Guwahati: Serious allegations of illicit fuel trading have cast a long shadow over a petrol depot in Kheroni, nestled near Zero Point in West Karbi Anglong. The facility, a joint venture between the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), finds itself embroiled in controversy following eyewitness accounts of suspicious activity.
Local residents and eagle-eyed consumers were left questioning the very foundation of the depot’s operations when an Assam Oil tanker was reportedly observed being filled with fuel directly from the HP depot’s storage tanks. What amplified concerns was the method: a manual pump was allegedly employed, completely bypassing the standard, regulated fuel dispensing equipment. The sight of an Assam Oil tanker, belonging to a distinct entity, at an HPCL-operated facility immediately raised red flags, igniting demands for swift accountability and complete transparency.
The manual transfer, conducted away from official and monitored systems, has fuelled widespread suspicion of clandestine black market operations. Locals are vocally questioning the rationale behind permitting a non-HP vehicle to extract fuel and the highly irregular manner in which these operations were conducted, seemingly in blatant disregard of HPCL’s established protocols and safety guidelines.
This recent incident is not an isolated one, further deepening public apprehension. The depot has, in fact, been under a cloud of scrutiny previously, with earlier reports of irregularities casting doubts on its operational integrity. The latest development, however, has reignited public concern with renewed vigour, prompting calls for immediate and decisive action.
While depot staff have attempted to quell the uproar by claiming the fuel transfer was merely part of routine tank maintenance, this explanation has been met with considerable scepticism from all quarters. Industry standard operating procedures for tank cleaning typically necessitate prior official approval and, crucially, a complete halt to all sales activities during the process. Counter to this, reports suggest that the Kheroni depot continued its regular sales operations even as the alleged cleaning was supposedly underway, potentially constituting a grave breach of HPCL’s stringent regulations.
The clamour for a formal and independent investigation is growing louder by the hour. Consumer groups and vigilant local observers are vehemently demanding immediate intervention from both HPCL and the KAAC. They argue, with compelling reason, that without independent oversight and a thorough probe, the very integrity and reliability of the region’s crucial fuel supply system remains precariously at risk.
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