DIGBOI, Aug 31 - The Government of Assam in a high-level meeting of all concerned stakeholders held at the office of the Chief Additional Secretary to the Government of Assam, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department (FC & CA) on August 29, following the State-wide indefinite agitation by APMU, has instructed the IOCL (AOD) authority to immediately erect a proper fence all along the Marketing Terminal at Golai under Digboi Police Station. Other vital aspects related to the issue were also discussed and means suggested to ensure a normal state of affairs.
The meeting intending to resolve the deadlock centring round the alleged unlawful activities including the collection of money from the oil tankers and ongoing syndicate in and around Digboi terminal site was chaired by Kumar Sanjay Krishna, the Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Assam and attended by SZ Hazarika, Secretary, FCS & CA Department, S Suchibrata, Deputy Secretary, FCS & CA, Peeyush Gupta, the State head, Retail, BPCL, BK Sharma, the General Manager (Operations) IOCL (AOD), D Doha, DGM (RS) IOCL (AOD), CS Chakravarty, DGM IOCL (AOD), T Ahmed, DGM (Technical) Digboi Terminal, Pankaj Das, SH (LPG) NE BPCL, Munin Mahanta, president APMU, Binod Tiwari, working president APMU, Ramen Das, the general secretary, APMU and Sankar Shah, secretary APMU.
Munin Mahanta, the president APMU in apprised the house of the situation and reason that compelled them to undertake the agitation. According to him, one Golai Association was involved in collection of Rs 200 each from the oil tankers� drivers besides threatening the workers including those in muster roll.
After a threadbare discussion, the Additional Chief Secretary over phone instructed Oinam Saran Singh, the Deputy Commissioner Tinsukia to immediately initiate steps to stop any such alleged collection of money further asking him to lodge FIRs if required and put the defaulters behind the bars.
Meanwhile, hitting back at the alleged malafide intentions of a few motivated leaders of the APMU with their vested interest in the said business, members and office bearers of Golai Association said, �Whatever might be the decision reached in the meeting between the APMU and the Government of Assam or with the local administration, we will continue earning our livelihood in the same manner unless the local unemployed youths are adequately rehabilitated as assured by the AOD authority earlier during the purchase of our land for the terminal project. A nexus of oil traders and smugglers have been obstructing the functioning of the terminal at Golai as they could prosper in their trade at Tinsukia Terminal and could not access the same at Digboi too,� alleged an office bearer of the association on condition of anonymity.