Indian Railways’ Oxygen Express arrives in Bangladesh

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: India today supplied 200 tonnes liquid oxygen to Bangladesh by a train ‘Oxygen Express’ to assist Dhaka during the current worsening coronavirus situation while the oxygen consignment appeared as the first delivery by New Delhi to any neighbouring country.

‘Oxygen Express’, an emergency railway service carrying liquid oxygen introduced by the Indian railway services on April 24 last’ reached Sirajganj with a total of ten container filled with liquid medical oxygen (LMO) through Benapole land port this morning.

So far, 480 such Oxygen Expresses were operationalized within India, said an Indian Press Information Bureau’s press release that was disseminated by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

Azizur Rahman, commissioner of Benapole Customs House, said, “Oxygen is being imported by the railway for the first time through the land port…customs related works of the imported oxygen has been finished giving maximum priorities on corona treatment.”

Indian 200 tonnes oxygen will be transported to Dhaka through lorry after unloading it at the country’s western railway station Sirajganj, Department of Health Services sources said.

Earlier, an Indian train carrying 10 container with oxygen left Jamshedpur Tatanagar under Jharkhand province for Bangladesh on Saturday morning.

The train entered Bangladesh through the land port last night, confirmed by the Indian Press Information Bureau.

The oxygen will be supplied to the hospitals for treatment of the corona patients.

The oxygen express, introduced by the Indian railway services to meet the oxygen crisis in different states across the India, so far supplied 36,841 tonnes liquid oxygen to the hospitals.