Toll fee for tankers carrying liquid medical oxygen waived off

The National highways authority of India has waived off toll fee for tankers and containers carrying liquid medical oxygen (LMO) across national highways, to provide uninterrupted passage of such vehicles.

Keeping in view the current unprecedented demand of the medical oxygen across the country due to Covid-19, 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, NHAI said in a statement on Saturday.

India’s second wave of Covid-19 has left healthcare facilities in the country struggling for oxygen, beds, among other critical medical equipment. The crisis has left several State governments scrambling for oxygen, with patients losing lives because of lack of oxygen at most hospitals.


The centre, tasked with allocation of oxygen to State governments basis their requirements, has been struggling to rush medical oxygen to States, with logistics remaining the main bottleneck. Moreover, the lack of tankers to transport medical oxygen has added to the crisis.

The railway ministry also started Oxygen Express trains mid April to ensure State governments receive help at the earliest.

NHAI 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 a helping and proactive manner, the authority said.

Last week, The National highways building authority was appointed the nodal agency for civil construction and electrical works in setting up of pressure swing absorption (PSA) medical oxygen plants in the country, for which around 581 sites have been identified.

The MOP technology was developed by DRDO for on-board oxygen generation for the Tejas fighter jets, and has been transferred to Trident and Bengaluru-based Tata Advanced Systems Limited so that these two companies can set up part of these plants.