BJP leader RP Singh on Friday slammed Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia over his remarks that report about Delhi government "exaggerating its O2 requirement by four times" during peak of second wave of COVID-19 does not exist and said they should get Delhi Principal Home Secretary to deny that there is no such report.
"The report has already been submitted in Supreme Court. Ask them to get Principal Home Secretary on record that there is no such report," Singh, a BJP spokesperson, told ANI.
Supreme Court's oxygen audit team submitted its interim report and stated that the Delhi government exaggerated its oxygen requirement by four times at the peak of COVID-19's second wave.
The panel, led by AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, included Delhi Government Principal Home Secretary Bhupinder Bhalla, Max Healthcare Director Dr Sandeep Buddhiraja and Union Jal Shakti Ministry Joint Secretary Subodh Yadav.
Sources said that in a mail earlier this month, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, who is the chairperson of the panel, enclosed the interim report of the subgroup for carrying out the oxygen audit of NCT of Delhi, for reference after incorporating inputs and recommendations of all the members.
Delhi Government Principal Home Secretary was marked in the mail along with other panel members.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra earlier in the day attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the report and alleged that he had committed "heinous crime".
BJP leaders also said it appears that the Delhi Chief Minister and his deputy had little clue of what is happening in the national capital.
The interim report said that Delhi government "exaggerated the oxygen requirement for the city by more than four times during the April 25-May 10 period, at the peak of the second COVID wave" and added that supply of excess oxygen to Delhi could have triggered a crisis in its supply to 12 states with the high caseload.
"There was a gross discrepancy (about four times) in the actual oxygen consumption claimed by the Delhi government (1,140MT) as it was about four times higher than the calculated consumption as per the formula based on bed capacity (289 MT)," it said.
The average consumption of oxygen in Delhi was between 284 to 372 MT, said the report, and added that "the excess supply of oxygen affected other states in need of oxygen".
It further stated that four Delhi hospitals claimed high consumption of oxygen with fewer beds.
On May 5, the Supreme Court, on the Delhi government's request about oxygen shortage in the national capital, had directed the Central government to maintain a supply of 700 MT of oxygen to the national capital.
Manish Sisodia on Friday rebutted BJP allegations and claimed that the report the party has been quoting has not been approved by the Supreme Court yet.
"BJP leaders have been talking about a so-called report which states that there was no O2 shortage in Delhi during COVID peak and Delhi exaggerated its O2 requirement by four times. Let me tell you that the report BJP has been quoting doesn't even exist," Sisodia said.
"Supreme Court constituted Oxygen Audit Committee has not approved any report yet. Then, which is this report that BJP leaders have been quoting? I challenge BJP to bring this report signed by members of Oxygen Audit Committee," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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