A special battalion of the Territorial Army has secured three key oil installations in Manipur amid reports of fresh unrest in state capital Imphal.
The 414 Army Service Corps Battalion Marketing (Territorial Army) is one of the battalions raised in 1983 by the Government of India for handling emergencies, both internal and external. The battalion is affiliated with the Marketing Division and has over 100 employees of Indian Oil. These employees are trained by the Army and Indian Oil to handle any oil installation (POL/LPG/Aviation) independently. They are also kept abreast with nuances of operating various oil locations across the country periodically.
Curfew has been imposed again in Imphal on Monday following tensions between the Meiteis and the Kukis over sharing space at a market in the New Chekon neighbourhood.
In the wake of the crisis that engulfed Manipur, the employees/contract workers of oil marketing companies were not able to reach installations due to security constraints or had to be evacuated because of the violence. The installations were, therefore, either shut down due to the non-availability of employees or not fully operational due to a shortage of manpower. This led to the operational necessity of deploying the Territorial Army to manage the three vital oil installations which were the energy lifeline of Manipur: Imphal Aviation Fueling Station, Malom Bulk Oil Depot, and Sekmai LPG Bottling Plant.
The battalion was tasked to take control of oil installations which were not operational, augment manpower where there was a shortage, and ensure supplies of essential POL products and refuelling of aircraft. True to its rich history, the battalion reached Imphal within 48 hours of being given orders and, with relentless hard work over the next 12 hrs, Malom Depot was made fully operational. Tank trucks were dispatched, ATF tankers decanted, and several flights, both civil and defence, refuelled. As of date, the depot is functioning at the same efficiency level as was existing in the days preceding the crisis, with more than 400 tank trucks despatched to various petrol pumps across Manipur, Manipur Police, Army, and Assam Rifles units.
Seeing the amazing performance, the initial tasking was expanded and the Territorial Army battalion was asked to assist in the operations of Sekmai LPG Bottling Plant, 26 kilometres from Imphal. The task was done with elan, as approximately 8,000-10,000 cylinders were being despatched daily.
“Energy crisis, howsoever short, has tremendous economic… and psychological effect, apart from the immediate foreseeable effects and the unit worked relentlessly to prevent this from happening,” the TA said in a statement.
The unit was visited by Lt Gen HS Sahi, AVSM, YSM, SM, General Officer Commanding 3 Corps. He commended the team for the service being rendered by the 414 ASC Battalion (Territorial Army), which averted a major crisis that had the potential to escalate to unfathomable levels. He also asked everyone to continue discharging their duties with the same zeal and enthusiasm in ensuring energy security for Manipur.
Over 70 people have died in Manipur since May 3 in clashes between the Meiteis and Kukis over the Meiteis’ demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category.
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