Center has not sought any report from Delhi on deaths due to lack of oxygen

New Delhi, August 10, 2021:

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday questioned the insensitive attitude of the Central Government and the false statements made by the Centre on the figures of deaths due to the lack of oxygen during the second wave of COVID-19. He stated that the Central Government has asked states for the figures of deaths due to lack of oxygen, but the reality is different from this. The Central Government has not sent any letter to Delhi in this regard so far. But now the Delhi Government will prepare its own report and send it to the Central Government.

Sisodia said, “The country was struggling with the oxygen crisis during the second wave of COVID. People in hospitals were dying due to lack of oxygen. The Supreme Court seriously questioned the Central Government on this, but the Central Government continues to remain insensitive. In today’s newspapers, the Central Government has asked State Governments to inform on the number of deaths occurring due to the oxygen crisis in each state. The newspaper report claims that 13 states have responded, out of which only one State has submitted the number of deaths while the other 12 have claimed that no deaths occurred in their area.”

A few days ago, I had read that the Central Government has given time until 13th August to State Governments to inform them regarding the number of deaths due to oxygen scarcity. But till now no information or letter has been sent to the Delhi Government. The Central Government is spreading the lie that states are not giving information, whereas they themselves have not asked for any information from the States. Delhi Government had constituted an inquiry committee long back to audit the deaths due to lack of oxygen in Delhi, but it was rejected by the Lieutenant Governor at the behest of the Central Government. This shows that the central government is neither asking anything from the states nor allowing the states to work.”

The Deputy Chief Minister cautioned the Central Government and said that people have not forgotten the pain of the crisis that spread across the country during the second wave, and if the third wave comes, then the oxygen crisis may arise again. “The Central Government should take this pandemic seriously and prepare for the third wave. Without any investigation it would be difficult to say that there were no deaths due to lack of oxygen in Delhi. The Central Government has not yet asked Delhi whether there have been deaths due to lack of oxygen in Delhi or not, but in Delhi we have decided that the Delhi Government will send the complete information about the deaths due to lack of oxygen in the form of a report, to the Central Government,” he said

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