Imphal, October 24 2010: Due to recurrence of landslides on the National Highways on one hand and vacation of Durga Puja on the other, transporting petroleum products to Manipur had been stopped for some time resulting in acute shortage of petrol and diesel in the state once again.

The passenger service vehicles are said to be in a difficult position and are likely to stop service unless the situation is improved and petrol and diesel are made available at the oil pumps.

It may be recalled here that Chief Minister O Ibobi told mediapersons a few days back to wait and watch what the government would do to the black-marketeers of petrol and diesel.

Following the Chief Minister's threat and actions of police, even those people who sell petrol in black-market either on the roadsides or at their shops have stopped selling the fuel openly.

A representative of Nagamapal-Mayang Imphal Road Transport Cooperative Society told this newspaper today that the vehicles under the Society would stop service to the people within the next one or two days due to nonavailability of diesel.

This difficult situation came about since the oil pumps in Imphal have stopped issueing petrol and diesel a few days back, he said.The representative further said that it is not to support the black-marketeers of petrol and diesel but when they were openly selling petrol and diesel, the fuels were available even though the prices were higher.But now, even if we search, we can not get to buy the fuels.

Wherever the fuels are available in black-market, one litre of diesel of which the real price is only ' 39 costs ' 60 to ' 70 .

On the other hand, most of the commuters, except a few noble hearted persons, are not willing to pay a little more than the usual fare.

Therefore the vehicle owners and drivers have no other alternative than stopping service, the representative of the Society said.

Autorickshaw drivers, whose parking space is located at the Statehood Square in front of the main gate of Mapal Kangjeibung, told this newspaper that since the IOC has stopped allocating petrol and diesel to the oil pumps, they have not been able to get even a single litre of diesel during the past four-five days.

Those who were selling the fuels in black-market have stopped their business out of fear, and what little stock of diesel that had been left is being sold at ' 80 per litre on the sly.

As a result, many autorickshaws that ply different routes have not turned out for service today.

More autorickshaws would stop plying tomorrow, they said.

An official report received from IOC depot at Chingmeirong said that the condition of Imphal-Dimapur section of the National Highway 39 is terribly bad.

In Nagaland section also, frequent landslides disrupt traffic forcing the oil tankers to take a bypass road which is over 20 kms taking more than three hours.

But in Manipur where there is no bypass, the NH 39 has sunk at three different places due to landslides.

Therefore, most of the vehicles have not entered Manipur, the source said.

Besides, due to Durga Puja holiday, the office of IOC located at Khatkhatti had remained closed for several days forcing a number of oil tankers to remain stranded there.

Approximately 80 to 90 oil tankers are presently stranded at Khatkhatti.

Some of them are likely to reach Imphal late today or tomorrow.

Until the tankers reach Imphal the IOC has no means to distribute petrol and diesel.

The source further said that the stock of petroleum products at the IOC depot at Chingmeirong will not last more than two days.

The stock of petrol is only 206 KL, Kerosene is only 132 KL and diesel is only 164 KL.

The depot has not allocated petrol and diesel to any pump today and may not do so tomorrow as well.

When the oil tankers from Khatkhatti arrive in Imphal, petrol and diesel would be distributed.

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