Black to grey
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: 27th August, 2008 -

The magnitude of it all is mind boggling and simply astounding. For every Government controlled essential items, there runs a parallel market in the black and so rampant has this practice become that it has become extremely difficult to differentiate the black market from the legal Government outlet or white market, if we may add.

It is there everywhere and with the Government agencies turning a blind eye and even being a party in the black market racket, it is not surprising to see petrol being sold by vendors in bottles while filled LPG cylinders may be bought at hiked a price from pan dukans or a grocery store.

Even in the case of kerosene oil it is easier to lay one's hand on this basic fuel in the black market than from the Government outlets. So farcical has the whole system of Public Distribution become that once a petrol pump closes with the now ubiquitous, Petrol Stock Nil, put up on display, then a number of petrol vendors with the fuel packed in bottles crowd around the gate of the said pump selling the fuel to motorists, of course at a higher price.

Consider another point. As soon as news of an impending blockade on the highway or a landslide hit the pages of the newspapers, suddenly all petrol pumps run out of stock.

Ditto too in the case of LPG. On the other hand the same may be had from the black market at a premium or if one cannot pay the high price then one has to settle for a lower grade fuel, which is obviously spiked with kerosene, killing the engine of the vehicle !

All this suggest that there is a systematic set up behind the screen with quite a large number of moneyed and influential people involved, or else how can the law enforcing agency just turn a blind eye to the open black market. Well we may say that the black market does not exist in Manipur for they have been legitimised and at the most we may say it is a grey market !

It is a given that getting the most basic of things done, such as sending a parcel or getting one's passport or getting the snapped telephone line repaired, can be tiresome and an exasperating experience in Manipur if one does not wisen up to the reality and tries to stick to the rule book.

The trick of the trade is to adroitly side step the laid down rules and regulations and try to get one's way through the backdoor and this may range from greasing the palm of the telephone lineman or taking the help of someone with connection in the right places !

In such a culture it is therefore not surprising to see essential goods being sold so openly in the black market while the same is not available at the designated Government outlets. Against this backdrop it is now easier to understand why petrol is available in the black market, while the pumps ran dry for so many days in the State.

It is the gradual blurring of the line between the legal and the illegal that is taking a heavy toll on the people of Manipur and the tragedy is the unwillingness of the Government to address the issue on a priority basis.

Talking strictly about petrol, there is no doubt that there is a big and influential cartel and it is this nexus amongst the rich and influential that needs to be exposed and broken.