Fuel shortage likely if Assam unrest continues unabated
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 13 2019: The State may face shortage of petrol, diesel and LPG after around 10 days in case the mass protest raging on in neighbouring Assam against CAB is not resolved within a week.

As a result of the public uproar raging in Assam against CAB, some parts of Manipur have been already facing shortage of fuel.

Transportation of petrol and other petroleum products from Assam to Imphal has been suspended from today as violent protest demonstrations have been raging on in many areas along the routes which pose serious risks to transporters/drivers.

According to information received from IOCL's Malom depot, petrol and diesel would be available at retail outlets as usual for the next nine days.

After the next nine days, nobody can say what the situation would be like.

Nonetheless, IOCL officials have already started discussing how to tackle the situation, said the source.

Till yesterday, tanker trucks brought petrol and other petroleum products.

Notably, IOCL's market share in Manipur is 300 Kls of petrol per day and around 500 Kls of diesel per day.

Calculated at these rates, there are 10 days' stock of petrol and diesel at the Malom depot, informed the source.

The storage capacity of the Malom depot is 5124 Kls for petrol, 11796 Kls of diesel and 5055 Kls of kerosene.

The unrest in Assam is not fully responsible for the fuel shortage which may hit the State after 9/10 days.

Movement of fuel TTs along Imphal-Jiribam highway since the month of July is one major factor for the possible acute shortage of fuel.

When the TTs moved on Imphal-Dimapur highway, it took them just six days to bring fuel to Imphal.

But after they switched to Imphal-Jiribam highway, it took them at least 10 days to bring the same.

As such, fuel cannot be stocked abundantly at the Malom depot during the past five months, said the source.

Meanwhile, information received from the IOCL's Imphal Divisional Retail Sales office said there is only one day's stock of LPG at the Sekmai bottling plant.

Nonetheless, some loaded bullet TTs are expected at the plant tomorrow.

Talking to The Sangai Express, one Imphal-based transporter of IOCL said that fuel TTs generally moved on Imphal-Jiribam highway when the condition of Imphal-Dimapur highway became very bad, particularly during rainy season.

Since the month of July till today, fuel TTs have been moving on Imphal-Jiribam highway with CRPF escorts after Imphal-Dimapur highway suffered severe damages.

But it has been quite some time, Imphal-Dimapur highway had been repaired and improved.

As such, it is highly questionable as to why the fuel TTs have been still moving on Imphal-Jiribam highway, said the transporter.

He added that the State Government's Home Department issued an order in the early part of the current month directing the fuel transporters to take Imphal-Dimapur highway.

However, the transporters rejected the Home Department's order and fuel TTs are still moving on Imphal-Jiribam highway with due knowledge of the State Government, he continued.

In addition to the TTs which are owned by transporters engaged in transporting fuel to Imphal, there are many TTs which are attached to these transporters which are also transporting fuel to the State.

These transporters in collusion with the owners of the TTs attached to them have been taking Imphal-Jiribam highway in their own interest without bothering to stock abundant quantities of fuel at the Malom depot, he added.

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