Large scale abuse of SK Oil comes to light
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 20 2013: Although SK Oil is a commodity listed among the PDS items, abuse or misappropriation of the same item has increased substantially in the last few months.

Capitalising on loopholes in the Government's distribution system of SK Oil, some people including Government officials have been misappropriating SK oil for personal aggrandisement which otherwise should be provided to the public at subsidised rate.

On account of the alarming rise in misappropriation of SK Oil in the past few months, IOC's diesel sale has been severely affected, informed a source.

Monthly SK Oil allocation for Manipur is 2080 Kls which means each household should get five litres of SK Oil every month.

After taking into account those families which have separated recently after sharing the same kitchen, each household should get at least two litres every month on the average.

However, there is no official record of providing SK Oil at subsidised rates to families which have set up their own separate kitchens anew.

Mobile sale of K-Oil

Although each household is entitled to 5 litres of SK Oil every month, they don't get SK Oil every month regularly.

On the other hand, rate of using SK Oil has been decreasing substantially.

In other words, the number of households which require SK Oil has gone down considerably.

As for hill areas, SK Oil is literally inaccessible to the people.

Even as SK Oil allocation is made every month, Padiate Traders (SK Oil Agency) of Thanlon, Churachandpur district does not receive SK Oil at all.

Nowadays, SK Oil has been replaced by solar lamp and candles in hill areas too.

Since April this year, CAF&PD Department has allotted 396 Kls of SK Oil to Krishnapremi Oil city, Moirangkhom.

This includes 177 Kls of SK Oil for 59 MLAs at the rate of 3 Kls for each MLA, leaving part the Jiribam MLA.

The remaining 219 KLs belong to Directorate pool.

IOC has oil pumps as well as SK Oil agencies in hill areas too.

But it is not clear why quotas for hill MLAs are allotted to the Moirangkhom oil pump.

In another word, monthly SK oil quotas for hill MLAs do not reach hill areas.

By implication, it means that the State monthly allocation of 2080 Kls of SK Oil is consumed within the valley districts.

Fraudulent means are used to use up the whole quota of the State in the valley districts alone, said the source.

Meanwhile, information received from IOC's Imphal Divisional Sales Office said that rate of diesel from April to October this year witnessed a dramatic fall.

One fundamental reason for the fall in the rate of diesel sale may be adulterating diesel with SK Oil, said the source.

Compared to the previous year, the total sales rate of IOC, BPL and NRL between April and October this year saw an increase of just 115 Kls.

If calculated at the rate of annual rise in diesel sale, there should be an increment of 3000 Kls this year.

This increase in diesel from previous year to the current year is just 0.3 per cent.

This marginal increase of just 0.3 per cent is because of massive adulteration of diesel with SK Oil and IOC has reliable reports in this regard.

Diesel used for operating generators for mobile towers are excessively adulterated with SK Oil, added the source.