The consumption of fuel particularly the diesel is on the rise in Manipur in the couple of years in view of the ongoing large scale infrastructures development of road and communications in the state, according to Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) sources.
Deputy general manager (divisional retail sales) Sinam Ibungoton speaking to reporters in Imphal recently informed that the industry has a growth of 13-14 per cent to 37-38 per cent in the region.
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Road expansion and ongoing Imphal-Jiribam railway project besides other infrastructures development are the major reasons for increase of fuel consumption in Manipur.
Currently the State requires about 11,000 kilolitres of diesel (approximately about 110 oil tankers if a tanker carries 10 kilolitres in an average)and 6000 kilolitres of petrol(or about 60 oil tankers) on a monthly basis.
IOC supplies about 80 per cent of requirement while Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) about 20 per cent.
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After Manipur, Mizoram also consumes about 5000 kilolitres of diesel monthly since the last 2-3 years, another IOC official who looks after Mizoram and Nagaland felt.
Three public sector-oil marketing companies including IOC, BPCL and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited are undertaking petrol pumps (retail outlets) network expansion activities in the north-eastern state to meet the growing fuel petrol and diesel in particular.
For this, the selection process of dealers for regular/rural petrol pumps (retail outlets) has been formally launched online throughwww.petrolpumpdealerchayan.in with certain specification to bring in more transparency, Ibungoton who is also the state level coordinator of IOC said.
The process of dealer selection has been simplified in line with the Government’s emphasis on ‘ease of doing business’. User friendly online application has been introduced apart from simplifying the application form. Only the selected candidates would be required to produce the documents.
He said altogether 171 petrol pumps (including 128 regular and 43 rural) will be opened across the 16 districts of the State. Imphal West district (49) will have the maximum number of outlets while Kamjong (1) has the least among all the districts. Churachandpur (12) will have the maximum number of outlets among all the hill districts.
At present the State has a total of 103 petrol pumps including 44 IOC and 20 BPCL.
Stating that expansion of retail outlet network is expected to generate employment opportunities as well, he also added that retail sales of petrol and diesel are rising at the rate of approximately eight per cent and four per cent per annum.
Unlike the past, now Manipur can store at least 5500 kilolitres of petrol which can provide petrol for about 25 days in the state, at its Malom depot near Imphal International airport while it can keep 12,000 kilolitres of diesel.
Similarly it can store about 5000 kilolitres of kerosene oil which can cover about 70/80 days in the state.