Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, October 31 2010:
At least 26 cases against unauthorized selling of petrol and diesel were registered in police stations across two districts of Imphal in three days as the drive against black marketing of fuel intensified.
Meanwhile, people are facing utmost difficulties in finding fuel for their vehicles as black marketers were out of sight from the streets due to the heavy drive of the police while most of the oil pumps remained closed.
Police drive against unauthorized selling of vehicle fuel is amidst the closure of gas stations due to depletion of stocks.
The IOC has been unable to replenish the stocks.
Intensified police drives against illegal selling and unauthorized hoarding of petroleum products in Manipur came after a Union Ministry of Home Affairs directive.
The MHA had noted the prolonged scarcity of the items in the state.
Officials of MHA had even conducted a drive against the black marketers recently in Imphal.
A police source said that police stations across the two districts of Imphal west and east are conducting drives against such illegal practices in the last two weeks and at least 26 cases were registered in the last three days from October 28 to 30 .
During the drive, 37 litres of petrol, 604 litres of diesel, 169 litres of kerosene were recovered from the 26 persons booked under section 285 (dealing with fire or any combustible matter so as to endanger human life, etc.) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) of the respective police station.
Offence under the section can be punished with imprisonment for six months, or a fine of Rs 1000 or both.
Meanwhile, oil tankers are yet to offload fuels at the IOC depot after they refused do to so yesterday.
However, sources said that the non-offloading was due to Sunday being a holiday.
Oil tanker drivers refused to offload fuel at the depot of the Indian Oil Corporation at Chingmeirong decrying the attitude of the depot manager towards the drivers alleging that he refused to recognise their woes faced while procuring fuel from outside the state.