Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 27 2009:
To bring petrol, diesel and petroleum products from Dimapur to Imphal, it takes three days even though it is said that the whole world has shrunk to a global village.
Under such circumstances, all efforts of the IOC to avert fuel shortage in Manipur have been reduced to nought.
As the storage capacity of the oil depot at Chingmeirong is for about 12 days only, the state has been facing fuel shortage at times of prolonged bandhs or blockades.
To avert such difficulties of fuel shortage at times of prolonged bandhs/blockades, the number of oil tankers ferrying oil to Imphal has be increased by almost 60 percent, said a reliable source.
Under the new initiative of the IOC, efforts are being made not only to keep the storage tanks always full but also to use tankers as storage tanks when the storage tanks in the depot are full.
Although the storage capacity of the depot is not large enough, the IOC has been making all efforts to avoid fuel shortage in any eventuality.
But all these efforts have been derailed as it takes three days for oil tankers to reach Imphal from Dimapur while waiting for security escorts.
Oil tankers are being provided security escorts by both the Government of Manipur and Nagaland Government on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Oil tankers leaving Dimapur in the afternoon of Monday with security escorts would arrive at Mao at midnight.
After putting up the night at Mao, the truckers would have to halt there till afternoon of the next day (Tuesday) waiting for security escorts.
Leaving Mao with security escorts coming from Imphal in the afternoon of Tuesday, the oil tankers would arrive at Imphal in the night of Wednesday.
Peeved with prolonged undue delay on the way between Dimapur and Imphal, transporters have repeatedly approached Governments of Manipur and Nagaland to take up necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted journey.
But no positive action can be seen till date, the transporters decried.
Talking to The Sangai Express, the transporters said that the journey from Dimapur to Imphal can be completed in a day but at present, it takes three days to travel from Dimapur to Imphal due to lack of coordination between the two neighbouring states.
The transporters are also making extra expenditure because of the unnecessary delay, they conveyed.
On other hand, the Chief Minister's effort to build a Rail Fed Oil Depot at Malom is unlikely to get materialised any time soon as survey work for railway line from Tupul to Imphal is yet to begin.
With the Railway Ministry preoccupied with construction of railway line from Jiribam to Tupul, the concerned officials are unable to pay much attention to the survey work from Tupul to Imphal, said a source in Transport Department.
Moreover, necessary fund for the railway project from Tupul to Imphal was not reflected in the Railway Budget produced by the Union Govt recently.