UG demand lands IOC, dealers in deep trouble
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 23 2014 : SK Oil dealers, retail outlets and officials of IOC's Imphal Divisional Office are now facing a precarious situation after the divisional office was slapped a monetary demand of Rs 50 lakh by a particular UG group.

Taking serious note of the unfolding situation, a joint meeting of SK Oil dealers, ROs and officials of IOC's Imphal Divisional Office held a meeting at Hotel Imphal today.

Speaking to media persons after the meeting, some ROs and SK Oil dealers said that a demand letter of Rs 50 lakh allegedly signed by PREPAK finance secretary P Chinglen was served to the IOC's Imphal Divisional Office Manager.

The outfit also set a deadline on August 27 to fulfil the same demand.

As there is no provision in IOC to pay Rs 50 lakh, efforts were made to settle the matter through negotiation but no breakthrough could be achieved so far, said the dealers and ROs.

Whereas the demand for Rs 50 lakh appears to be huge burden to the IOC, strong and empathic words were used by the outfit in response to all efforts for negotiation.

Now the Manager of the divisional office is not staying at Imphal.

In view of these developments, the divisional office is likely to be shifted away from Imphal.

In case the office is shifted away from Imphal, dealers and ROs would face enormous difficulties and people may face shortage of fuel oils.

The meeting held today discussed all these possible scenarios.

If the divisional office is shifted away from Imphal, ROs and dealers would be compelled to go to its new location and it may take days to complete the mandatory process of fuel allocation.

This would also entail extra expenditure even though ROs do not get profit of even Re 1 from one litre of diesel.

As such, dealers may not be in position to deal in fuel oils.

In such a scenario, public would certainly face shortage of fuel oils, the dealers and ROs said.

They also appealed to the particular UG group to withdraw the demand of Rs 50 lakh.

At the same time, the Government should look into the matter so as to resolve the issue at the earliest.

If this appeal goes unheeded, the ROs would be constrained to shut all oil pumps, they added.

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