Imphal, May 4: A dip in the amount of kerosene each constituency receives from the state food and civil supplies department through the public distribution system fuelled a debate in the Manipur Assembly today.

Members, cutting across party lines, alleged that a percentage of the fuel allocated for certain constituencies goes to a militant organisation.

The matter was first raised by Congress leader Yumkham Erabot Singh during Zero Hour. He was joined by several members from the Opposition benches, who raised a cry against irregularities in the distribution of food and civil supplies. The members wanted to know whether the government was aware of the deduction, particularly in the kerosene quota.

Erabot Singh said a militant group wanted a cut in the kerosene supply meant for distribution to the ration cardholders in his constituency.

Echoing him, E. Kunjeshore Singh, another Congress member, said, “Fifty per cent of my constituency’s kerosene quota for last month was deducted by the department. Then, another three per cent of the whole quota was deducted at the retail outlet. Thus, my constituency got only 47 per cent,” he said.

Neither chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, nor food and civil supplies minister Th. Devendra Singh responded to the question.

The fear of famine also echoed in the Assembly today with two Opposition members warning the Ibobi Singh government that unless immediate measures were taken to control rodents, the state would face a famine in coming years.