A group of people today staged a sit in protest demonstration near Tidim Oil pump Keishampat today demanding essential commodities at the right prices.
The sit-in was organized by the Protection and Preservation committee Manipur and attended by more than a hundred individuals under the banner “Provide us essential commodities at the right price”.
The protestors also displayed placards reading “Don’t give any disturbances along the Imphal-Moreh road”, “Establish Ethnic Economic Department Council”, “Abolish black market ERS” and “Provide essential commodities”.
The convener of the committee disclosed that they have submitted several written statements and memorandum urging the government to check the escalating price rise.
The sit in protest is the first phase of the committee’s movement against price rise however if the government fail to address the situation, the committee will resort to extreme forms of agitations, he warned.
On the other hand, locals of Singjamei Thokchom leikai today stormed the ‘Emo Filling’ oil pump after they caught a man trying to take 20 litre Jerrican filled with petrol from the pump this morning.
According to a local source, the man who was caught came out from the oil pump carrying a 20 litre container filled with petrol. The man caught the attention of some locals present whose number increased. However seeing the locals, the man fled from the scene on his two-wheeler, however, the container containing petrol however was seized by the locals.
The source further asserted that the mob then stormed the pump demanding the distribution list of the pump as on November 6 and 7. It may be recalled that the government allotted 12 kilo litres of petrol to the pump.
Timely intervention of the police prevented the tension from escalating further as the police disperse the mob.
In the meantime, an official of the pump clarified that the allocation provided to them was distributed entirely to the public. Altogether 1000 four wheelers bearing tokens were provided with petrol for Rs 500 each and Rs 200 each to two wheelers on November 6, he asserted.
On November 7, four wheelers were provided petrol for Rs 400 each, and Rs 200 each for two wheelers, further clarified the pump and added that today’s petrol caught by the public was for the used of the petrol pumps.
On the other hand, Altogether 96 oil tankers, 17 bullet LPG carriers including several loaded trucks arrived this afternoon in Imphal from Jiribam.