The war of words between the Deputy Commissioners of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar over the death of COVID-19 patients in Chamarajanagar district hospital due to non-availability of oxygen continued on Wednesday with the Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru Rohini Sindhuri clarifying that she neither rationed nor controlled oxygen supplies to Chamarajanagar.
“I categorically state that as Deputy Commissioner Mysuru, I did not ration or control oxygen supplies to Chamarajanagar district or any other district”, Ms. Sindhuri said in a statement on Wednesday.
She accused the Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner of making allegations by releasing press statements against her in the context of oxygen supplies to Chamarajanagar even when the matter is under inquiry as per the orders of the State Government.
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“…Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner, without waiting for the enquiry to be completed, continues to make false allegations against Deputy Commissioner Mysuru in the media”, she said.
She pointed out that oxygen supplies to a district are entirely between the supplier/re-filler and the district. The Deputy Commissioner of another district has no role or authority in the matter. “For example, Mysuru’s oxygen supplies are from Ballari. If the supplier from Ballari supplies less, I cannot blame Deputy Commissioner, Ballari”, she reasoned before arguing that it was the responsibility of the district to manage their own supplies.
If any oxygen supplier does not meet the requirements of a district, an intervention should be made by the State-level officers, she said. “The DC of Chamarajanagar should have co-ordinated with these State-level officers and got his supplies. He failed to do that and is now blaming DC of Mysuru”, she said in the statement.
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“As a matter of fact, Mysuru district, upon emergency request from Chamarajanagar, took out 40 oxygen cylinders out of its own district hospital on the night of 1st May 2021 and sent to Chamarajanagar”, she claimed.
Ms Sindhuri’s statement is in response to Deputy Commissioner of Chamarajanagar M.R. Ravi’s statement on Tuesday that Mysuru district administration did not respond properly to the medical emergency and the midnight crisis in the Chamarajanagar district hospital as Chamarajanagar, a backward district, was completely dependent on nighbouring Mysuru for supply of oxygen.
Mr. Ravi had also disputed the claims Ms Sindhuri that 250 oxygen cylinders had been delivered to Chamarajanagar. The claim of Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru is “far from truth”, he had said.
The Mysuru Deputy Commissioner’s clarification on Wednesday was also followed by a statement issued by the Deputy Drugs Controller, Mysuru Region, Mysuru, with the details of the oxygen supplied to Chamarajanagar Institute of Medical Sciences from refillers in Mysuru. The statement said a total of 251 cylinders had been despatched between 10.20 a.m. of May 2 and 3.15 a.m. of May 3.