Tripura’s greenfield depot by IOCL to be completed by 2025: Consumer Affairs Minister

Tripura Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Minister, Sushanta Chowdhury on November 28 said that the construction of a greenfield depot with a capacity of 21,000 kiloliters by the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) is expected to be completed by 2025.

Chowdhury, who also serves as the Minister of Transport and Tourism, chaired a review meeting for the project today.

He said that the project commenced in 2022, and the construction is underway on approximately 85 acres of land at Sekerkote, approximately 16 km from Agartala.

“The project, estimated to cost about Rs 500 crore, will be used to store petrol, diesel, and kerosene. Currently, 30 percent of the work has been completed. Although there are challenges in certain areas, efforts are being made to resolve these issues promptly. The government has set a target to complete the project by 2025. The existing depot in Dharmanagar in the North district will be relocated here upon project completion," stated the minister.

Chowdhury mentioned that IOCL is planning to export fuel to Bangladesh, and work is in progress in consideration of this initiative.

"Challenges related to land acquisition, roads, and finances have been identified. Discussions were held on expediting the project, especially considering the artificial crisis that arises during the rainy season when roadblocks occur due to natural disasters. This hampers the timely delivery of petrol and diesel," he added.

The meeting was attended by Indian Oil Corporation Chief General Manager (Operations) Nitin Bhatnagar, Deputy General Manager (Operations) Dipak Kumar Pathak, Chief Engineer Rajib Debbarma, Director of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department Nirmal Adhikari, and other officials.