IMPHAL, Dec 4 : All necessary preparations have been made to escort empty oil tankers, LPG bullet tankers and FCI trucks, numbering about 300 to Jiribam tomorrow at 8.30 am.
The security escort team which will accompany the empty oil tankers, LPG bullet tankers and empty FCI vehicles till Jiribam will then escort back the goods laden trucks which have been stranded at Jiribam.
Necessary arrangements have been taken up to ensure that the Noney incident in which blockade supporters inflicted heavy damages on 30 vehicles including oil tankers, LPG bullet tankers and goods laden trucks is not repeated.
As part of the strict security arrangements being taken up, the District Magistrate of Tamenglong had yesterday issued prohibitory orders under CrPC 144 all over the entire district.
Additional security personnel have been deployed for duty along the Imphal-Jiribam road from today and security personnel have been sent on ROP duty along the said stretch of the highway.
Significantly, the Centre had stated that the economic blockade is unconstitutional and the Supreme Court of India had also ruled against economic blockades.
The High Court of Manipur had recently ordered the State Government to ensure that essential commodities are transported along the highway and ensure that they reach the common people.
After the UNC sponsored economic blockade came into force from November 1, the people have been reeling under shortage of all essential commodities, including fuel.
Making things worse is the point that out of the 558 oil tankers with the IOC, only 250 tankers are currently being used to transport fuel to the State. The remaining 308 tankers are yet to be used for transporting fuel to the State.
This has dented the efforts of the State Government to ship in the required essential commodities to the State.
Even though some of the 558 oil tankers may not be road fit at the moment, no visible mobilisation drive by the IOC to utilise all the available oil tankers is seen, said a source while talking to The Sangai Express.
Action against oil tankers which refuse to ply may be taken up under disciplinary guidelines but no action has been taken up as yet.
Source: The Sangai Express
