Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 23 2008:
IF THE state authority fails to check in time over the ongoing strike of LPG distributors and transporters, over 1 lakh cooking gas consumer families in Manipur may face a difficult situation in their respective kitchens during Christmas and New Year day.
The situation here is in a bad shape here since the last few days as almost all the LPG distributors and transporters went on strike due to the militants' extortion demand.
The distribution of LPG cylinders stops from December 16 last following the suspension of bulk transportation of cooking gas and other LPG cylinders from December 8 last.
According to the distributors, around 16 bullet vehicles which have gone from Imphal to lift cooking gas were forced to return from Maram centre in Manipur's Senapati district by the armed militants who insisted on paying godown taxes on December 8 last.
On Tuesday, holding placards which read 'don't give harassment to consumer service', 'demand from UGs beyond our limit', 'pliz don't hinder our supplies on highways' etc, similar sit in demonstration against the demand for militants' godown taxes from bullet vehicles being used for transportation of domestic LPG cylinders was held at Sekmai bazaar and Keishampart junction here.
The transporters and distributors in their meeting held on Sunday took serious note of the threat and demand of militants for paying godown tax by the bullet vehicles.
"They are demanding a huge a amount of money from our business which is beyond out limit to pay" an LPG distributor told this reporter.
Besides the demand of other militants groups, NSCN (IM) is demanding a sum of Rs 13 lakhs from the All Manipur LPG distributors,another distributor claimed.
Now the distributors are demanding immediate resumption of the transport service,besides appealing to the NSCN (IM) to withdraw their demand in the interest of the general public.
They also all the armed groups operating in the region to exempt money demand from the gas agencies in order to serve the public properly.