The deaths of 31 children could have been avoided if BRD Medical College authorities had taken note of the warnings sent by liquid oxygen supplier Pushpa Sales. The firm last warned authorities 11 days ago that it would stop oxygen supply if dues of Rs 69 lakh were not cleared. Pushpa Sales Manager Deepankar Sharma, in a letter dated August 1, said the firm was making the last supply to keep the oxygen plant going for the next 4-5 days. Sharma further stated in the letter that the firm buys oxygen from a Dehradun-based company which has warned to stop supply because of pending dues. Company officials claimed that for the past two years, since the hospital's oxygen plant became operational, hospital authorities were dilly-dallying payments.

Source: dna August 12, 2017 01:07 UTC