AGARTALA, July 5 (TIWN): Hundreds of oil tankers are now stranded on National Highway 44, which connects Tripura to the rest of the country, as heavy rains, mudslides and water-logging has turned a 20 km-stretch of the crucial road into slush. Petrol is being sold at Rs. 200 to 250 per litre in some places as supplies of essential goods including medicines, fuel and food have been cut off for past many days. The lack of movement of vehicles on the Assam-Agartala National Highway has caused widespread distress across the State, with reports claiming that petrol prices have shot up to Rs. 250 per litre in some areas of the State. It is to be mentioned here that petrol crisis has already hit the state posing a threat to the common people. Starting from price hike, lack of essential commodities, poor condition of roads is all that the state has gained since 23 years of CPI-M rule, yet the Manik Sarkar’s Cabinet Ministers Badal Chowdhury, Manik Dey yet to visit NH-44 and taking up highway restorations on urgent footings.

Visit to the vegetable market is proving to be an expensive affair. With the prices soaring to an unprecedented high, a humble cucumber or even potatoes are sure to burn a hole in the pocket.

 Along with price hike that state is also hit with the supply of lack of essential commodities including petrol and diesel.  Hundreds of vehicles were seen in queue in front of petrol pump for refilling their vehicle tanks.

The actual reason for the dry-out remains largely speculative and the petrol pump owner is not ready to speak anything regarding the crisis in the city.

It is to be mentioned here that most of the petrol pump of the city area running dry and a long queue of people is seen from the early morning waiting in the petrol pump to collect petrol. Hundreds of vehicles were seen in queue in front of petrol filling station while many centres had hanged the board of no-petrol.

Majority of the petrol pumps in the state capital hanged the board of no-petrol due to lack of fresh petrol supply, forcing the desperate consumers to buy petrol from black market at a hefty price.

Tripura is experiencing a major fuel crisis as the regular movement of vehicles has been badly hampered due to the dilapidated condition of the National Highway 44 in Lower Poha in Assam.

The state totally dependent on the highway, which is considered the lifeline, for importing fuel from Assam, the crisis has been on for the last 15 days.

A majority of fuel filling stations have put up signs of 'no petrol' and 'no diesel' in the wake of fuel tankers not coming through the 12-kilometer stretch between Patherkandi in Assam and Churaibari in Tripura, which has turned into paddy field due to incessant rains.

There is also a long queue of bikers and vehicles at various fuel filling stations.