Dispur assures depots of footing bill by Monday

GUWAHATI: Most of the vehicles of the Assam Police have gone dry since Saturday as the two filling stations that have an understanding with the department for fuelling have stopped filling fuel, allegedly for non-clearance of a huge bill.

One of the filling stations that has an understanding with the Police Department is at Bora Service Station and the other is at Ulubari near Apsara Cinema. According to workers at the two filling stations, the department owes the two filling stations nearly Rs 12 crore. They also said that the two filling stations are not in a position to fuel police vehicles because of the huge bill the department is yet to foot.

The issue led the State DGP to write a letter to the higher authorities at Dispur to foot the fuel bill.

According to sources, there is also a petrol depot inside SB (Special Branch) office complex of the police at Kahilipara where top police officials and other SB officials fuel their vehicles. Sources also said that the bill to be paid to the filling station at the SB campus is also ballooning fast.

When asked a driver of a PAPA vehicle said, "A few of our vehicles were off the road due to lack of fuel yesterday. Though we got petrol in this morning, diesel emptied within a few hours. Now the vehicles that have no fuel will have to sit idle."

Meanwhile, during talks with the two petrol pump authorities on Sunday Dispur assured the two depots of footing their bills by Monday.

Also Watch: #NewsMakers: Doctors Speak on Rising COVID cases in Assam and Unlock 4.0