The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) today announced exempting tankers and containers carrying liquid medical oxygen (LMO) from user fee at toll plazas across national highways.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a statement issued today has said that in order to provide uninterrupted passage for tankers and containers carrying Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) across National Highways, the user fee for such vehicles at toll plazas has been exempted as the country is battling a surge in covid-19 cases in the country.
Keeping in view the current unprecedented demand of the Medical Oxygen across the country due to COVID-19 Pandemic, containers carrying Liquid Medical Oxygen will be treated at par with other emergency vehicles such as ambulances for a period of two months or till further orders.
“Although the toll plazas have nearly zero waiting time after implementation of FASTag, National Highways Authority of India is already providing priority passage to such vehicles for quick and seamless transportation of medical oxygen. Instructions have also been issued by NHAI to all its officials and other stakeholders to assist the government and private efforts to fight the pandemic in helping them in pro-active manner,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has created huge demand of Liquid Medical Oxygen across the country.
During the ongoing crisis, the timely delivery of Liquid Medical Oxygen to hospitals and medical centers is of paramount importance to save lives of patients critically affected by COVID-19. Exemption of payment of user fee at the Toll Plazas will ensure faster movement of Medical Oxygen on the National Highways.
The Supreme Court has constituted a 12-member National Task Force to facilitate a public health response to the pandemic based on scientific and specialised domain knowledge.
India is struggling with a second wave of the pandemic with more than 4,00,000 daily new coronavirus cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals in several states are reeling under the shortage of medical oxygen and beds.
Source: mint
