Petroleum Ministry sanctions aid to flood hit Bihar

New Delhi, Sep 1 : The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has ordered an extra 10, 000 metric tonnes of kerosene for flood victims in Bihar besides sanctioning rupees 50 million rupees as part of its flood aid effort.

Announcing this at a news conference in New Delhi on Monday, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora said that the Government was trying to meet the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) needs of the flood victims free of cost.

"Our Ministry has sanctioned an amount of rupees 50 million for the relief of victims. In addition to this, an extra 10, 000 metric tonnes of kerosene have been sanctioned today which will be delivered on Tuesday. Besides, there was a request for LPG cylinders, the exact quantity we do not know," said Deora.

The relief comes as saviour for the people in flood hit eastern state, currently facing a shortage of essential commodities.

Most of the petrol pumps and LPG stations in the flood-hit region have been destroyed or damaged by floodwaters.

The administration is taking the help of police in distributing commodities like LPG and kerosene, as there is danger of these being looted by the people.

Officials said three million people have been displaced from their homes and at least 90 killed by floods after the Kosi river burst a dam in Nepal, swamping hundreds of villages in Bihar and destroying 100,000 hectares of farmlands.

The Kosi, known as Bihar's 'river of sorrow' for its regular floods and tendency to change course, gushed into the State inundating vast areas and affecting more than two million people.

Deora also ruled out any plans to cut retail fuel prices despite a sharp fall in crude oil prices in recent weeks.

Crude has slumped from mid-July's record high of 147.27 dollar to about 117 dollar per barrel, but Deora told reporters that there has not been so much of a reduction in international crude oil prices.

India raised state-administered prices of petrol and diesel by about ten per cent in June to partly cut losses of state oil firms, which are forced to sell below market prices to help the government control inflation.

ANI