No cooking gas available in Manipur

Imphal, Oct 19 (UNI) It is back to the past in Manipur now as cooking gas has disappeared in Manipur and people have started using wood to cook food.

The problem stemmed from the inability for all the trucks carrying gas cylinders to pass through as the vehicles had to pay unbearable legal and illegal taxes in Nagaland.

More than 130 trucks carrying gas were stranded at Khatkhati, Assam, as they did not have the money to enter Nagaland.

An official of a gas agency said there were too many check points at Nagaland and passenger vehicles and trucks passing through Nagaland had to pay money at all the check points and illegal taxes were also levied by militants.

Each truck had to spend about Rs 2000 per trip just to pass through Nagaland sector from Assam and now the demands have doubled hence each truck had to pay Rs 4000 to pass through Nagaland to meet the legal and illegal demands, he said.

All the drivers were starving now as most of them had been camping for almost a fortnight.

The official further said as there was no rail head in Manipur people depended highly on NH No 39 which passes through Nagaland and the prices of goods had to be escalated at Manipur considering the huge amount of money taken at Nagaland just to pass the NH.

State government officials said a police team would be sent to Assam to escort the vehicles back. However, gas agency officials were reluctant as earlier the truck drivers were harassed and money taken when there was no security escorts.

Meanwhile, due to the scarcity of cooking gas people have started using wood to prepare food and cooking gas is sold in the black market around Rs 700 per cylinder.

UNI NS BA/src1000