AGARTALA, Sep 11 (TIWN): Manik Sarkar led Tripura Govt’s lackluster attitude, poor planning to stock essential commodities resulted severe fuel crisis in State since April this year. Due to Modi Govt’s proactive action after Tripura’s severe crisis reported to Union Rail Ministry, MoRTH&PMO, Central Govt Ministries Petroleum and Natural Gas of India and the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) of Bangladesh had signed MoU in Dhaka 3 weeks back on August 18 which resulted fuel-transport via Bangladesh on Saturday night. Modi Govt envisaged that this short route for Tripura via Bangladesh would save time and costs in carrying petroleum products from Assam to Tripura as the existing over 400 km of mountainous route required more than 10 hours to carry these essential items. As the condition of highways NH-8,NH-44 in Assam, Tripura & Meghalaya are not worthy during monsoon season, so transporting via Bangladesh is a time-saving cost-effective option. This short-term India-Bangladesh deal on shipping of the petroleum products is valid till September 30. Also due to Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s dynamic actions, special trains are carrying oil tankers for Tripura from Aug 12 which resolved fuel crisis. During the inauguration of Agartala-Delhi express train at Agartala Railway Station, Suresh Prabhu announced RoRo (Roll On Roll Off) service to solve Tripura’s long lasting fuel crisis.Even though Chief Minister Manik Sarkar avoided reaching out to Hasina & Modi Govt for immediate help since the crisis began in April, however due to Modi Govt’s proactive measures, Tripura was rescued from severe fuel crisis in August.An IOCL official said on Saturday night"Indian Oil Corp Ltd (IOCL) today transported petroleum products from Assam to Tripura through Bangladesh.”

Central Govt officials, Tripura’s Commerce Minister Tapan Chakraborty received the tanker trucks at Kailashahar along the India-Bangladesh border at around 11 p.m.

"The special arrangement was taken due to the difficulties faced in carrying petrol, diesel, kerosene and cooking gas through the national highways linking Tripura," the official added.

The official said nine tank trucks carrying 108 kl of diesel and kerosene along with one LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) truck travelled from Betkutchi near Guwahati to Dawki, Meghalaya's border point with Bangladesh, and then on to Tamabil and Chatlapur in Bangladesh, eventually reaching Kailasahar and Dharmanagar in north Tripura.

The trucks reached the Dharmanagar IOCL depot on Saturday night after plying 136 km in Bangladesh. 

Indo-Bangla MoU will facilitate India to carry petroleum goods (Motor Spirit, High Speed Diesel, Superior Kerosene Oil and LPG) from Assam to Tripura through Bangladesh to make a buffer stock in the northeastern state.

However, Tripura Govt. yet to help NFR to sort out the ‘unloading’ problems.Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Ministers, MPs all demanded fuel transport via Train on the occasion of Agartala-New Delhi Express Train inauguration’. 

In the first lot 30 DBKM (flat bedded) wagons with each having a capacity to carry two loaded trucks will be placed at Bhanga.

Fuel tanker trucks will be loaded on these by means of an end-loading ramp. The tankers will be securely fixed on the wagon floor to ensure safety during movement. Thefirst such goods train will leave Bhanga near Badarpur at 11.00 hrs to reach Churaibari in Tripura 44 km away.

The road connecting Tripura with Assam had been in very poor shape creating serious bottleneck in transportation of commodities including fuel into Tripura. This had resulted in serious fuel crisis in Tripura. The RoRo scheme introduced by the Railways will help the loaded trucks to piggyback on goods train to bypass the damaged national highway near Churaibari. This will bring much relief to the common man in Tripura.

The RoRo service, first introduced in Konkan Railway in 1999, is being introduced in N. F. Railway for the first time.

Although military movement have been done in the past on flat wagons, this is for the first time that commercial goods movement is being done by RoRo mode.

The road condition in remote areas often gets affected during inclement weather in NE and RoRo will prove to be a novel means to help continue supply lines in times of crisis. The service is designed to provide connectivity to loaded road vehicles where road connectivity is poor or does not exist. This service is economical, helps in reducing carbon emission and reduces traffic on roads.

But BJP led Central Govt. helped Tripura again by fulfilling the latest demand of running RoRo (Roll On Roll Off ) service to end fuel crisis which caused due to Tripura PWD's failure to maintain NH-8(44).