Kathmandu, November 25

At a time when passengers travelling on the roofs or clinging on dangerously to public vehicles have become a common sight, the government is preparing to better manage distribution of fuel to ease mobility of public vehicles and also for vehicles of essential service providers.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, the list of fuel pumps assigned to distribute fuel to the public vehicles will be displayed in a form of scroll on select television channels and also published on the official website of Nepal Oil Corporation.

Public vehicles will get fuel based on the odd-even licence plates on alternate days. Bigger city buses will get 30 litres of diesel, mini buses 20 litres and microbuses and jeeps will get 15 litres each on alternate days.

Similarly, the government is also aiming to better manage fuel distribution for long route public vehicles based on the recommendations of the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs. Fuel stations will be assigned to distribute fuel for different categories of vehicles.

The new distribution mechanism prepared by the MoCS has also slashed the quantity of petroleum products being distributed to government vehicles. “The mechanism prepared by the MoCS will come into enforcement within a few days,” informed Commerce Minister Ganesh Man Pun.

Once the mechanism is in place, government vehicles and automobiles of public corporations except essential service providers will only get 15 litres of diesel in a week, against 25 litres at present. Vehicles of tourism service providers will also get fuel from designated pumps and this facility will be provided only for those vehicles having green registration number plates.

The government has also said it will better manage fuel distribution for vehicles of essential suppliers like, vegetables, dairy products, medicine, drinking water and service providers such as ambulance and garbage vehicles, among others.

MoCS has said the vehicles of schools and colleges will get 30 litres of diesel every Monday and Thursday from designated fuel stations.

Likewise, civil servants and staff of public corporations will get three litres and 10 litres of petrol for two- and four-wheelers, respectively, every week from the designated fuel pumps. Mediapersons will also get similar quantity of fuel once a week.

The government has designated Friday to distribute fuel to mediapersons from select fuel pumps.

As per Minister Pun, petrol will be distributed only from government-owned pumps till the supply situation normalises.

This move may provide some relief to the people who have been forced to compromise their safety while travelling in public vehicles owing to less number of public vehicles plying the roads. However, it will not address the woes of private vehicle owners who have lined up at petrol pumps across the city in hope that fuel distribution will resume in the near future.