Frauds capitalise on crunch situation
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 25 2017:
Every time when the State faces shortage of fuel due to blockades, law and order problems and other factors, frauds who are used to adulterating fuel have been raking the moolah.
When people stand in long queues in front of oil pumps during shortage of fuel, oil tankers coming from different locations of Assam unload petrol and diesel at oil pumps directly rather than at the IOC's depot. It is such situation where people who used to adulterate petrol and diesel take undue advantages. Among the people who have been adulterating fuel both inside and outside the State are some transporters and driv- ers of IOC.
Transporters and drivers cutting the steel rods used for locking tanks and welding them after adulteratiing fuel is now a common knowledge fact is also tanker owners.
This does not mean all oil tankers transport ing fuel for IOC are involved in such fraudulent practice.
There have been efforts to check these fraudulent practices but with little success.
Notably, an oil tanker of 20 KL capacity was seized by a team of Imphal East District Police led by Additional SP (Law and Order) Kasar W for adulterating fuel at a godown located at Luwangshangbam Maning Leikai on Thursday.
As of now, IOC has not initiated any action against the particular transporter.
Nonetheless, it is likely that IOC may initiate certain proceedings in order to take some actions against the transporter.
One official of IOC's Malom depot told The Sangai Express that unloading of fuel through diversion at oil pumps directly rather than at oil depots has been going on due to compelling circumstances.
Once the ongoing process of filling up unit-wise storage tanks of Malom depot is completed and the storage tanks are full, fuel would be allocated to oil pumps from the depot.
By that time, adulteration of fuel can be checked considerably, if not totally, the official said.
The total capacity of Malom depot is 21975 Kls.
Unit-wise capacities are 5124 Kls of petrol, 11796 Kls of diesel and 5055 Kls of Kerosene.
Unit-wise storage tanks have been filled by 50 per cent for petrol and 70 per cent for diesel.
All the fuel being unloaded at the depot are unadulterated ones, claimed the official.