Sekmai bullet storage almost complete
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 15 2014: Bullet storage being constructed by IOC with the objective of en-suring adequate availability of LPG cooking gas to the people of Manipur for the next 10 years are on the verge of completion.

The LPG bottling plant of Awang Sekmai was commissioned in 2007 with bullet storage capacity of 600 MT.

In addition to these bullet storage tanks of combined storage capacity 600 MT, IOC has been constructing additional bullet storage with the capacity of another 600 MT and the same work is now almost complete, informed an official source.

Once this new storage is fully completed, the bottling plant would have storage capacity of 1200 MT.

A view of Sekmai LPG bottling plant

According to data available at IOC, average LPG requirement for the State in a day is 80 MT.

At this rate, the Sekmai bottling plant with storage capacity of 600 MT can cater to the State's LPG requirement for only seven days.

This means, the bottling plant can supply LPG for only seven days when LPG bullet tankers stop ferrying LPG for one reason or another.

Once the storage capacity of the bottling plant is augmented to 1200 MT, the plant can supply LPG for 15 days, even if the LPG bullet tankers stop ferrying LPG.

Now the new storage is almost complete.

It is now awaiting inspection by the Nagpur based Department of Explosives and officials of IOC head office, Mumbai.

After inspection by some scientists from Shillong, the new project of augmenting the storage capacity of Sekmai bottling plant was given environmental clearance.

It is expected that the bottling plant would receive pollution free certificate shortly.

The new storage bullet has already undergone leakage test.

The new storage bullet would be commissioned very soon so that sufficient quantity of LPG cooking gas can be supplied to the consumers of the State, informed the source.

Coupled with augmentation of the bottling plant's storage capacity to 1200 MT, the number bullet tankers engaged for ferrying LPG has been increased substantially in order to ensure availability of LPG cooking gas in abundance.

As such, the IOC is now in position to supply adequate volume of LPG cooking gas to the people of Manipur for the next 10 years.

Notably, on account of the law and order situation, frequent bandhs/blockades and sub-standard transport infrastructure, there is a backlog of 58 days regarding LPG supply to consumers.