AGARTALA, July 29 (TIWN): Acute crisis of petrol continues across the state - from Dharmanagar to Sabroom. On Thursday from very early , even from 4 at dawn bikers, car divers and owners started to stand in queue in front of petrol pumps . As the trend shows it seems that even the crisis may continue upto mid-August. Interestingly TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to come to Tripura on 9th of August to address a political rally at Agartala. This will be the first time that Mamata will address rally in Tripura after a group of Congress MLA's along with thousands of workers joined TMC in recent months. As of now it seems that if this petrol a diesel crisis continues it will be tough for the TMC to arrange mass gathering in this programme because the arrangement of vehicles for the supporters from different parts of the state won't be very easy. A section of TMC leadership too is concerned with the recent developments across the state. It is to be mentioned here that TMC is scheduled to hold bike rallies across the state on the 4th and 5th August in support of the campaign of Mamta's 9th August rally. But a highly placed source in TMC informed TIWN on Thursday that at present it seems that TMC will find it tough to organize the bike rallies.

 Some even started to think that there might be a conspiracy on behalf of ruling CPI-M so that TMC can't make the 9th August rally a big success.

 Quite interestingly when the entire state is suffering from acute petrol and diesel crisis for almost two months and at a time inflation in Tripura is in its worst condition and when practically all the people of the state are suffering for it , tankers drivers of  CITU union called a strike for three days from 27th July with a demand to increase wages of transportation for tankers. This is viewed as a political game played by the ruling CPI-M.

 A top level official in the Transport Department told TIWN on this issue ," It is very unfortunate that when the people are suffering very much ,  tankers of CITU unions called this strike. Ruling party should have instructed the CITU leaders not to go for such a strike at this crucial hour . But as the strike continued for the second day on Thursday, it is obvious that CPI-M party has had its green signal for this strike."  Interestingly state Transport Minister Manik Dey is the President of CITU Tripura  state committee as well as CITU Central committee member. Thus, it is clear that invitation of  a strike in such a crucial situation by CITU was nothing but an intentional conspiracy on behalf of the CPI-M , the party in power led by Manik Sarkar.

 Meanwhile , though state is facing crisis from petrol and diesel , black marketers are now very active everywhere in the state. Everyday petrol is sold in the black market at Rs 200/- to Rs 300/- per litre. But the state state govt seems to be blind spectator even when the black marketers are selling them in broad day light. Thus, entire crisis is created by the ruling CPI-M and the state govt's inefficient machinery.

  Not only petrol. Commodities like rice, pulses, edible oil even medicines are now inadequate. The PDS has spread collapsed . The state govt's claim of 55 days of buffer stock is ridiculed by the real situation. Even when  LPG's backlog is upto two months, the LPG cylinders are available in black market at Rs 1200/- to Rs 2000/- .

  On behalf of the  people of the state TIWN would like to raise the following questions to state govt as well the ruling party leaders:-

1) Why is the enforcement department blind in controlling black market sale of petrol , LPG, diesel ?

2) Why didn't Transport Minister ask the CITU tankers to withdraw the strike for the interest of the people of the state ?

3) Why did the Chief Minister and the state gov't not allot a land to IOC to install a depot in Tripura?

4) When the crisis is acute , how can these product available in black markets?

5) Why did the state govt not take initiative to bring essential commodities through Bangladesh much as soon as  the crisis began ?

6) Why did the ruling party remain silent when the CITU invited such an inhuman strike simply to make the situation unbearable ?