KATHMANDU: The nation is in the throes of a looming shortage of petroleum products due to the strike called by the Maoist-affiliated All Nepal Petroleum Workers’ Union (ANPWU). Yesterday, ANPWU members set a four-day deadline to the private petrol pumps to fulfil the 16-point charter of demand, including issuing appointment letter to workers, government-prescribed minimum wages, life insurance cover and payment for overtime. “We’ll shutdown the private pumps if our demands aren’t met within four days,” said Shiva Prasad Pokharel, secretary, ANPWU. The proposed stir could not have come at a worse time. Phase-wise agitation by civil servants in Bara, Parsa and Rautahat has already led to the short supply of petroleum products. The government employees are demanding legal action against State Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Karima Begum, who had slapped Parsa Chief District Officer Durga Prasad Bhandari for alleged disobedience about two weeks ago. ANPWU also issued a warning to all Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) depots not to distribute fuel to private petrol pumps from today. The government-run pumps — run by the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepali Army and Sajha — only managed to collect fuel, albeit much less than the demand, from NOC’s depot in Thankot. “The government-run pumps collected 48,000 litres of petrol and diesel each and 12,000 litres of kerosene today. But the private pumps’ bid was thwarted by the agitating ANPWU workers,” said Bhuwaneshwor Rajbhandari, in-charge, Thankot Depot. Saroj Pandey, president, Nepal Petroleum Dealers’ Association, alleged that NOC and the government were apathetic to find an amicable solution to the dispute.