New Delhi: An audit committee appointed by the Supreme Court revealed that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government exaggerated the oxygen requirement in the national capital by four times during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The committee, in its report submitted to the top court, also said that the supply of excess oxygen to Delhi led to a shortage of life-saving drugs to many other affected states. The committee also accused the Delhi government of presenting the distorting figures of oxygen consumption at many places.
As per the report, the audit committee had prepared a formula for accurate oxygen requirement and sent it to about 260 hospitals. Under this formula, data of about 183 hospitals, including all major hospitals, were analyzed. According to this data, the consumption of medical oxygen in these 183 hospitals was said to be 1140 metric tonnes by the Delhi government but in reality, as informed by hospitals, it was only 289 metric tonnes.
The report also said that many hospitals have shown their consumption to be more than necessary despite having fewer ICU beds. Meanwhile, reacting to it, Union Minister Piyush Goyal has asked to fix the accountability for disrupting oxygen supply across the country. Significantly, after the tussle between the Center and the Delhi government over oxygen supply, the apex court had formed a committee headed by AIIMS director Randeep Guleia and sought an audit report from it on the oxygen distribution system.
