'Develop oxygen corridor with Pakistan': Congress Amritsar MP to PM Modi amid COVID wave 2

As India continues to reel under the COVID-19 crisis, Congress leader and Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to develop a corridor to get Oxygen from Pakistan to deal with the shortage in Punjab. Highlighting the current shortage of medical oxygen in Punjab, the Congress MP said that the help offered by India's neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, should be welcomed with open arms. 

Congress MP writes to PM Modi over oxygen shortage in Punjab 

In his letter to the PM, Aujla wrote: “You are well aware of the fact that our hospitals are facing an alarmingly high shortage of liquid oxygen, ventilators, Bi PAPs, oxygenators, PPEs etc. due to spike in COVID-19 cases. In response to this emergency, our neighbouring countries have offered help which should be welcomed with open arms."

Pointing towards the situation of the oxygen crisis in Punjab, Aujla said that the daily requirement of oxygen in government and private hospitals of the state is around 30 tonnes, whereas the allocated quota for the state is very less and the supply is also very feeble. He said, "Amritsar is presently receiving oxygen supplies from Panipat in truck-tankers which is not a reliable system of uninterrupted supply as there are not enough and spare truck-tankers available to cover breakdowns."

Asking the Prime Minister to assess the present state of Punjab and the forthcoming spike in this wave, the Congress MP in the letter requested PM Modi to consider accepting all the help needed from our neighbours including Pakistan. Suggesting to form an oxygen corridor with Pakistan via the land route of the Attari Wagha border post, he said, "This would not only relieve pressure on our plants and transport system but will also reduce the emotional distress created due to the shortage of oxygen. 

Read the full letter here:

Pakistan offers relief to India 

As India struggles to battle the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan has officially offered relief and support to the country, as a gesture of solidarity in times of crisis, said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday.

The spokesperson for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri in a tweet said, "As a gesture of solidarity with the people of India in the wake of the current wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has offered to provide relief support to India including ventilators, Bi-PAP, digital X-ray machines, PPEs and related items."

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said, "I want to express our solidarity with the people of India as they battle a dangerous wave of COVID19. Our prayers for a speedy recovery go to all those suffering from the pandemic in our neighbourhood and world," Khan wrote in a tweet.

(Image: ANI, PTI)