Fix price of oxygen cylinders, SC tells government

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) directed on Wednesday the Ministry of Industries and Production to fix the price of oxygen cylinders within two days’ time.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed, heard the coronavirus suo motu case in the apex court during which the court ordered fixing the price of oxygen cylinders amid the worsening coronavirus situation in the country.

An apex court bench gave this direction on a plea filed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government.

The court further instructed the ministry to explain how the price of oxygen cylinders is set.

The advocate general of KP said suppliers are charging excessively for oxygen cylinders in absence of official rates.

"It will cost Rs1 billion to activate the oxygen plant," he noted, adding that the court will be provided with a detailed report related to the availability of oxygen in the country.

The Ministry of Industries and Production had earlier decided to assess the gas production plant and see whether it can be revived to meet the demand for oxygen, as cases of the coronavirus continue to surge in Pakistan.

A Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) lawyer said that the Ministry of Industries and Production deals with the supply of medical oxygen and that the drug regulator has nothing to do with it.

An additional attorney general informed the bench that the Pakistan Steel Mills oxygen plant is nearly 40 years old. Making the oxygen plant functional will cost Rs1 billion, he explained and vowed to submit a detailed report on the oxygen situation.