Black marketing of fuel rampant in Phidim

Phidim, November 27

At a time when the country is reeling under acute shortage of fuel due to ongoing Tarai agitation and blockade at Nepal-India border points, black marketing of petroleum products has become rampant in Phidim, the district headquarters of Panchthar.

Petroleum products are being sold from tea shops and beauty parlours. Market monitoring carried out by Assistant CDO Keshav Prasad Rijal-led team found ten such small shops selling fuel. The committee inspected 11 grocery stores, four hotels, and three beauty parlours today.

Assistant CDO Rijal said the committee found six shops selling petrol and four shops selling diesel. “During inspection, we found shops selling everything, including noodles and cooking oil, arbitrarily,” Rijal said.

He informed that they had warned the shopkeepers not to hike the prices of daily essentials. At present, petrol is being sold at Rs 250-300 per litre, diesel at 170-200 per litre and LPG at Rs 6,000-9,000 per cylinder.

FNCCI Panchthar chapter, however, denied black marketing of fuel in the district.

It is said that CDO Purushottam Ghimire had written to Phidim-based Timlasena Stores and a cooking gas depot owned by Bhagawat Pradhanang demanding 33 cooking gas cylinders.