ACAUT Nagaland volunteers, Dimapur along with officials of the Dimapur district administration re-confirmed but made a shocking discovery of illegal networks of petrol adulteration units across several places in Dimapur and Chumukedima Monday afternoon.
Several thousand litres of kerosene(PDS item), are being used everyday to create a substance that looking like petrol by adding a chemical substance (Zero Suphate) that turns golden yellow like petrol. This is then mixed with petrol in large tanks or oil tankers and transported for sale to various petrol pumps across the state.
Acting on a tip-off, members of ACAUT Nagaland, Dimapur along with officials of the Dimapur district administration went to inspect an adulteration unit, housed in several sheds at Ghorapatti along Golghat Road Monday at around 1 p.m. The sheds were under the name of Umesh, Srikant, Lal Mohan, Navel, Dhina Nath and Ajay. However, none of them were present during the raid except some workers.
Another team of ACAUT volunteers had also fanned out towards 5th Mile and Chumukedima on the same mission. At a place in 5th Mile, the ACAUT team including an official of the district administration and public raided a place.At the site, the team discovered nine steel storage tanks of 2000 litre capacity besides another four steel storage compartments of 30,000 litres capacity all filled with kerosene including two motor pumps and an oil tanker.
The storage godown was run by one Ajay Prasand and Romeo on a land owned by a local. Three persons taking care of the premises were also caught including a minor. Later, the team went to a petrol pump in Chumuekdima where the manager and three staff were caught involved in the racket.
The manager of the pump was identified as Amar Chaudhary and the pump was operated under contract by one Tina Nath though the company dealer was a local. The manager confessed that they were involved in mixing chemicals to kerosene to make it look like petrol and then add it with petrol and transported to pumps in Dimapur, Kohima, Wokha, Kiphire and Phek.
Interestingly a demand note was also recovered from the petrol pump, purportedly issued by a functionary of the NNC (Non-Accordist), out of the “Second Class” business (petrol mixture).
Further inputs drew the entire team back to Dimapur where they went to a place behind Tata Parking, used as another petrol adulteration unit. The team found ten tanks of 2000 litre capacity and another four tanks of 10,000 litres capacity filled with kerosene and two barrels of 500 litre capacity filed with petrol. The team also found a ten-wheeler truck and another six-wheeler truck used for transportation.
It may be noted, that all the adulteration units were operating independent off each other. The taxation department needs to order a thorough investigation on exactly how all the petrol pumps get the oil and also backed by movement and transit permits from various oil depots.
Briefing media persons on the outcome of the raids, leaders of ACAUT demanded that all those found in various units and the kingpins should be arrested and the land used for such adulteration be confiscated by the law enforcing agencies.
ACAUT also expressed deep suspicion that officials of Food and Civil Supplies Department and other senior government officials could be involved in the racket. ACAUT issued an ultimatum on the district administration and law enforcing agencies to bust the entire racket and book all culprits under the provision of law within a period of one week time.