Minister belittles blockade impact
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 28 2014 : Prices of essential commodities were not hiked when there were bandhs or blockades in the State.

Goods became dearer because of panic buying by people, claimed CAF&PD Minister M Okendro adding that public should refrain from unneces-sary panic buying.

Responding to a motion raised by MLA Th Shyam-kumar about price hike during bandhs and blockades, M Okendro said that IOC has been continuously shipping in petroleum products while FCI has been shipping rice and other essential commodities.

Claiming that the State Go-vernment shares healthy rela- tionship with IOC and FCI, Okendro confided that there are certain areas where the State Government cannot intervene in their works/functions.

At times of bandhs and blockades, IOC, FCI and the State Government consult each other about stock positions and the areas where es- sential commodities should be distributed on priority basis.

In the event of any bandh/blockade, people lined up before oil pumps even before the bandh/blockade came into effect.

In addition to re-fuelling vehicles, people bought petrol and diesel in portable drums and cans.

Because of such panic buying, there was no fuel oils in oil pumps next day.

The existing stock of petrol would last eight days and diesel would last 15 days.

As for SK Oil and LPG, there are adequate stocks, Okendro informed the House.

There is no case of petrol pumps hiking prices of petrol or diesel during blockades.

Admitting that the quantum of rice being transported by FCI has gone down, the CAF&PD Minister, nonetheless, claimed that there would be no shortage of rice in the State from April as a regional office of FCI has been opened at Imphal.

Moreover, there are plans to build FCI godowns at different places.

Informing that the State Government has been working to implement the National Food Security Act (NFSA), Okendro said that lists of all beneficiaries of all Assembly segments have been publish-ed but no one comes forward with any complaint.

There are district redressal forums and Weight and Mea-sures Department but no con- sumer ever made any complaint about escalation in prices or faulty weights.

Informing that LPG consumers would get 12 subsi- dized refills annually starting from the current year, Oken-dro appealed to all shopkee- pers to put up price index of all goods sold in their shops.

With an oxygen plant already set up at Bishnupur, there would be no shortage of medical oxygen in the State.

Moreover VAT levied upon rice, flour and some other commodities has been cancelled from the current month, the CAF&PD Minister declared on the floor of the House.

Raising the call attention motion, Th Shyamkumar noted that bandhs and blockades are being imposed regularly in the State even for minor issues and these bandhs/blockades have been causing severe difficulties to the public.

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