KOLKATA: Indian Oil Corporation Ltd will start moving petroleum goods to Tripura via Bangladesh from Friday. The first convoy of tank trucks will be flagged-off from IOCL’s Guwahati terminal by executive director Dipankar Roy. This convoy of seven tank trucks will carry 84,000 litres of diesel and kerosene to Tripura via Betkutchi (Assam), Dawki (Meghalaya), Tamabil (Bangladesh), Chatlapur (Bangladesh), Kailasahar (Tripura) and Dharmanagar (Tripura) route. The consignment is expected to reach Indian Oil’s Dharmanagar depot on Saturday.
“IOCL had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Roads and Highways Department of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in August this year. This enables Indian Oil to transport petrol, diesel, kerosene, LPG and other products in tank trucks by road from Meghalaya to Tripura through Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Government, given the friendly, multi-dimensional and expanding bilateral relations between the two countries, agreed to India’s request to facilitate the movement of Indian Oil tank trucks carrying petroleum goods to Tripura through its territory,” said Aloke Kumar Singh, chief corporate communications manager, IOCL. .
The supply of petroleum products to Tripura has been severely affected due to heavy rains and the dismal condition of National Highway 44 that connects the state from Assam. As per the petroleum ministry’s advice, Indian Oil trucks were re-routed to Tripura through alternate circuitous route, reserved exclusively for petroleum and LPG movement. Simultaneously, petroleum products were also moved to Tripura by loading tank trucks and LPG bullets on to open railway wagons. These measures have eased the supply scenario in the state of Tripura considerably.
“While alternate measures have already been taken to address the situation, the facilitation extended by the Government of Bangladesh under the MoU will further improve the supply situation of petroleum products to Tripura in appreciable measure. The next batch of supplies consisting of LPG tank trucks is also expected to depart Guwahati soon,” Singh added.
[Source:-Times Of India]
