India to send first Oxygen Express to Bangladesh

In a helping hand commitment to its neighbours, India will soon send it’s first Oxygen Express to Bangladesh. All preparations are in place by Indian Railways’ to embark the journey of Oxygen Express to the neighbouring country, which will ferry 200 metric tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO). The special goods train comprising ten containers will carry LMO to Benapole Railway Station of Bangladesh. The Indian Railways’ Oxygen Express is set to embark on its journey to Bangladesh. This is the first time ever that the Oxygen Express is put into operation to neighbouring country. Today, an indent was placed at Tata in Chakradharpur Division under South Eastern Railway to transport 200 MT of LMO to Benapole in Bangladesh,” the Ministry of Railways said in an official statement.

The loading of 200 MT of LMO in ten containers has been completed at Tata Nagar in Chakradharpur Division of South Eastern Railway. It may be noted that during the second wave of COVID pandemic, Special Oxygen Expresses were started by Indian Railways  in April this year to provide respite to states requiring medical Oxygen in the shortest possible time. More than 35,000 MT of LMO was transported to 15 states. Around 480 Oxygen Expresses were operational.

Bangladesh has experienced an upward trend in Covid  cases since mid-May. The Delta variant was detected in 92% of the tests sequenced in the country up to 28 June, ​ Less than 3% of the population of Bangladesh had been fully vaccinated by 13 July.