KATHMANDU: Crusher manufacturers, hydropower producers, and grill operators have announced that they will provide their oxygen cylinders to the government.

The Federation of Nepali Crushers and Mining Industries has made an appeal to the Government of Nepal to make available all the oxygen cylinders of its industry through the local government at this time of national calamity.

The Federation has called upon the industrialists to make available to the government the empty and oxygen-filled cylinders in all the industries by keeping records in their district and state federations.

Secretary-General Purushottam Regmi said that the Federation’s attention has been drawn toward the lack of oxygen following the second wave of coronavirus.

According to Regmi, there are about 600 crusher industries registered in the country.

The industry has a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 15-20 cylinders. The federation has decided to provide oxygen cylinders to the government from industries across the country.

Accordingly, it is expected that around 3,000 to 35,000 cylinders will be collected from all over the country, he said.

He said that there would be no problem in a collection as there are many crusher industries around the capital and the main city. “We want to alleviate the crisis in the country and the people, even if only a little,” he said. Regmi also informed that six cylinders in his Dhading-based industry have been handed over to the local level.

The Independent Power Producers’ Association (IPPAN) has also directed the hydropower projects to provide oxygen cylinders in the workshops of the hydropower projects to save lives.

According to IPPAN Chairman Krishna Prasad Acharya, the contractors of the project have been using oxygen cylinders for welding.

“With the advent of new welding technology, we may not have as many oxygen cylinders as we used to,” he said. According to him, many projects have already handed over the cylinders to the locals and some have started the process of handing over the cylinders.

President of the Federation of Nepal Grill and Steel Entrepreneurs Mohan Katuwal says that they are handing over their oxygen cylinders.

He said that discussions were held with the government a few days ago and the federation also expressed its commitment to play a role in resolving the issue of oxygen cylinders.

Chairman Katuwal said that the cylinders owned by the grill industries are being handed over as per the same commitment.

According to him, there are around 150 cylinders in small grill industries now. The federation estimates that large industries have an average of 1,000 to 1,200 cylinders.

He said that everyone was requested to hand over the cylinder. He believes that more than 3 dozen cylinders will be handed over on Sunday and Monday alone.

According to him, those outside the Kathmandu Valley are informing the local level or local administration. He said that some of the industries have to be completed in the current financial year, which may lead to a slight delay. “Everything is after health, so we have to explain, we are all positive,” he said.