State's monthly SK Oil quota slashed
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 16 2017:
The
State's monthly SK Oil quota
has been reduced from 2200
Kls to 1700 Kls.
According to information
received from the IOC's
Imphal Divisional Retail
Sales Office, the monthly
quota of SK Oil allotted to
the State by the Petroleum
Ministry till 2011-2012 was
2200 Kls.
Meanwhile, the Government
of India initiated new
measures across the country
to replace SK Oil as much
as possible with green fuels
like LPG and piped natural
gas with the primary objective
of mitigating pollution.
In line with these measures,
SK Oil production and
allocation were reduced step
by step.
Subsequently, the
country's SK Oil production
has declined by 36.6 per
cent.
Consequent upon the decline
in the country's SK Oil
production, monthly SK Oil
allocations for the Northeastern
States were reduced
drastically.
Manipur was allotted
2200 Kls of SK Oil in a
month till 2011-12.It was
cut down to 2046 Kls before
it was reduced to 1996
Kls.
It was further reduced
to 1700 Kls in 2016.
Further, the monthly allocation
was slashed to
1100 Kls since October
2016.
As a result, a large
number of people living in
far off and remote corners
of the Northeastern States
including Manipur faced
acute shortage of SK Oil.
After the matter was
raised to the Government of
India repeatedly, the Ministry of Petroleum revised the monthly SK Oil
allocation for the Northeastern States.
After revision, Manipur's monthly SK Oil allocation was
fixed at 1700 Kls.
The Government of India has been working
to reduce pollution level by replacing use of SK Oil by
green fuels to the maximum possible level, and Chandigarh is
the first priority of the Government of India's new initiative.
It is reported that the Government of India has been working
to stop use of SK Oil completely and replace them by
green fuels at Chandigarh.
Even if SK Oil must be used out of sheer necessity,
subsidy given on it would be removed and the same would
be delivered to consumers directly under Direct Benefit Transfer
of SK Oil, informed a source.
On the other hand, total quantity of SK Oil allocated to
different districts of Manipur by CAF&PD Department for the
month of April was 1168 Kls.
Subsequent upon the drastic reduction in the State's
monthly quota of SK Oil, the quantity of SK Oil allocated to
MLAs on monthly basis has been cut down from 3000 litres
to 2500 litres.
Nonetheless, CAF&PD Minister Karam Shyam recently
lobbied with the Petroleum Ministry to increase the State's
monthly SK Oil quota, added the source.