Rail-fed oil depot work begins
Fuel shortage problem may soon be history
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 24 2011: With the construction of a rail-fed oil depot now underway at Malom, it is expected that the chronic problem of shortage of petrol, diesel and SK oil would become history by 2016 .

A reliable source informed that construction of compound wall around 35.615 acres of land given by the Government of Manipur to IOC at Malom for the oil-depot has begun.

However, due to absence of security at the depot site, there were few instances of loss of cement and some other construction materials.

Nevertheless, maximum efforts are being put in to complete the fencing work at the earliest.

The main task of building the oil depot would be taken up once the compound wall is constructed.

The depot which would have capacity to stock one month's requirement of petrol, diesel and SK oil is targeted for completion by 2016 .

This would be in sync with the extension of Jiribam-Tupul rail line to Imphal, informed the source.

A queue at a petrol pump, a common sight in Imphal, may become a thing of the past soon

As for the fencing work, it is targeted for completion before Durga Puja festival this year.

It is expected that all the inconveniences and difficulties hampering transportation of fuel by oil tankers can be reduced considerably once the mode of transportation is switched to railways.

On the other hand, with the rise in the number of vehicles, daily consumption of fuel has also shot up in the State.

This has necessitated the IOC to ferry at least 50 loads of oil tankers every day.

At present, more than 300 oil tankers registered with the IOC are being engaged for transportation fuel to the State.

Despite the efforts to ferry at least 50 oil-tankers to Imphal every day, the oil tankers are not in service to their full strength and there were times when there was no escort service because the number of loaded oil tankers was not sufficient.

When there was no escort service for two days, many oil pumps had to close their business.

There are apprehensions that problem of fuel oil shortage may re-surface in the State once the monsoon season sets in in view of the not so reliable conditions of NH 39 and NH 53, conveyed the source.