Pumps empty within four hours of petrol supply
Amid worsening fuel shortage, petrol pumps in the Valley are operating only for four hours a day. With consumers starting to hoard fuel fearing possible petroleum crisis, gas stations get empty within four hours after receiving fuel.
Long queues at petrol pumps are because NOC is supplying fuel to limited petrol pumps. Of the 99 refuelling stations in the Valley, only 63 received fuel on Tuesday. According to the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), each gasoline stations are getting 3000-4000 litters of fuel per day. “It is only enough for four hours,” said a gasoline station owner. “For the rest 20 hours, we have to shut our shops.”
The crisis has also prompted pumps to apply new rules. According to Nepal Petroleum Dealers Association (NPDA), pumps are told to sell either petrol or diesel only.
NOC says it is supplying petroleum products as per the demand, but long queues at petrol pumps refuse to end. “Supply from the Thankot depot is normal,” said Bhuwaneshwor Rajbhandari, chief of NOC’s Thankot Depot.
Nepal Petroleum Dealers Association (NPDA) said NOC supplied 282 KL of petrol and 345 KL of diesel on Tuesday. According to Rajbhandari, the current demand in the Valley stands at 250 KL of petrol and 350 KL of diesel per day.
NPDA has refuted allegations that petroleum dealers are resorting to black-marketing and hoarding. According to NPDA, it is not possible for pumps to hoard fuel amid irate crowd of consumers.
Even after the government arranged a loan of Rs 1.5 billion to NOC, fuel supply in the country is less likely to return to normalcy. NOC has said it can maintain fuel supply for only one week with this amount. NOC said the government should be prepared to tackle the problem after a week if it doesn’t provide more money. NOC had slashed import and supply of petroleum products over the last six days.
Jha has said that at the current selling price, the corporation will be forced to curtail imports by 40 percent after a week. Subsequently, imports will be reduced by 20 percent every month. However, finance ministry has said that it cannot finance the petroleum import anymore.
Posted on: 2011-04-20 09:15
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