This will improve the supply situation in Tripura that suffered a severe fuel crisis for more than two months.
On Aug 18, the Indian state-owned PSU under the guidance of petroleum ministry signed a MoU with the Roads and Highways Department of Bangladesh in Dhaka.
The MoU enables IOC to transport petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG from Meghalaya to Tripura via territory of Bangladesh by road in tank trucks.
The MoU was signed by Pranab Kumar Das, Executive Director in-charge (Supplies), Marketing Division, on behalf of IOC and Subodh Kumar Sarkar, Additional Chief Engineer, Technical Services Wing, on behalf of RHD.
On India’s request for facilitation of the movement of IOC trucks carrying petroleum goods to Tripura through its territory, the Bangladesh government agreed to allow it until the end of this month.
Both sides have also agreed to extend the transit facility for a short period as and when required.
According to the MoU, trucks carrying the petroleum products will cross through the Dawki border in Meghalaya into Tamabil in Bangladesh and after covering some 135 km road, will again re-enter India through Chatlapur in Bangladesh to Kailasahar in Tripura.
They will avoid the hilly serpentine National Highway 44, lifeline of Tripura, a section of which has been badly damaged due to incessant rain and floods in Karimganj district of Assam.
The supply of petroleum products to Tripura has been severely affected by the developments.
Earlier, to ease the supply of fuel, RORO (Roll On-Roll Off), where the tank trucks carrying petroleum products and LPG Bullets loaded onto open railway wagons, was also moved to the state of Tripura.
Only last week, the Food Corporation of India transported a consignment of 2350 MT of rice from Kolkata to Tripura through Bangladesh riverways to avoid transportation hitches through the NH 44.
Earlier, Bangladesh had also allowed India to carry food grains and heavy machinery from different parts of India to Tripura over its territory.
The distance by road between Agartala and Kolkata via Guwahati is 1,650 km but it is just 620 km between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh.
News Source: bdnews24.com
