Imphal, December 12 2008: Following the imposition of a huge demand on the gas agencies as godown tax by a hill based armed group, all gas agencies have stopped sending the bullet vehicles since December 9 to transport gas and deposit the same at Sekmai Bottling plant, giving rise to apprehension that the State may soon face another round of LPG shortage.

According to a source from Sekmai Bottling plant ever since the bullet vehicles stopped service, the stock has been running low at the plant.

Most of the bullet vehicles have deposited their stock at the plant while only one or two are on their way.

If the situation continues like this then soon the Bottling plant will run out of stock and it will not be able to supply LPG to the gas agencies.

About 20 truckloads of LPG cylinders are bottled at the Sekmai plant every day.

However since the stock is running low, the plant now can bottle only about five truckloads of LPG cylinders, said the source.

The bullet vehicles were pulled out of service following a decision taken by the owners on December 9 that until the Government intervenes and broker an agreement with the armed group, they will stop transporting LPG.

The bullet vehicle owners while speaking to The Sangai Express said that their decision has already been conveyed to the Government.

However there has been no response from the Government till date, they added.

One loaded bullet vehicle while coming to Manipur to deliver the stock was way laid and impounded by some armed persons on December 10 .

In such a situation the question of lifting gas from outside the State does not arise, they maintained.

The All Manipur Petroleum Dealers Association has not yet retracted from their earlier decision that until and unless the unbearable monetary demands from different armed groups are withdrawn by December 31, then they would close shop from January 1 .

The dealers are also demanding that the Government provide adequate security following the series of bomb attacks at oil pumps.

A member of the Association said that following instructions from the DGP, the SP had asked them to attend a meeting to discuss what type of security they would want.

However since most of the prominent members of the Association are away at Silchar for the Dealers' Conference at that time, the meeting is yet to be held.

The meeting will be held once they return on December 14, said the member.

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