The first oxygen refilling plant in Udupi district has been set up at Belapu, which will supply industrial and medical oxygen cylinders to hospitals and industrial units.
Manipal-based S N Cryogenics has started the plant within the premises of the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board.
The plant will be able to supply oxygen cylinders within two days if liquid oxygen reaches the plant as per current plans, the unit head Nataraj said.
At present, hospitals in Udupi district, as well as industries, are dependent on three oxygen units functioning at Baikampady and Karnad in Mangaluru.
Once the Belapu unit starts functioning, dependency on other districts will come down.
The refilling plant will get liquid oxygen from Bengaluru and Torangal near Ballari.
The plant can store 20,000 cubic metres of liquid oxygen at -180 degree and refill the cylinders after processing the same into gas.
It will cater to the oxygen requirements of over 40 private and government hospitals in the district, including those at Udupi, Manipal, Kundapur, Brahmavar and Karkala.
The Belapu plant will be able to provide oxygen with less shipping charges and within a short time, Nataraj said.
Udupi additional deputy commissioner Sadashiva Prabhu said that all required licences have been issued for the plant, which will enable the district handle medical emergencies quickly.