Manipur bid to beat blockades

Imphal, Dec. 23 : To beat economic blockades and roadblocks along Manipur’s supply routes, the Okram Ibobi Singh government has taken up multi-pronged strategies to ensure adequate supply of goods, including fuel and essential commodities in the state.

The prolonged economic blockade imposed recently by All Naga Students Association (Ansam) and United Naga Council (UNC) on the eve and in the wake of NSCN (I-M) leader Th. Muivah’s attempt to enter Manipur in May this year totally dislocated supply of all kinds of goods to Manipur, creating food and fuel crises.

Manipur’s main supply line is National Highway 39 (Imphal-Dimapur highway). Ibobi Singh reopened the Imphal-Jiribam highway, also known as New Cachar road (NH53), after supply along NH39 was completely stopped during the blockade.

To beat such blockades in the future, the Ibobi Singh government has decided to reopen the Old Cachar road that linked Imphal and Cachar through Jiribam.

On top of this, to ensure enough fuel stocks, the government is pursuing a project for setting up a fuel storage facility at Malom on the outskirts of Imphal city that could store fuel for three months.

“The government is pushing forward a project for setting up another oil depot at Malom in Imphal West to augment the storage capacity. This new storage depot combined with the existing storage at Chingmeirong of Imphal city could help do away with the problem of fuel scarcity in Manipur,” consumer affairs, food and public distribution minister Yumkham Erabot Singh told the state Assembly on its opening day today.

He said this was a long-term plan and the new depot would be fed by rail after the Imphal-Tupul railway line was commissioned. The present depot at Chingmeirong has only about 15 days’ storage capacity. The railway project, on the other hand, is progressing smoothly, he said.

Erabot Singh denied charges by Ng. Bijoy Singh of the Opposition Manipur Peoples Party (MPP) that the recent fuel crisis was man-made. Bijoy had raised the issue through a question in the Assembly.

The minister said it was because of the prolonged economic blockade and landslides along the supply routes that had led to the fuel scarcity. He added that the situation had now improved.

However, another bout of fuel scarcity stares Manipur in the face as fuel contractors are threatening a strike.

They are planning to stop lifting fuel from Assam in protest against low transportation charges paid by the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to the transporters.

“Supply trucks carrying essential commodities are getting nearly half of what the tankers are getting. The IOCL is refusing to revise the transportation charges. Hence, we are planning to stop transportation services from January 1 if the IOCL fails to revise the charges,” a transporter said.