Imphal, June 30 2010: As the Assam Petroleum Mazdoor Union is firm on going ahead with its 100 hours agitation, oil tankers that Manipur to lift fuel and bring them back are likely to be stranded in Assam for nearly a week.

A source said from Guwahati that the Mazdoor Union is prepared to call the bandh from july 1 in pursued of its six point demand submitted to the Indian Oil Corporation.

As labourers affiliated to the union would abstain from service for upto july 5 it would be impossible for oil tankers of Manipur to load fuel from the refineries.

It is informed that so far about 30 oil tankers of Manipur have reached Guwahati after leaving imphal on june 26 and only nine tankers have managed to load the fuel till date.

Out of the nine loaded tankers two are kerosene carriers, four diesel loads and the remaining petrol tankers.

The other empty tankers, that left on the NH-53 route for 'tap of point' at Guwahati's Bipkuchi would now have to wait for either suspension of the proposed agitation call or end of the bandh.

When the passage was through NH-39, petrol/diesel used to be loaded at Tinsukia, conveyed the source while adding that it takes about nine days to load fuel and return from the Guwahati depot when the route is through NH-53 .

While disclosing that many more oil tankers that left for Guwahati on June 26 are yet to report at the Assam capital, the source expressed concern that shortage of petroleum products in Manipur is likely to persists for it would take about a fortnight to return in case the Mazdoor Union does not call off its proposed bandh.

While the source noted that allocation of petrol/diesel to fuel outlets in the state on rotation basis due to acute shortage would not be able to solve the problem at an early date, some general consumers who were in queue today to purchase fuel at Jas Gas pump at Uripok suggested that ensuring availability at all the pumps rather than at select ones could ease the problem to some extent.

Substantiating they pointed out that in case 12 kilolitres of petrol/diesel is divided among 2/3 pumps, as was the procedure when similar situation besieged the State, inconveniences being endured by the general consumers would be far less.

They further appealed to the Government of Manipur to apprise IOC authorities for allocation of petrol/diesel to pumps on 'part compartment' basis.

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