Baruah: Nervy

Guwahati, Aug. 25: The first Arjuna awardee from the Northeast, Bhogeswar Baruah, is “deeply hurt” by the Centre’s decision to cancel allotments of petrol pumps made since 2000.

Figuring in the list of allottees “axed” is Baruah’s yet-to-be commissioned petrol pump awarded by the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd in April 2000 for his outstanding achievement in the field of sports. Baruah has already spent over Rs 11 lakh on the pump that is coming up near the Numaligarh refinery in Golaghat district.

Seeking a review of the decision, Baruah had dashed off a letter on August 18 to the President, the Prime Minister and the petroleum minister expressing his deep sense of hurt and anxiety over the cancellations.

Saturday’s decision by the petroleum ministry to come out with a revised proposal for allotments made to special category persons — sportspersons, physically handicapped persons, war widows and ex-servicemen —may have brought down the anxiety level but Baruah remains critical of the Centre’s decision.

Baruah, who won the 800 metres gold medal in the 1966 Bangkok Asiad, told The Telegraph from Sivasagar, “I was awarded the petrol pump for my outstanding achievement as a sportsperson, for which I was also given the Arjuna Award. By cancelling the allotment, the Centre has not insulted me but has also insulted the award, which is presented by no less than the President. In effect, it is an insult to the President.”

He went on to add, “Such sweeping decisions can be very harmful and insulting. Clubbing genuine awardees with self-seekers is very unfortunate. I am an ex-serviceman and a sportsman who has earned laurels for the country. Why should I be made to undergo so much stress for the fault of scamsters and self-seekers? I was shocked to receive the letter of cancellation from BPCL. Altogether 24 BPCL pumps figure in the cancellation list in Assam.”

Baruah’s future course of action will depend on the observations to be made by the Supreme Court on the merits of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s fiat issued early this month during hearing of pleas contesting the cancellations tomorrow.

Allotments of 3,565 petrol pumps were cancelled following media reports and the subsequent furore in Parliament over charges that the kith and kin of partymen had been favoured with petroleum dealerships.

Of the total cancellations, 2,131 pumps had been commissioned.

“I will leave for Guwahati tomorrow and decide on the future after the Supreme Court observations, which I am confident will go in favour of people like us,” he said.