An interim report of Supreme Court’s audit team, stating that AAP government in Delhi exaggerated the national capital’s oxygen requirement by four times during the peak of the second wave of COVID-19, has started a war of word between APP and the BJP. The report said that because of Delhi, the supply of excess oxygen “affected other states.” Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has denied the report and said it was part of “malicious and false” propaganda of BJP.

“The Delhi government’s claim of 1,140 Metric Tonnes was four times the calculated consumption as per the formula based on bed capacity, which was 289 MT only,” said the report, according to ndtv.com.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that the SC-constituted Oxygen Audit Committee has not approved any report yet. 

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BJP leaders have been talking about a so-called report about the exaggeration of oxygen requirements by Delhi, said Manish Sisodia, and added, “Let me tell you that the report BJP has been quoting doesn’t even exist. I challenge BJP to bring this report signed by members of the Oxygen Audit Committee.”

“It is unbelievable to see that Arvind Kejriwal and the Delhi government politicised oxygen supply when COVID-19 was at its peak,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said.

“This is such petty politics. The data presented by Oxygen Audit Committee in the report is shocking,” he added.

According to NDTV sources, no such report has been signed off by the sub-group.

The report is submitted by the PESO (Petroleum and Oxygen Safety Organization) study, and it says that Delhi consumed an average of 284 to 372 MT of oxygen from April 29 to May 10. It said, Delhi had “surplus oxygen, which is affecting the supplies to other states and are a disaster in waiting, if it continues like this.”

“It was discussed that there is a gross discrepancy (about 4 times) in that the actual oxygen consumption claimed (1140MT) was about 4 times higher than the versus calculated consumption by formula for bed capacity (289MT),” the report says on discussions in the sub-group.

The apex court will take up the interim report on June 30.