ITAHARI: Black marketeering of petroleum products has been rampant in the main business hubs of the Eastern region of the country in the recent times.

The illegal business has been rife due to the frequent shut down of gas stations in the region. Especially, consumers were seen rushing to the brokers for the petrol and diesel today as the gas stations are going to down their shutters indefinitely due to the protests announced by the petroleum workers from tomorrow. Prior to this, the UCPN-Maoist affiliated petroleum pump workers have announced to close the pumps indefinitely throughout the country with their 17-point charter of demands.

Due to the huge margin profit, even the owners of CD shops, grocery shops, restaurants, hotels in Itahari, Dharan, Inaruwa and Duhabi were selling the petroleum items in bottles. Some were even spotted at local bus stands with such petrol-filled bottles.

Consumers have been paying as much as Rs 250 for a litre of petrol. Many others have brought it from bordering Indian marketplaces for the profit.

Consumers were compelled to pay exorbitant price for the petroleum products in many areas, including Itahari, Inaruwa, Dharan, Duhabi, Biratnagar, Belbari, Urlabari, Damak, Birtamode and Dhankuta.

Dipak Rijal, an Itahari-based consumer, said he had no other option but to buy petrol at a high rate in the balck market. "The petrol pumps are running dry as they already sold the stocks to businessmen. While, the latter have been selling them in three fold prices," he said, blaming that the authorities should look into the matter to stop the black marketeering.

Most of the petrol pumps in the region already notified that their pumps ran out of the fuel two days before the beginning of the protest.

When asked, Sunsari CDO Ram Prasad Thapaliya expressed ignorance about the black marketeering. He said, "I am not informed about it. Give me the information and I will try to contain it."