Fuel stations in Manipur, mainly in the Imphal valley, shut down operations starting Saturday evening in response to a call made by the Manipur Petroleum Dealers Fraternity (MPDF) to protest against a bomb attack at a fuel station in Bishnupur district.
Unknown assailants hurled a bomb at a BPCL petrol pump on Moirang Kumbi Road, leading to an explosion, on Friday. However, no casualties were reported in the blast.
After the announcement of the indefinite shutdown, people started panic buying. Even before the shutdown came into effect, which commenced from 7 pm, people started queuing at fuel stations. The petrol price skyrocketed on the black market, reaching up to Rs 160 per litre.
In a memorandum submitted to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the MPDF stated, “This is the second instance where a life attempt has been made with bomb threats within a short period of time, as recently one of the dealers was targeted on December 6 last year.”
The fraternity stated that MPDF members are not in a position to continue business normally and demanded that the Government ensure no similar incident takes place in future by enhancing the security of fuel dealers and their staff.
The memorandum also urged the Government to take full responsibility in case of any future incidents like bomb blasts and kidnappings and to compensate for damage caused to petrol pumps. It also called for maximum compensation in the event of fuel dealers or staff getting injured or killed in such incidents.
Anurag Bajpai, Additional Chief Secretary, Transport/TA & Hills/Textiles, Commerce & Industries, told the media on Saturday in Imphal, “The Government is taking necessary measures to control such unwanted incidents. If the fraternity reaches out to the Government to discuss the issue, the Government is ready to hold a meeting for an amicable solution.”
