Sandesh Prabhudesai
17 July 2002
The Indian Oil Corporation officials
are on the run in Goa with a major catastrophe in the
port town being averted but a major pilferage racket
being exposed.
The sudden blasts last week near huge
oil storage tanks in Vasco city here, adjacent to the
MPT harbour, could destroy the whole port town if the
fire tenders had not rushed in time. However, it brought
to light a major oil pilferage racket being run while
downloading oil from the ship.
"I am convinced that it is a well-organised
racket and connivance of high officials of several authorities
could not be denied", said chief minister Manohar Parrikar,
after personally visiting the place.
As he ordered thorough inquiry into
the whole racket, at least four IOC officials have now
rushed to the court, seeking anticipatory bail. The
police however have arrested only three persons, including
one petrol pump owner, but not touched any authority
as yet.
According to Parrikar, the annual loss
caused due to the pilferage racket would not be below
Rs 10 crore and minimum 500 tanker-load of oil must
have been stolen, in connivance with the officials.
With not less than 30 huge storage
tanks being installed in the heart of the port town
and adjacent to the harbour, it is also considered to
be the security threat due to prevailing Indo-Pak tension,
states chief secretary Baleshwar Rai.
Shantaram Naik, former Congress MP,
has thus expressed surprise why union petroleum minister
Ram Naik has not even reacted to the serious incident.
"Does it mean that the central government has decontrolled
even the security threat in petroleum sector by leaving
it to the market forces", he asks.
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