Ministry of Road Transport & Highways supplementing government efforts in fight against COVID

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The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has left no stone unturned to mitigate the hardship faced by the people in the wake of lockdowns and other COVID-related restrictions in different parts of the country. During the second wave of the COVID-19, the Ministry stepped up to the occasion and took many initiatives to improve the oxygen supply. It also took measures to help citizens avail of different transport-related services at their own convenience when many areas of the country are under lockdown and people are finding it difficult to move.

In order to ramp up the supply of liquid medical oxygen (LMO), the Government decided to set up additional Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) medical oxygen plants in various states. In view of this, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also declared that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would be the nodal agency for executing civil and electrical work for these plants. The move will improve the oxygen supply needed for COVID patients across the country.

Ensured seamless movement of oxygen tankers

On National Highways, the toll tax for tankers transporting Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) has been waived. The action is intended to ensure that tankers and containers carrying LMO may travel without interruption. Containers transporting LMO will be considered the same as other emergency vehicles such as ambulances. The Ministry had already extended the exemption of permission requirements for cars carrying oxygen till 30 September 2021.

Monitoring of Oxygen Tankers

While the seamless movement is important for the oxygen tankers, it is also crucial to monitor them. MoRTH made it mandatory for Oxygen containers, tankers, vehicles to be fitted with Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) devices, which uses GPS technology to ensure monitoring and protection of these tankers, as well as ensuring that there is no diversion or delay.

Training Drivers

Due to the increased demand for Liquid Oxygen Oxygen, the Ministry has issued an advisory to States and UTs to build a pool of certified drivers for transporting “Hazardous Cargo.” 500 drivers will be available in the coming weeks, with a total of 2,500 in the next two months.

The Logistics Sector Skill Council (LSSC), Indian Chemical Council (ICC), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), and medical oxygen producers collaborated to develop training modules. All States and UTs have been instructed by the Ministry to encourage local drivers to enroll in these training programmes. A digital database of trained drivers will be kept. The Ministry has also advised States and UTs to facilitate drivers with a special COVID vaccination drive and prioritize admission and treatment in hospitals, in case they are infected with COVID.

Other initiatives

Given the hardships people have faced as a result of COVID-related restrictions in various parts of the country, the validity of documents such as driver’s license and registration certificates, which had previously expired on February 1, 2021, has already been extended until June 30, 2021. Similarly, several services connected to the Driver’s License (DL) and the Registration Certificate (RC) have been made online, which can be availed through Aadhaar authentication and there is no need to visit the RTO for this purpose. This will help people to a great extent who are not able to go outside.