Fuel shortage to continue for a couple of days

The Valleyites will have to suffer more as the state-oil monoploy claims that the petroleum shortage will ease in a couple of days. The petrol pumps in the Valley started running dry since since last couple of days as Nepal Oil Corportation (NOC) failed to supply enough petroleum products.
"The shortage will ease from Thursday," said NOC spokesperson Mukunda Dhungel. "The dealers have loaded 48,000 litres of petrol, 36,000 litres of diesel and 2,400 litre of kerosene from Amlekhagunj depot today that is expected to reach the valley the day after."
The dealers have also loaded 2,15,000 litre of petrol and 3,57,000 litre of diesel from Thankot depot today.
However, most of the Valley petrol pumps today also wear a deserted look and some -- like Sajha, Nepal Police and Nepal Army petrol pumps -- had a serpentine queue throughout the day. "Today 68,000 litre of petrol, 1,80,000 litre of diesel and 83,000 litre kerosene reached the Thankot depot that is expected to ease the shortage," said the the state oil monopoly that has estimated the daily need of Kathmandu Valley at 3,00,00 litre of petrol and 4,00,000 litre to 4,50,000 litre of diesel in normal condition.
The NOC has failed to load the required amount of petroleum products from June 2, accepted Dhungel. "Our stock has also depleted by 9,000 kilo litre (KL) since June 2," he said adding that the stock on June 2 was 42,000KL and today it has dropped to 33,000KL now.
However, the pressure has increased since last four days as the NOC publically accepted that it cannot supply the required amount of the petroleum products. "We have asked for Rs 1 billion from the finance ministry to pay our supplier -- as we are in loss -- but the ministry turned down our request," the NOC said.
However consumer groups are not ready to believe that the NOC is in loss. "The international price has come down by half to around $70 per barrel from last year's $140 and NOC has been hiking the prices of petroleum products time and again," said Jyoti Baniya, general secretary of Consumers' Rights Protection Forum (CRPF). "Its yet another ploy to hike the price," he said adding that the monopoly market and deep-rooted corruption in the NOC is responsible for the accumulative losses. "The government must interfere," he suggested.
In March, NOC has hiked petrol, diesel and kerosene prices to Rs 80 per litre and Rs 61 per litre. On every 1st and 15th of the English calender month, NOC receives the new rate of petroleum products from its supplier Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
The rate is revised according to the international market price. According to Dhungel, the new price list that is to be received on July 2 will have increased price of diesel. "The price in India has also gone up," he added.