Former Minister and Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Deve Gowda on Friday urged the State government to immediately fix oxygen quotas for each district to avert an “oxygen war”.
Addressing a press conference here, he regretted that the government had not taken steps to ensure equitable distribution of oxygen among different districts even after the Chamarajanagar deaths.
In the absence of any guidelines by the government on usage of oxygen, Mr. Gowda said the district in-charge Ministers of neighbouring Mandya and Chamarajanagar, K.C. Narayana Gowda and S. Suresh Kumar respectively, have come to Mysuru and taken away oxygen cylinders with full police security.
“What about the oxygen needs of people in Mysuru when the stock here is exhausted? Are we waiting for a tragedy to happen here?”, he asked while claiming that the government as well as the officials in the State have not yet woken up to the need for rationing oxygen.
Mr. Gowda also urged the Centre to sanction the State its full quota of oxygen. If the Centre is reluctant, the MPs elected from Karnataka, irrespective of party affiliation, should go to the national capital and demand their due, the JD(S) MLA representing Chamundeshwari said.
