IOCL unlikely to meet market share target
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 29 2019: It is now becoming certain that Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) will not be able to reach its target of increasing market share in the oil market of the State for the current financial year 2018-19.According to an official source, IOCL had aimed to increase its sales figure/growth to around 15 percent, from April 1 last year to March 31 this year, compared to the previous financial year 2017-18.The target has not been reached but there will be sales growth, the source mentioned.

On the other hand, other sources claimed that the one of the main reasons for failing to reach the sales growth target, is the inability to ensure round the clock traffic trucks from outside loading points to Malom Oil Depot.

IOCL's Malom Oil Depot has a total capacity of 5124 kilolitres of petrol, 11,796 kilolitres of diesel and 5055 kilolitres of SKO.

Ever since the oil depot began supplying necessary fuel to the retail outlets of the State, it has been facing shortage of necessary stock till date mainly due to low import of the said oil/products.

IOCL has currently around 550 trucks out of which only about 400 operate regularly.

And even then, none of the trucks have been able to operate round the clock transporting much needed fuel and supplies into the State due to the law and order situation which requires the trucks to be escorted by CRPF convoys.

Fully loaded oil tankers can normally bring in the supplies into the State only four times a week through Imphal-Dimapur road (NH-2) and this issue often gets complicated further when natural calamities or any damages to the road occur.

In a nutshell, one oil tanker can usually bring in oil into the State only about three times per month.

On the other hand, most of the tankers/trucks of IOCL are small ones, except a few which have a total capacity of around 20 kilolitres.

The latest tender issued by the IOCL called for tankers having capacity ranging from 24 kilolitres to 40 kilolitres.

However, it was rendered useless after the State Government effectively banned vehicles weighing more than a set limit from plying along both the National Highways of the State.

A large number of oil tankers from Manipur were detained by Nagaland police due to lack of proper documents due to which CRPF convoy led transportation of oil trucks was stopped for three days before Yaoshang.

This further led to empty oil tankers lying unused for the said period apart from preventing fully loaded tankers from entering the State as well.

Then on March 25, a large number of empty oil tankers left Manipur with CRPF escorts but till date, not a single loaded oil tanker has entered the State.

On the other hand, as a large number of empty oil tankers left to get necessary supplies from outside the State, it began hurting the supply to the RO inside the State as there was shortage of trucks distributing fuel to the ROs which led to many ROs either having lots of diesel and not petrol or having lots of petrol but no diesel.

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