Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, May 29: PSU giant Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) said on Sunday that it is looking to transport petroleum to Tripura through Bangladesh, because the rail network in Assam has been completely shut down due to massive landslides.
After the only train link connecting Assam’s Dima Hasao district and Barak Valley, Mizoram, Manipur, and Tripura to the rest of the country was swept away earlier this month, the company began transporting all of its supplies by road through Meghalaya, incurring a cost of more than double.
“After the Dima Hasao landslides, the only way to reach Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and southern Assam was the road connectivity via Meghalaya. This route is also landslide prone,” said Indian Oil Corporation Executive Director (IndianOil-AOD) G Ramesh.
Ramesh claimed that the company’s North East business, IndianOil-AOD, had transferred a few consignments to Tripura via Bangladesh in 2016 when supply was severely hampered by poor road conditions in Assam’s Barak Valley.
“We are trying to revive that six-year-old network as an alternative route. Currently, we are talking to the Bangladesh government through the Centre. We are hopeful that positive news will come soon,” he added.
The company intends to transport fuel convoys to Bangladesh via Dawki, Meghalaya. It will then re-enter India at Tripura’s Kailashahar.
Once the talks are completed and an agreement is signed, Indian Oil-AOD will transport its products from Guwahati’s Betkuchi depot to Tripura’s Dharmanagar depot via the neighbouring country.
