A worker checks medical oxygen cylinders at Government Medical College and Hospital in Jammu on Wednesday. PTI

Jammu, April 28

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will set up two 500-bed Covid hospitals in Jammu and Srinagar, officials said on Wednesday.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, while chairing a high-level meeting, reviewed the proposal to set up the hospitals, they added. Bhalla asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to immediately identify suitable locations for constructing the hospitals. He also asked the DRDO to evaluate and submit the corresponding proposal estimates through a team of experts.

The meeting was informed that the administration has identified two patches of land in Jammu and Srinagar for the purpose. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam, Financial Commissioner, Health, Atal Dulloo, the Union secretaries of the departments concerned and officers from the DRDO, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the AFMS Institute attended the meeting. To mitigate the shortages in medical facilities, it was requested that the temporary DRDO Covid hospitals be constructed in time, an official spokesperson said. — PTI

Medical oxygen stocks set to surge in J&K

• In an attempt to pre-empt the medical catastrophe that has afflicted Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and some other states, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has taken a major initiative to boost the oxygen manufacturing across the Union Territory.
• Even as most of the major hospitals in Kashmir are already equipped with independent oxygen manufacturing plants, the authorities have stepped up the process of addingsix new plants to the system within a fortnight. PTI

84-hr lockdown in 11 districts

• An 84-hour lockdown would be imposed in 11 districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday evening in a bid to tackle the surge in Covid-19 cases, a senior official said.
• The curfew would come into effect at 7 pm on Thursday and remain in force till 7 am on Monday. Eleven districts, including Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Kulgam, Pulwama, Ganderbal, Jammu, Kathua, Reasi, Udhampur will be under curfew. PTI

Transporters want passenger fare up

Protesting against the administration’s order capping the seating capacity in public transport at 50 per cent amid the Covid-19 pandemic, dozens of transporters held a protest here on Wednesday, demanding a hike in passenger fare for the survival of the  economically-hit” industry. Private transporters have been on an indefinite strike since April 21. PTI