Kathmandu, February 11

Motorists and motorcyclists will get refilling facility on a regular basis from all the fuel stations in the Kathmandu Valley from Friday.

However, Nepal Oil Corporation will continue with its fuel rationing system for another week. It will provide only five litres to two-wheelers and 15 litres to four-wheelers.

NOC is preparing to distribute 350,000 litres of petrol to 114 fuel stations in the Valley and neighbouring districts every day from tomorrow.

The amount that NOC has decided to distribute from Thankot depot of NOC is sufficient to cater to the demand of normal times, according to Mukunda Ghimire, spokesperson for NOC.

A meeting led by Acting Commerce Secretary Deepak Subedi and NOC officials today decided to distribute fuel after supply from Indian Oil Corporation resumed along with the reopening of Raxaul-Birgunj trade route after four-and-a-half months on Monday.

The route had been completely blocked by the agitating United Madhesi Democratic Front.

The meeting also decided to increase the quantity of diesel being distributed in the Kathmandu Valley. Supply of diesel will be increased by 100,000 litres from tomorrow to 450,000 litres.

Per day consumption of diesel in Kathmandu hovers around 450,000 to 500,000 litres, according to NOC.

“We are going to distribute fuel to fuel stations like in the normal times from tomorrow,” said Ghimire. “However, fuel rationing will continue for another week so that a larger number of people can avail fuel.”

Fuel will be supplied to fuel stations based on their earlier track record of sales. The meeting also decided to increase supply outside the Kathmandu Valley.

According to NOC, daily consumption of petrol and diesel across the country hovers around 1.1 million litres and 2.6 million litres, respectively.

Meanwhile, 159 vehicles laden with gasoline  petrol, diesel and aviation turbine fuel  entered the country via Raxaul-Birgunj route today.

The number of vehicles entering the country via Raxaul has been increasing each day as the Raxaul depot of IOC has increased supply to fuel-strapped Nepal.

Only 24 vehicles loaded with fuel had entered the country on Monday, when supply of fuel from Raxaul resumed after four-and-a-half months of blockade at Birgunj border crossing.

The number of vehicles loaded with fuel that entered from Raxaul-Birgunj on Tuesday and Wednesday, was 95 and 137, respectively.

Of the 159 tankers that entered via Birgunj today, 102 were loaded with diesel, 37 with petrol and 20 with ATF.

Apart from that three liquefied petroleum gas bullets also entered via Raxaul-Birgunj today.

IOC increases supply of cooking gas

KATHMANDU: Indian Oil Corporation has increase the supply of liquefied petroleum gas, popularly known as cooking gas, from its refineries.

However, the current supply position is still low as compared to that during normal times. IOC increased the supply from Haldia and Mathura refineries on Wednesday, according to NOC.

IOC, during normal times, used to dispatch 30 bullets from Barauni, 20 from Haldia and 10 from Mathura daily to Nepal.

On Wednesday, Barauni refinery dispatched 16 bullets, Haldia 15 bullets and Mathura 11 bullets.

NOC Spokesperson Mukunda Ghimire said IOC had pledged to gradually increase the load from all refineries assigned to supply LPG for Nepal.

The country’s monthly demand of LPG stands at 30,000 tonnes.