Acute fuel crisis grips NE Indian state of Tripura
Xinhua, August 3, 2016 Adjust font size:
India's northeastern state of Tripura has come to a standstill after an acute fuel crisis gripped the remote region.
The crisis, which has now entered the sixth week, has been triggered by heavy monsoon rains, flash floods and landslides that damaged a key highway connecting the state with the rest of the country.
The shortage of petrol and diesel has sparked massive protests across Tripura for days now, with people venting out their anger against state government, particularly Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.
Local TV channels showed footage of hundreds of thousands of trucks and other vehicles, carrying fuel and other essential goods, being stranded on the highway that is being repaired.
The crisis has driven up the price of petrol from over one U.S. dollar to over 300 Indian rupees (more than four U.S. dollars) a litre, reports said.
The state government has urged the central government to send fuel by rail. "We have urged Railway Minister to dispatch fuel by trains," state Transport Minister Manik Dey told the media recently.
Tripura, the third-smallest state in the country and bordered by Bangladesh to the north, south, and west, is ruled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Enditem