AGARTALA, July 29 - Tripura, virtually cut off from rest of the county for the past two months, is facing unprecedented crisis due to acute shortage of petrol and diesel.
Shutters of most of the petrol pumps in the city remained down as furious bikers staged road blockades in different locations of the capital town. Tension ran high all over the capital town following back to back road blockades that affected normal life. Apprehending more trouble, the State Government has asked all the DCs and SPs to take strong action against those who are creating trouble in front of petrol pumps.
Alarmed by the unprecedented fuel crisis, three Ministers � Badal Chowdhury, Bhanu Lal Saha and Manik Dey on Friday appealed to the people to keep calm in the hour of crisis.
A total of 81 vehicles carrying fuel have entered the State on Friday itself and additional 50 trucks are expected to reach here by tonight, said PWD Minister Badal Choudhury.
Chowdhury added he had already urged Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to send a technical team to examine the dilapidated condition of NH- 8 (44) from Churaibari to Mutlabimukam in Assam and NH-208 which fall under Assam and take up restoration works immediately.
�I have already highlighted the pitiable condition of Assam-Agartala NH which has resulted in a long line of stranded vehicles and traffic flow has totally stopped. This has resulted in a serious crisis of fuel products and other essential commodities in the State,� he stated.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bhanulal Saha said that a section of people are motivated by some political parties to create chaotic situation in the city. As part of follow-up action, the Minister has already directed DMs and SPs to identify those �miscreants� responsible for the chaos and take necessary action against them.
�We admit that people are expressing their grievances due to the ongoing petrol crisis. But a section is intentionally trying to create unrest by setting tyres on fire near petrol pumps. DMs and SPs have been asked to spot those people and take action against them,� he said.
Transport Secretary Samarjit Bhowmik has recently written a letter to IOCL executive director demanding increase of number of tankers from the current 339 to cope with the crisis.
Transport Minister Manik Dey sought cooperation from all sections of people in the time of crisis.
