LPG shortage: Failure to stock at storage tank
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 10 2018: The shortage of LPG at Sekmai Gas Bottling plant of the IOC not long after a portion of the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway sank near Naga Hospital, has been linked to failure to stock the LPG at the storage tank of the bottling plant.

It has also been reported that the failure to stock the LPG at the said plant is mainly due to the intervention of the Government.

According to a reliable source from the Divisional office of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) at Imphal, the gas bottling plant supplied as much LPG as it can to eliminate the scarcity of cooking gas for the consumers.

The source added that after the gas brought by LPG bullet tank trucks from various LPG loading points outside the State were unloaded and the gas bottled as much as possible and then the trucks were sent back and as such, the gas bottling plant was able to stock LPG from April last year.

However, the same month, 2704.47 MT of LPG was brought in and 2861.203 MT was bottled and dispatched.

In May, 1492.43 MT was brought in and 1420.724 MT was bottled and dispatched.

In June, 1998.14 MT of LPG was brought into the State and the bottled and dispatched amount was 2172.644 MT.

Then in July, 1514.10 MT of LPG was brought in while 1492.280 MT was bottled and dispatched.

The source explained that the storage tank of IOCL Sekmai gas bottling plant has a capacity of 1800 MT but as most of the LPG brought into the State was bottled and then despatched, the storage tank failed to stock up LPG.

Pointing out that the failure to stock LPG is mainly due to the low import, the source mentioned that taking stock of the situation, IOCL issued a gate notice in October last year, for adding an extra 42 LPG bullet- tank trucks, over its initial number of 152 such trucks bringing in LPG into the State.

Out of the 22 trucks which came after the gate notice was put up, 18 were added and the total number of bullet tank trucks climbed to 170 and with it the condition of import and bottling and dispatch of LPG in the State also improved.

In December last year, 2822.07 MT of LPG was brought into the State out of which 2608.309 was bottled and dispatched.

In January this year, 3152.98 MT of LPG was brought in and 3240.238 MT was dispatched.

The source continued that in February 2737.10 MT was brought in and 2818.715 was dispatched while in March, 2994.23 MT of LPG was brought in and 2831.011 MT was bottled.

As the bottling and dispatch of LPG was greater than the import, the gas bottling plant could not stock up on LPG and as such on April 25, IOCL issued a gate notice to take up necessary steps to add additional 52 bullet tank trucks.

However, the contract of the initial 152 bullet tank trucks of IOCL ended in September last year and as such, a tender notice was issued to employ bullet tanker truck transporters on January 23 this year.

During such a juncture, the need to continue bringing in LPG into the State, led to the extension of the contracts of the 152 trucks till August this year.

However, the State Government advised IOCL to refrain from issuing the gate notice until the general tender was completed.

The source claimed that if the State Government had allowed the gate notice, 52 additional trucks would have been added and the lack of LPG stock at Sekmai bottling plant due to the lack of road connectivity could have been avoided.

According to the terms and conditions of the gate notice, the additional 52 trucks, even if they had been added, would have brought in LPG only till August this year and this has no connection whatsoever with the general tender, the source claimed.

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