Imphal, May 16 2010: State food Minister, Y Erabot Sunday strongly criticized state home department for not providing security to the trucks even as his department is getting ready to sent trucks to procure essential commodities on the Imphal-Jiribam section of the NH-53 .

Speaking to reporters at his residence, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution minister, Y Erabot said that his department had already arranged goods freight trucks to send on the NH-53 as per Cabinet decision taken at three occasions but it could not be materialized as state home department is not ready to provide security to the vehicles.

"The department made the arrangement for procuring goods on the NH-53 as per cabinet decision on May 12 and 13, but home department failed to the provide security citing shortage in the manpower, which is not true at all," Erabot said.

Why the state home department having a strength of over 64,000 security personnel including central security forces deploying in the state could not spare a few of them to escort the vehicles plying on the Nh-53, he asked criticizing the home department.

Chief Minister, O Ibobi is the in-charge of home portfolio.

Escort team can be made up by calling out some personnel from each of the house cum personal guards of the ministers, MLAs and others VIPs.

Instead of doing this, home department is remaining silent only saying that they have no manpower.

This is not in the spirit of the people.

Wether protection of the VIPs more important than that of civilians dying of starve, will the VIPs be at risk when two or three of section of the security personnel guarding them taken out, the food minister went on to ask.

If need be arises, only the house guard cum escort personnel provided to him can escort the vehicles while proceeding on the NH-53, Erabot said expressing disappointment over the attitude of home department of not arranging security escort for vehicles ready to ply on the NH-53 .

A total of 100 trucks engaged by the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department for procurement of essential commodities with security escort on the NH-53 following cabinet decision to open the route by deploying additional security force on May 13 last.

Food Corporation of India has agreed to collect rice and other items from its godown at Silchar and Jiribam considering the looming food scarcity of food in the state owing to blocked on the Imphal-Dimpaur section of the NH-39 owing to the month long economic blockade of the ANSAM couple with total ban on Manipur vehicles in Nagaland by the NSF.

Prices of the essential commodities sky rocketed in both hills and valley areas apart from sharp depletion of stocks of all essential items in the state.

Petroleum products are totally dry up in the state as government oil depot had stopped supply with sharp depletion of stock of the products.

Currently petrol is sold at Rs 140 per litre in the black market, that too rarely available in some selected places only.

According to the food minister, petrol stock in the government oil depot is now for three days, diesel for five days and kerosene for nine days.