Coal India on Tuesday said it plans to install 25 oxygen generation plants in 22 hospitals across its subsidiaries at an investment of Rs 35 crore.

The combined generation capacity of 20 plants will be a little above 12,700 litres per minute. Of the remaining five, four plants together will generate 750 cubic metres per hour and one will be a refill plant.

Five of the plants are being installed at Coal India’s own hospitals with 332 beds.

Northern Coalfields Limited and Central Coalfields Limited will be putting up two plants each and Bharat Coking Coal Limited, one plant. The remaining 20 plants will be installed in district hospitals under Coal India’s corporate social responsibility programme.

“Responding to the oxygen need and to scale up its availability, we are installing oxygen plants on a warfooting. All Coal India owned five plants will be installed before July in phases, beginning from the first week of June. Plants supported by Coal India at district hospitals are expected to be completed by August,” said a senior executive of the public sector miner.

Coal India has also engaged a voluntary organisation to establish oxygen banks at 10 locations in Jharkhand and Bihar for Rs 1.34 crore. Additionally, the company is also contributing Rs 47 lakh towards ventilators to Calcutta Police Hospital.

Coal India has 2,324 oxygen cylinders and 237 ventilators ready for use at its hospitals.