IOCL seeks suggestions to shift Imphal office

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Dec 1: The Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Assam Oil Division has sought suggestions on shifting the Divisional Retail Sales Office, Imphal (BT Road) to another location.
A well placed source informed The Sangai Express   that the Assam Oil Division Executive Director asked the State Level Coordinator (SLC) of the Divisional Retail Sales Office to suggest appropriate sites for shifting the Imphal office.
However, the source refused to divulge what reply the SLC gave to the Executive Director.
Details of the matter could not be ascertained officially as yet for The Sangai Express could not contact the SLC.
Nonetheless, the IOCL Assam Oil Division Executive Director expressed keen desire to shift away the Imphal Divisional Retail Sales Office at the convention of dealers held a few days back.
When the BT Road office was first opened in 1990, it was called IOCL (Marketing Division), Imphal.
The office looked after retail outlets located in Assam’s Barak Valley, North Cachar Hills, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. At that time, the office was in charge of around 100 ROs.
The marketing division’s area coverage was reduced to just Manipur and Naga-land in 1997 on account of law and order problems, said the source.
The combined retail outlets of Manipur and Naga- land which were under the Imphal marketing division was around 60.
The same office was renamed as Divisional Retail Sales Office in 2008 and it is now looking after around 124 ROs of Manipur.
Three LPG sales officers, four POL sales officers, two engineering staff and two subordinate staff are working at the Imphal Divisional Retail Sales Office under the  State Level Coordinator.
Generally, the State Government consults the State Level Coordinator when the State faces scarcity of fuel due to prolonged bandhs/blockades and break down of highways.  Again it was the State Level Coordinator who worked as the principal negotiator when POL and LPG transporters laun-ched strikes for different reasons.
Moreover sales officers attached to the office go on surprise inspection visits to petrol pumps and LPG distributors so as to check unethical practices.
The Divisional Retail Sales Office also serves as a convenient place for the masses to lodge complaints.  In another word, the office has been serving many useful purposes.
If the same office is shifted to a far off place or another State, the benefits it provide to the public would be either forfeited or curtailed severely.
The office has its own financial powers and thus it was able to solve many problems which demanded immediate actions.
Given the chronic issue of fuel transportation faced by the State, the Government always needs to work together with the Divisional Retail Sales Office, the source added.