Kathmandu, February 20:

Altogether 133 tankers carrying petroleum products cruised through Raxual to Amlekhgunj under curfew along the Birgunj-Pathlaiya route today as part of the government’s effort to maintain supply of fuel in the wake of the Madhes agitation, Nepal Oil Corporation said.

The tankers arrived at Amlekhgunj depot in two batches today, NOC Deputy General Manager Umesh Dahal told this daily over the phone, adding that 296 kilolitres of petrol, 424 kilolitres of diesel, 206 kilolitres of kerosene and 244 kilolitres of aviation fuel will be dispatched to the capital soon.

NOC Deputy Managing Director Bachchu Kafle, however, admitted at a function in Kathmandu today that better supply of petroleum products still hinges on the security situation along the Raxual-Birgunj-Amlekhgunj route.

“It is not possible to bring enough fuel through Bhairahawa route from the Indian Oil Corporation depots at Betalpur and Mugalsarai as they can support only a fraction of the demand in Nepal,” he said.

A report from Birgunj said the Parsa district administration again clamped curfew today to enable petrol and diesel to be brought under police escort from Raxaul of India for easing the petroleum products crisis and sending these to Kathmandu and other cities of the country.

Parsa CDO Bhola Prasad Shivakoti said 133 oil tankers were brought from Raxaul in two phases and sent to the Amlekhgunj NOC depot in Bara. He added 22 trucks were sent to Raxaul for bringing in LPG, but LPG could not be imported. A report from Narayangarh said petrol pumps in Chitwan district provided 50,000 litres of petrol and 24,000 litres of diesel to consumers today.

In Kathmandu Valley, the NOC today distributed 60 kilolitres of petrol, 168 kilolitres of diesel and 120 kilolitres of kerosene. This is only about half of the Valley’s daily requirement during normal supply situation.

Meanwhile, transport entrepreneurs and other stakeholders flayed the government for the acute scarcity of fuel and other essentials in the country.

Some transport entrepreneurs renewed their demand for the ouster of Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Shyam Sundar Gupta for “not taking proper initiatives” to manage the crisis.

“The irresponsible minister should step down. A sensitive sector like petroleum supply should be left to a single party. It should be directly under the command of the Prime Minister,” said President of the Federation of Nepalis Transport Entrepreneurs Dinesh Adhikari.