Fuel racket: Civil society announces clamp on NHs across Nagaland

Only govt. regd. vehicles, fuel tankers for first phase 

Dimapur, October 9 : Now that the Nagaland government has failed to bring in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the fuel-adulteration racket, the Co-ordination Committee on Fuel Adulteration (CCoFA) has announced indefinite blockade on all national highways across Nagaland.

Except for government registered vehicles and fuel tankers, other vehicles are exempted from the purview of the blockade for the first phase of the scheduled agitation. The CCOFA, composed of 21 civic organisations, issued a press release on Sunday informing about the decision.
However, keeping in mind “the ongoing festival,” not specified in the press release, the CCoFA said to implement the bandh only from October 17.

The organization said to have conducted a meeting on October 8 during which they decided to implement the proposed blockade on national highways across Nagaland accordingly with the public resolution of September 10.

The resolution had stated that should the Nagaland government fail to institute a CBI enquiry for the fuel adulteration case within 15 days, the blockade would be launched.

“Therefore, with the expiry of the deadline, the CCoFA will carry out the bandh on national highways in an indefinite manner but in phases. In the 1st phase, there will be total restriction on the movement of fuel tankers and Nagaland government registered vehicles along NH-29 (AH-1),” the organization stated.

“This is also to say that the movement of other vehicles shall not be disturbed anywhere in the state during the 1st phase of the agitation save for the blacklisted category of vehicles.”

Volunteers are to be deployed at strategic locations, including the New Field Check Gate and Dillai Gate to carry out the public resolution, the organization stated. In case that the state government ‘still refuse’ to accede to popular demand, the CCoFA will be forced to “widen the scope of the indefinite bandh and implement the next phase and so forth till the demands are met,” the organization stated.

The organization remarked that ‘once again’ the state of Manipur had become the ‘largest beneficiary of the fuel adulteration racket.’ Up to 70-80% of the adulterated fuel consignment from Dimapur is disposed off in said state, the press release alleged.

“Therefore, the indefinite highway bandh on movement of fuel tankers and Nagaland government vehicles is in the interest of all right thinking citizens. The CCoFA appeals to our Manipuri brethren to bear with the difficulty that may lie ahead but which nevertheless can be amicably settled if the Nagaland government does the right thing by calling the CBI in,” it added.