A 414 Army Service Corps Battalion (Territorial Army) soldier refuelling a passenger aircraft in Imphal. (Photo: Indian Army)
Dimapur/Imphal/New Delhi: The 414 Army Service Corps Battalion (Territorial Army) has been pressed into service to ensure energy security to Manipur, which had been hit by deadly ethnic violence this month. The battalion is affiliated to the Indian Oil Corporation’s marketing division and has over 100 IOC employees in it.
After violence flared up in Manipur, the employees and contract workers of oil marketing companies in the state were not able to reach the oil installations due to security constraints or had to be evacuated due to the violence. This forced the installations to either shut down or become non-operational, which resulted in an acute shortage of supply of oil.
This led to the deployment of the Territorial Army, which were tasked with managing three vital oil installations in the state. The three installations are Imphal Aviation Fuelling Station, Malom Bulk Oil Depot, and Sekmai LPG Bottling Plant.
The battalion reached the state capital, Imphal, within 48 hours and took control of the three installations and ensured supplies of essential petroleum, oil, and lubricant (POL) products and refuelling of aircraft.
On Sunday, the commander of the Dimapur-headquartered III Corps (Spear Corps), Lieutenant General Harjeet Singh Sahi, visited the unit and commended the team.
About the 414 Army Service Corps Battalion (Territorial Army)
The 414 Army Service Corps Battalion (Territorial Army) was raised in 1983 for handling emergencies in energy supplies both internal and external. The battalion is affiliated to the Indian Oil Corporation Limited’s marketing division and has over 100 employees in it from the company.
These employees are trained by the Indian Army and Indian Oil to handle any oil installation (POL/LPG/aviation) independently. They are also kept abreast with nuances of operating various oil locations across the country from time to time.
