Good news for fuel-scarce Manipur: IAF brings petroleum products ahead of polls

An Indian Air Force (IAF) cargo oil tanker landed at the Imphal airport on Thursday, bringing in petroleum products to fuel-scarce Manipur, where assembly polls are slated early next month.

An Indian Air Force (IAF) cargo oil tanker landed at the Imphal airport on Thursday, bringing in petroleum products to fuel-scarce Manipur, where assembly polls are slated early next month.

An oil tanker is loaded in an IAF C-17 Globemaster aircraft in New Delhi. Petroleum products are being airlifted to Manipur to tide over the crisis arising out of the blockade.(PTI File)

The cargo oil tanker landed around 10.30am and took off after unloading, airport officials said.

This is the second time a cargo oil tanker of the IAF has flown in petroleum products to Imphal as the ongoing indefinite economic blockade has cut off all regular transportation of essential commodities, including fuel in the poll-bound state.

The blockade, which began on November 1 last year, was imposed by the United Naga Council along the highways of the landlocked state in protest against the state government’s creation of seven new districts.

The Election Commission had on Wednesday said sufficient petroleum products are available in the state to ensure smooth transportation of polling personnel for the March assembly election and that the economic blockade in Manipur would not impact the poll process.