Oil depot at Jeypore sought

JEYPORE: Peeved over skyrocketing fuel prices, elected representatives of Koraput district have expressed concern and reiterated their demand for installation of an oil depot at Jeypore. Setting up an oil depot in the region will reduce fuel price by up to ` three per litre, they said.

According to sources, diesel and petrol prices at different fuel stations in Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada and Nabarangpur districts are costlier than other parts of the State as oil companies are charging extra for transportation. The IOCL dealers are now procuring fuel either from Jharsuguda or Jatni oil depot for selling it in tribal areas.

Earlier, the IOCL dealers were procuring oil from Visakhapatnam oil depot, which is 200 km away from Koraput, and transportation cost was less. But the supply was stopped last year, they said.Though there was an oil depot at Jeypore, which was catering to the needs of local dealers and consumers, it was later closed. At a time when skyrocketing fuel prices has left the consumers fuming, excess transportation cost has further added to their woes.

Meanwhile, public representatives, led by Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, demanded before Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to make the oil depot in Jeypore functional.