Kathmandu, July 11

Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) — the state-owned petroleum supply company — is all set to install high-tech locking system in tankers to prevent pilferage of gasoline en route.

NOC has been preparing to send some of the tankers used in transportation of petroleum to Siliguri of India to install the locking system in pilot phase by next week, according to Sushil Bhattarai, deputy managing director of NOC.

A team led by Bhattarai had recently checked out the locking technology in Siliguri. The locking system that NOC is going to introduce will be installed in all fuel tankers.

Currently, around 1,250 fuel tankers are in use for transportation of petroleum products in the country.

A stainless steel rod will be installed in the fuel tanker as a lock. After that, the lock can only be opened at the loading and unloading points.

“The chances of being able to tamper with the highly advanced electromechanical locking system is minimal,” as per Bhattarai.

Indian Oil Corporation has already introduced such locking system in its internal transportation. NOC has taken this measure as a reform initiative in petroleum transportation, as it has faced numerous incidents in the past, in which transporters and its own staffers have caused huge losses to the state-owned entity.