Taplejung, February 8:

Shortage of petroleum products due to the ongoing unrest in the Terai has affected transport services in Taplejung.

Buses plying from Taplejung to other districts remained stuck at Taplejung Bus Park today due to lack of fuel. Hundreds of irate passengers gheraoed the office of Mechi Transport Bus Entrepreneurs’ Association (MTBEA) here after the buses didn’t ply.

Counter in-charge of the Taplejung MTBEA Junga Sunuwar said the buses could not ply due to lack of diesel. Sunuwar said the problem arose due to lack of petrol or diesel at any of the petrol pumps along the Mechi Highway.

An average of four buses ply from Taplejung via Mechi Highway daily. Some buses have been stranded at different places along the highway as these ran out of fuel. Passengers are stranded in Kabeli of Taplejung and Chaluchowk and Gopetar and Jorpokhari of Panchthar, as the buses they were travelling on ran out of fuel.

In Ilam, close on the heels of Terai bandhs, the illegal supply of petroleum products in the markets is increasing. Businessmen are smuggling in petrol from markets of Darjeeling and Siliguri in India and selling it at the rate of Rs 200 per litre in the local Biblyate bazaar, consumers said.