Fuel sale at filling stations drops
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 02 2012: Average sale of diesel and petrol has declined subsequently in the past one week or so, partly due to purchase and stockpiling of fuel, particularly petrol required for several days in the backdrop of the panicky situation triggered by the NH 2 bandh called by the Southern Angami Youth Organisation (SAYO) from July 7 to 14 which saw serpentine queues in front of oil pumps at Imphal.

Sources informed that the average daily requirement of petrol and diesel in the State are 90 Kls and 200 Kls respectively.

These quantities of petrol and diesel are released to retail outlets daily by the IOC under normal conditions.

But when the NH-2 bandh was in force, the demand for fuel rose much higher than the average daily requirement as people, fearing possible scarcity of the same commodities, purchased additional fuel for stockpiling at their homes.

In view of the rising demand, IOC's Chingmeirong depot released 272 Kls of petrol and 148 Kls of diesel on July 16 .

A file pic of a long queue at a petrol pump during a blockade period

On July 17, 148 Kls of petrol and 256 Kls of diesel were released.

This was followed by 212 Kls of petrol and 232 Kls of diesel on July 18 .To make up the fast depleting oil stock caused by release of petrol and diesel in quantities much higher than the average daily requirements, IOC Imphal Divisional Sales Office put in their best efforts to requisition all the available TTs for transportation of fuel to Imphal.

Interestingly, some retail outlets which never sold any significant quantity of fuel earlier not only prepared challans for fuel oil allocation but also demanded additional quantity of fuel at a time when people were on a hectic spree to purchase and store additional quantities of petrol and diesel for future use.

After the SAYO's bandh was lifted and the UNC deferred its proposed 96 hours bandh, the stock position of fuel oils at the IOC depot is full.

Moreover, there are 203 standing TTs which are unable to unload because the stock is full.

Those ROs which did not run their business regularly earlier but nevertheless demanded additional quantity of fuel when people were apprehensive about petrol and diesel scarcity and were stocking fuel no longer come to the IOC for fuel allocation now.

Even the sale rates at the ROs which have been running their business regularly have declined considerably.

Though the average daily requirements of petrol and diesel in the State are 90 Kls and 200 Kls respectively, the IOC now finds its difficult to release 70 Kls of petrol and 130 Kls of diesel in a day.

Yet, it is possible that the UNC may impose highway bandh after August 10 in connection with their demand for alternative arrangement.

To mitigate shortage of fuel in the event of total bandh as threatened by the UNC, the Government and the IOC can make arrangements so that storage tanks of all the oil pumps are fully filled.

Currently, the IOC has been extending the facility of seven day rolling credit.

Under this arrangement, RO's may lift fuel oils from the IOC depot on credit but the money should be paid within seven days.

There is a need for the IOC and the Government to extend the same facility to the RO's of Manipur so that all their storage tanks are fully filled, the sources added.