The Railways has volunteered to help Indian Oil Corporation by carrying oil tankers to fuel-starved Tripura whose reserves have virtually dried up in the last three months.
The decision came after Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu apparently took special interest after he was apprised by the Tripura government and several political parties in the state about the acute fuel crisis while he was in state capital Agartala on July31 to flag-off the first ever direct train connecting the landlocked state to New Delhi.
On Prabhu’s initiative, top officials of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) and IOC officials had several rounds of discussion to immediately transport fuel on railway carriers.
Sources in the NFR added that the ministry has been asked to be prepared to ferry oil while the Tripura government and IOC arrive at a plan.
The National Highway-8 connecting the state with the rest of the country is in a dilapidated condition.
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