Jajpur: NH-53 in Jajpur district has turned to be a hub for illegal transportation as well as black marketing of furnace oil.
Spurious furnace oil is being transported by hundreds of tankers from Paradip area to different places in Odisha like Kalinganagar, Keonjhar, Rourkela, Angul and Jharsuguda via Jajpur, a source said.
According to the source, furnace oil is being adulterated at PPL Road, Bauria Palanda, Balijhara and Kali temple locality, which are located within 5km radius of the port and under Paradip police limits.
Also read: Slight decrease as Odisha reports 7,729 Covid-19 cases, 39 fresh fatalities
Sources said that traders involved in this illegal selling of furnace oil are earning handsome amounts. The total turnover of this trade is over rupees one crore in a month, they pointed out. They also informed that these traders work hand in glove with the police. At times, they do conduct raids on the oil depots. However, the raids are done to eyewash the public.
The persons who operate these depots are allegedly informed ahead of the raids. So they have ample opportunities to shift the furnace oil in containers to safer places. In return, the sources said that the police allegedly get a hefty cut.
The valuable furnace oil which is transported by tankers from IOCL oil refinery in Paradip to different industrial units in the state are often halted midway. Some amount of pure furnace oil is removed from the tankers and in turn filled with oil-like substitutes.
The stolen furnace oil is then loaded into tankers previously parked by the illegal traders beside the national highway. Those tankers are then sent to different locations. The source said that each tanker of furnace oil fetched approximately Rs 10 lakh in the open market.
PNN
