Petrol pumps on the verge of closure
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, February 10 2024:
Petrol pumps located in valley areas of the state are on the verge of closing down due to unbearable monetary demands and donation made by different organisations and UG groups, according to dealers.
A joint meeting of different fuel retail outlets was held in Imphal on Saturday to discuss the monetary demands, which have become unbearable for them.
The meeting also highlighted instances of some groups of people filling petrol or diesel and leaving without payment whenever there are skirmishes in the foothill areas, which has caused severe hardships to the fuel outlets.
Interacting with media after the meeting, representatives of the retail outlets said that filling fuel without payment has become a major issue.
While they are attending to the needs of the volunteers even in the middle of the night, such instances are making it tough for them to survive.
Besides, there are monetary demands made by different organisations and most importantly, they are not accepting the amount offered by the outlets.
They are losing even the capital amount due to such demands, the representative said.
The retail outlets are operating with loans acquired from banks and they are in no condition to repay the loan in stances of intimidation, where groups of people capture workers and release them in faraway locations.
Unless the government takes up necessary measures to address the issue, the retail outlets will have no option left but to close down, the representatives said.