Kathmandu, November 3

Various twelve-student unions today drew the attention of Minister for Commerce and Supplies Ganesh Man Pun to the difficulties faced by the general public due to acute fuel crisis.

They urged Minister Pun to ensure fuel supply to ease the life of the general public.

Ramesh Malla, co-ordinator, UCPN-Maoist aligned All Nepal National Independent Students Union-Revolutionary said they urged minister Pun to give priority to vehicles of educational institutions while distributing fuel. “The government should take effective steps to control black marketing, which has been flourishing in the capital of late,” he said.

The student unions also said that they would be compelled to take matters into their own hands if the government fails to check black marketing of fuel and action against the guilty.

They also suggested to the government to prepare a long-term plan for reducing the country’s dependence on foreign countries for fuel and to resolve the current unrest in Tarai districts by holding talks with the agitating Madhes-based parties. The students also hailed the agreement on import of fuel from China.

Minister Pun assured the student union leaders that the government would soon ease supply of petroleum products. “The government is trying its best to ease petroleum supplies,” he said.

Regarding the black marketing of petroleum products, he said a 24-hour monitoring desk has been set up at the Nepal Oil Corporation for effective monitoring as well as a hotline number has also been set up to register complaints regarding black-marketing of petroleum products.

Minister Pun also said that the government was also discussing the possibility of importing petroleum products from countries other than India and China.