AGARTALA, Aug 11 (TIWN / PIB): The supply of petroleum products to the state of Tripura has been severely affected due to the heavy rains and the washing away of the highway – NH 44, leading to the state. Reaching fuel to the rain ravaged state has become a herculean task after a large portion of the road has been washed away. The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoP&NG), after a thorough review on the availability of POL products in the state, has paved the way for movement of petroleum products by rail to mitigate the impending crisis.

MoP&NG in deliberations with the ministry of Railways has organized the transportation of POL products through – RORO- (Roll On Roll Off), wherein the trucks carrying bulk products and LPG cylinders are loaded on open railway wagons for fuel movement. The rake carrying Indian Oil POL trucks was flagged off from Bhanga, Assam to reach Churaibari, Tripura today.  This is the first initiative of such kind in North East.

Simultaneously, IndianOil trucks are also being re-routed to Tripura through the alternate circuitous route, reserved exclusively for POL and LPG movement.  

Traditionally, IndianOil supplies POL products to Tripura from its depot at Dharmanagar (Tripura). Since October 2014, the products are received at Dharamanagar Depot from IndianOil’s Guwahati depot (Betkuchi) by road, after the suspension of the rail movement due to track conversion from Metre Gauge (MG) to Broad Gauge (BG). Though Railways have restored the section for passenger traffic, the POL movement has yet not been restored.