After more than 95 days of consecutive economic blockades...
4 Kms long queue at petrol pump recorded
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 06 2011:
Thanks to the protracted blockades imposed by different groups on the National Highways leading to Manipur, petrol starved people of Imphal, perhaps, made the longest queue in the world today.
Since months back, the Government of Manipur has been rationing petrol, diesel and other petroleum products compelled by the limited supply of petroleum products it received due to highway blockades.
The situation aggravated to the extreme since the past week when the Government started rationing petrol and diesel to a few selected oil pumps.
The situation, perhaps, reached its climax today when petrol was allocated to only Imo Filling Station at Singjamei Mathak Thokchom Leikai.
Since last night, people from all directions came to the oil pump and lined up to form a record-breaking queue of four kilometres, just to get two or three litres of petrol.
As the people started lining up their vehicles, police commandos, acting on a Government order, disrupted the queue and drove away the people together with the vehicles.
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However, moments after the police team left the oil pump, people came back with their vehicles and re-occupied their positions in the queue overnight.
While the two-wheelers were lined up on the northern side of the oil pump, four-wheelers were queued on the southern side.
On the northern side, the queue extended up to 1st Bn Manipur Rifles gate whereas the southern queue went as far as Naorem Leikai.
Though it was a rare spectacle, the long queues did cause serious inconveniences to vehicular traffic along the highway.
Meanwhile, the State Government has directed the IOC not to make any more allocation of petrol or diesel for distribution to the public until the tankers which are on their way to Imphal arrive.
It is reported that 127 loaded tankers are on their way to Imphal.