Fuel scarcity hits mobile towers in Manipur

IMPHAL - Scarcity of diesel for the past few months in Manipur has affected mobile phone services here.

The All Manipur Telecom Diesel Fillers Committee in an emergency meeting on October 30 took up a decision to stop supplying diesel to all generator sets running the mobile phone service network towers with immediate effect.

The committee stated that it would be unable to supply fuel to the towers as the government authorities and police frequently raided houses of supplies on charges of storing fuel illegally.

The non-functioning towers have resulted in bad connectivity, which in turn is making the mobile users suffer greatly.

“Due to non-functioning of some of the mobile network towers, we are finding it difficult to get good connectivity. Signals get weakened now and then, due to which many times it is difficult to communicate,” said Rohina, a student.

“We are facing a lot of problems. I would like Manipur Government to solve the problems,” she added.

Mobile network operators, however, said that the whole problem was stirred up due to the anti black-marketing drive started by the State Government.

Narjit Singh, Head, Technical section of Aircel, believes that diesel generators have become the lifeline of the State as well as the telecom sector.

“As the electricity availability is very low, that is only five to six hours a day, so we depend as well as our work depends on functioning of normal diesel generators. Diesel generators have become a source of power to run our infrastructure,” he said.

The decision of the fuel suppliers came after the Manipur police arrested three suppliers on October 29 and seized 4,000 litres of diesel from them.

Police booked them for hoarding the fuel without prior permissions from administrative officers. (ANI)