Fuels to be transported under security escort from today
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 05 2010:
As a somewhat belated follow up action of what Chief Minister, O Ibobi had pointed out last week, the State Cabinet today resolved to initiate stern action to stop petrol pumps from selling diesel and petrol secretly and also take action against those who sell petrol and diesel in blackmarket.
A meeting of the State Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister O Ibobi held at 1 pm today at the conference hall of the Chief Minister's Secretariat discussed the prevailing state of acute fuel scarcity in Manipur, an official source said.
Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Y Erabot, DGP Manipur, Y Joykumar, Deputy Commissioners of Imphal East and Imphal West districts, and SPs concerned also attended the meeting.
The source further said that the meeting took serious note of the situation wherein certain oil pumps were engaged in selling petrol and diesel secretly, and resolved to take stern punitive action against such oil pumps including delicensing and closing down those pumps.
The government has given strict instructions to the district authorities and SPs concerned to translate the Cabinet decision into action.
It was also resolved that security escort will be provided for the oil tankers to start bringing petrol and diesel from tomorrow onward.
DGP Y Joykumar would take responsibility for providing security to escort about 100 oil tankers being presently stranded at Khatkhatti in Assam.
Necessary steps have been taken in this regard, the source said.
The Cabinet meeting also discussed the ensuing visit of UPA's Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to Imphal on November 12, and resolved to form different committees to ensure full proof security to the visit and also mass participation of the people in the public meeting which will be addressed by Sonia Gandhi.
The meeting also discussed how Sonia Gandhi would be welcomed and the roles to be taken by Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee and the state government during the much awaited visit, etc.
Since Sonia Gandhi would be accompanied by Minister of Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal, the Cabinet discussed the importance of resolving the controversies surrounding the Tribal University before its foundation stone is laid during the visit, the source said.