Imphal, October 21 2010: Even after a month since the lifting of the UNC sponsored economic blockade on the national highways in the state, people are still buying petroleum products from black marketers at inflated prices.

Even though people are at the limit of their endurance in bearing the extra expenditures, no action has been taken up by the government to relieve the woes of the people apart from blaming one another.

Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution minister, Y Erabot in a report submitted to the Centre through the Union Home Secretary GK Pillai whose four day visit in the state concluded yesterday has blamed that departments concerned failed to take up appropriate actions.

Erabot, in an interaction with Hueiyen Lanpao today, said that he had submitted details of illegal hoarding of petroleum products in the state which were detected by CAF&PD but which law enforcing agencies have failed to initiate appropriate actions.

He said there was enough hard evidence to prove that these items are being hoarded illegally.

The minister quoted of instances when he himself caught red handed illegal hoardings.

"There is no shortage of petroleum products in the government stock.

I wondere why oil pumps are rationing these items.

The problem of non-availability of these items is artificial" Erabot revealed.

Erabot criticised that the present government is not a government for the people attacking the same government of which he is also a part of .

Meanwhile, barely a day after Union Home minister, GK Pillai concluded his four day visit in the state, petrol and diesel black marketers reemerged in the streets in Imphal even as retail outlets remained closed.

During Pillai's stay in the capital, consumers experienced difficulty to buy petrol and diesel.

They had to buy petrol and diesels at rates ranging from Rs 70 t0 Rs 80 and Rs 50 to Rs 60 a litre respectively.

The general people feel that authorities are giving a free hand to the higher authorities while dealing with the distribution of petroleum products to the public.

Many people allege involvement of government officials in hoarding these items.

The state had been facing irregularities in the supply of petroleum products for the last six months since the imposition of the prolonged economic blockade on the national highways from April 12 .

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