Inefficient monitoring has created fuel shortage and encouraged black-marketeers

Kathmandu, April 24

The weak market monitoring mechanism has created a perennial problem in distribution of petroleum products in Kathmandu Valley.

Long queues of vehicles were seen in front of fuel stations yesterday as well as today despite additional fuel supply from Thankot Depot of Nepal Oil Corporation to fuel stations here.

Due to lack of proper market monitoring mechanism, fuel stations have not been distributing fuel efficiently as a result of which an artificial shortage has been created.

This has provided fertile ground for black-marketers of fuel.

“We supplied more fuel to the fuel stations in the last couple of days. On Friday, around 497,000 litres and today 510,000 litres of petrol was supplied,” said Netra Prasad Kafle, chief of Thankot Depot.

In normal times, per day consumption of petrol hovers at around 350,000 litres.

After the supply was increased from India, NOC has been supplying more petroleum products to fuel stations to normalise the supply situation in the country. However, petroleum dealers blame NOC for the short supply.

“In the earlier weeks, NOC provided fuel on Saturdays too to normalise supply situation, but it did not provide fuel yesterday,” said Lilendra Prasad Pradhan, president of Nepal Petroleum Dealers National Association.

“Demand of petrol is still higher than in normal times because panic-stricken buyers start queuing to buy petrol whenever they see a line of vehicles at fuel stations,” he said, adding that the situation will normalise gradually if NOC continues to increase supply in Kathmandu Valley.