The Territorial Army (TA) stepped in and took control of oil installations in Manipur which were not operational, and augmented manpower where there is a shortage to ensure supplies of essential petroleum and oil products, and refuelling of aircraft, Indian Army officials said. This was necessitated in the wake of crisis that engulfed Manipur as employees and contract workers of oil marketing companies were not able to reach installations due to security constraints, or had to be evacuated due to ethnic violence, officials said.
“The installations were, therefore, either shut due to non-availability of employees or not fully operational due to shortage of manpower. This led to the operational necessity of deploying TA to manage the three vital oil installations which were the energy lifeline for Manipur — Imphal aviation fuelling station, Malom bulk oil depot, and Sekmai LPG (liquified petroleum gas) bottling plant,” an Army official said on May 22.
The unit deployed is the 414 Army Service Corps Battalion Marketing (TA), one of the battalions raised in 1983 to handle both internal and external emergencies, which is affiliated with the marketing division and has over a hundred employees of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). These employees are trained by the Indian Army and by IOC to manage any oil installation (petroleum, oil and lubricants or POL; LPG; aviation turbine fuel or ATF) independently, officials said.
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In the aftermath of the violence in Manipur, the battalion was tasked with taking control of oil installations that were not operational and augmenting manpower. “The battalion reached Imphal within 48 hours of being given orders and over the next 12 hours, Malom depot was made fully operational — tank trucks were dispatched, ATF tankers decanted, and several flights, both civil and defence, refuelled,” the official said.
As on date, the depot is functioning at the same level of efficiency as in the days preceding the crisis, with more than 400 tank trucks despatched to various petrol pumps across Manipur, and to units of the Manipur Police and Assam Rifles, the official stated.
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Moreover, the TA Battalion was also tasked with assisting the operation of the Sekmai LPG bottling plant, situated 26 km from Imphal, and approximately 8,000-10,000 cylinders were being despatched daily, officials said. The unit was visited by Lieutenant General H. S. Sahi, General Officer Commanding 3 Corps, who commended the team for their quick response.
