Adulterated fuel causes vehicle failures, petrol pump sealed

Dibrugarh: The Dibrugarh district administration has sealed Indian Oil's M/s Shah Refueling Station in the Bongalgaon area along NH-37 following a fuel contamination incident that left around two dozen vehicles damaged and stranded on Tuesday night.The contamination came to light when multiple vehicles that had refueled at the station began experiencing engine failures within 40-50 metres of leaving the petrol pump. Vehicle owners were forced to push their stalled cars and motorcycles off the road as engines shut down automatically shortly after filling up with what appeared to be adulterated fuel.Upon spot inspection by officials, water was discovered mixed with the petrol, explaining the sudden engine failures that affected both two-wheelers and four-wheelers. "The vehicles were running fine until they refueled at the station. Within minutes of leaving the pump, engines started failing one after another. It was chaos as people tried to figure out what was happening to their vehicles," said Bikash Sharma, a local resident whose motorcycle broke down near the station.Acting swiftly on public complaints, Dibrugarh district commissioner Bikram Kairi ordered immediate sealing of the fuel depot.The situation was further complicated when the station owner failed to produce essential documentation during the official inspection. Authorities noted the absence of critical licenses, including the Assam Trade Articles (Licensing and Control) Order, 1982 license, fire safety certificate and other mandatory operational records.