Erabot details reasons for fuel shortage
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 22 2010: Out of around 100 registered oil tankers engaged for transportation of fuel to Manipur under Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), 73 of them have gone missing inside Assam, and this is one of the main factors responsible for shortage of fuel in the State, Minister of Consumers Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Yumkham Erabot has stated.

Talking to mediapersons at his New Secretariat chamber office here today afternoon, Y Erabot informed that he has already written a letter to the Home Department to trace the missing 73 oil tankers, so that the required fuel could be transported to solve the fuel crisis being faced in Manipur.

Vehicles queue up at a petrol pump due to shortage of fuel

As efforts are still underway to trace the missing oil tankers and the remaining oil tankers have not been able to lift the fuel properly, the shortage of fuel in the State is continuing, he explained.

On the existing stock of fuel in the State, the Minister disclosed that there are 125 kilolitres of Diesel which would last for five days and 443 kilolitres of Petrol which would last for around 3 days.

As for SK oil, the existing stock is 338 kilolitres while that of LPG is 151.4 metric tonne.

In consideration of the depleting fuel stock, efforts are being made to go to Guwahati and hold talk with the IOC officials, the Minister added.

In connection with rice, the Minister said that though the restriction imposed on lifting of rice from FCS godown at Sangaiprou had been lifted, FCI is yet to release the full rice quota for the month of April but it has given the permission to lift the rice quota till March.

The Minister further informed that the monthly rice quota being provided to Manipur by the Government of India is 78.870 quintal.

There is 17,513 quintal of rice in the stock.

So, as of now, there should be no apprehension over possible shortage of rice in the Manipur.

Normally, 88.200 quintal of rice is required in a month in Manipur.

However, after the Supreme Court recently issued an order directing that one truck can load not more than 9 metric tonne, most of the trucks have hesitated from transporting rice, the Minister added.

Disclosing that there were no rice laden trucks among the large number of goods laden trucks that arrived at Imphal yesterday, the Minister said that as the transporters of the FCI has not been lifting the rice properly, the Department has been hiring transporters for lifting the rice quota of the State.

So, until an alternative arrangement could be made the problem in lifting of the rice quota of the State may persist.