ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court directed on Wednesday the Ministry of Industries and Production to fix the price of oxygen cylinders within two days’ time.

An apex court bench gave this direction on a plea filed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

The court further instructed the ministry to explain how the price of oxygen cylinders is set.

The Advocate General of KP said suppliers are charging excessively for oxygen cylinders in absence of official rates.

A Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) lawyer said the Ministry of Industries and Production deals with the supply of medical oxygen and that the drug regulator has nothing to do with it.

An additional attorney general informed the bench that the Pakistan Steel Mills oxygen plant is nearly 40 years old. Making the oxygen plant functional will cost Rs1 billion, he explained, and vowed to submit a detailed report on the oxygen situation.