India is reporting record number of Covid-19 daily infections for the last few days, there have been stories of agony and sorrow pouring in from various places. While there are reports coming in from the most affected states about oxygen shortage leading to deaths of patients, there are also reports of shortage of crematoriums to cremate the dead bodies.
With the rise in the number of cases, the requirement for Oxygen has also gone up sharply in states such as Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and the Union Government has been caught on the wrong foot as there was no pre planning. The fresh example that has been making rounds is the death of six patients in Madhya Pradesh allegedly due to lack of Oxygen.
While the number of infections is rising in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has made a shocking claim that Oxygen supplies to the state are being diverted to other states by the Union Government. He said the Centre has reduced Delhi’s quota of medical oxygen and diverted it to other states. On the other hand, several states including Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh and Punjab are already facing Oxygen shortage.
In a scathing attack on the Gujarat Government, Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has alleged that the Gujarat Government has been underreporting deaths due to Covid-19. He said while Gujarat officially reported 78 Covid-19 related deaths on Friday, the media reported that 689 bodies were cremated in seven cities alone following Covid protocol.
जबकि गुजरात ने आधिकारिक तौर पर शुक्रवार (17 अप्रैल) को 78 मौतों का कारण कोविड बताया, The HINDU ने बताया कि कोविड प्रोटोकॉल के तहत अकेले 7 शहरों में 689 शवों का अंतिम संस्कार किया गया।
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) April 19, 2021