Kudos to RPP for exposing the racket of fuel adulteration for the second time within 7 years period. The local papers splashed the story of the detection of the continuous business of adulteration of fuel: Petrol & Diesel in Nagaland in its front pages on 22.4.2022. In 2016, the ACAUT exposed the racket of fuel adulteration after which the Govt. of Nagaland intervened. Since then the public had a sigh of relief believing that Nagaland Govt. had taken all necessary and adequate preventive measures against any such recurrence in Nagaland.
On the contrary, though the present case is yet to be investigated and therefore it is early to draw conclusions, still the RPP’s detection and the second exposure of the fuel adulteration in Dimapur, Nagaland implies that the very racket was not banned, rather the Govt. of Nagaland allowed it to continue till date. The obvious reasons are that without the indulgence of the Food and Civil Supplies Department (F&CSD), Govt. of Nagaland, how could the adulterators normally get such substantial amount of Kerosene oil to feed their illicit factory of adulteration. When the F&CSD, Nagaland being the obvious feeder to the adulteration unit in Dimapur town, how could the State Govt. claim ignorance of such existence? Secondly, had the Govt. of Nagaland not been complacent in the first case of 2016, the racket would had been rooted out from Nagaland. Thirdly, how the Police intelligentsia failed to detect it till a political party caught it? What type of administration we have today that nurtures the kind of illicit business that harms the gullible public? Fourthly, how could the RPP’s detection surprise the concerned colony authority since such business is obviously a regular daily activity than periodical business?
In the light of above, how can the Govt. of Nagaland assert that it cannot be the keeper of everybody’s kitchen. Rebuking the public that it is the bounden duty of the general public to report such illegal activity to Govt. for necessary action is more of arrogance. Such reprimand is befitting the pre-detection of the case but not post detection. Preventing any anti-people activity is the primary duty of the State Govt. and not of the gullible public. As much as the UDA Govt. craves for accolades it cannot discard any discredit. Though the violation of the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Law (NLTPL) remains rampant, none bothers to report it to the concerned authorities knowing that the very business has been there in connivance with the State Govt. agencies, the public may feel it is the same with the fuel adulteration.
As per the recent exposure, one Ashok who was named in the case of fuel adulteration in 2016 is once again found to be the wanted implies that the named culprit perhaps remains to be the blue eye boy of the powers that be in Nagaland. Had the State Govt. been honest in erasing such illegal business from Nagaland, the culprit like Ashok would not have dared to continue with the same racket. However, as of the present exposure, it is most likely that the F&CSD is possibly the major provider of Kerosene oil from the allotted State quota to the adulteration unit, how such business could be stopped?
The grey area is now exposed. The business of the fuel adulteration was caught red handed by RPP members. Hence, there can be no ground to deny it. Now the ball is being kicked to the court of the State Govt. Therefore, it is now up to the Govt. of Nagaland as to whether the fuel adulteration issue is also left in the lurch like it treated the NLTPL.
Z Lohe
zhovehulohe@gmail.com