Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami writes to PM Modi requesting cancellation of oxygen diversion to other states

Palaniswamy said Tamil Nadu is registering a growing number of oxygen dependent Covid-19 cases leading to a requirement of 450 metric tonnes (MTs) which is more than the state's production capacity of 400 MTs, he said.

"As compared to the maximum active case number of around 58,000 during the previous surge in 2020, the active caseload has increased to over a lakh today," he said.

He said the state has been wrongly allocated a smaller quota of 220 MTs despite its oxygen requirement already reaching 310 MTs.

"The consumption of oxygen in Tamil Nadu has already reached 310 MTs as against the inadequate allotment made to the state of only 220 MTs," he said.

"The latest National Medical Oxygen allotment plan allocation for Tamil Nadu has been fixed at 220 MTs and based on the wrong allotment, 80 MTs of liquid oxygen has been diverted from the manufacturing facilities located in Sriperumpudur to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This is based on the wrong position that the existing oxygen consumption in Tamil Nadu is lower than the manufacturing capacity," he said in the letter.

"Also the states to which the allotment has been made have lower number of active cases than us also have major steel industries located within the states/close to their states. Hence the diversion from Sriperumpudur plant which supplies to Chennai city with the second biggest caseload in South India seems to have no justification," he added.

Tamil Nadu is willing to help the other states in dealing with the oxygen crisis and hasn't imposed any restrictions on deliveries to other states but such mandatory diversion can trigger a major crisis in Chennai and other districts.

"Hence, I request that diversion of 80 KL (Kilo Litres) from Sriperumbudur plant, in Tamil Nadu may immediately be cancelled," he wrote.