Agartala, May 8, 2024: In the wake of a critical fuel shortage in Tripura, Chief Minister Manik Saha has made an urgent appeal to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The Chief Minister’s plea is to hasten the restoration of goods train operations via Jatinga, located in Assam’s Dima Hasao district. This request was confirmed by a state official this Wednesday.
The disruption of goods train services since April 26, caused by a derailment incident at Jatinga, has led to a significant fuel crisis in the state. To manage the crisis, the state administration has enforced restrictions on the distribution of petrol and diesel.
“The Chief Minister, deeply concerned about the fuel scarcity, reached out to the Railway Minister on Tuesday. He has requested an acceleration in the reinstatement of the goods train services. He is closely overseeing the developments and anticipates the resumption of services within the next couple of days,” stated an official from the Chief Minister’s Office.
UK Chakma, the State Transport Secretary, mentioned that the North East Frontier Railway (NFR) has requested an extension until May 10 to restart the goods train services through Jatinga.
Nirmal Adhikari, the Additional Secretary of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, highlighted the ongoing efforts to mitigate the situation. “Following the halt in train services, oil tankers have been deployed to deliver petrol and diesel across the state via roadways. However, we are currently able to meet only 40% of the daily fuel needs of the state. The shortage is expected to persist until the train services are back on track,” he explained.