Kathmandu, March 11

The Public Accounts Committee of the Legislature-Parliament has expressed concerns about the government’s decision to allow Nepal Oil Corporation and Birat Petroleum Pvt Ltd to sell petroleum products at differing rates in the market.

The parliamentary panel has sought clarification from the Ministry of Supplies regarding the matter within three days from today.

In a letter written by Committee Secretary Som Bahadur Thapa to the MoS, and copied to Chief Secretary Som Lal Subedi, PAC has sought the details and clarification on what basis the decision was taken and also asked for submission of all related documents.

PAC has drawn the attention of MoS towards the difficulties that consumers would face when different rates are fixed for similar commodities and its negative impact on the socio-economic milieu.

The PAC’s instruction has come at a time when MoS and Department of Supply Management and Consumer Protection are denying that they took a decision to allow BPPL to sell petrol at higher prices.

NOC, on the other hand, claims that it has authorised its dealers to sell petrol imported by BPPL after receiving green signal from DoSMCP.

BPPL began distributing 132,000 litres of fuel that it recently imported through three fuel stations in Kathmandu Valley at Rs 130 per litre.

Talking to The Himalayan Times, MoS Spokesperson Deepak Subedi said the ministry had asked DoSMCP to furbish all the details as sought by the parliamentary committee.

Meanwhile, MoS today directed DoSMCP to regulate the price of fuel sold by Birat. MoS Secretary Shreedhar Sapkota today instructed DoSMCP to take action if BPPL was found to be making over 20 per cent profit on the sale of petrol.

The Black Market and Some Other Social Offences and Punishment Act bars traders from making over 20 per cent profit at the last point of sale.

The service stations selling fuel imported by BPPL claim that it is Euro 4 graded petrol.

However, Bishwo Babu Pudasaini, director general of Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology, revealed that it is of the same grade as that imported by NOC.