Kathmandu, January 8:

The Parliamentary Labour and Industrial Relations Committee today decided to begin from tomorrow a clause-wise discussion on the draft bill on petroleum.

The committee took this decision after Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Shyam

Sundar Gupta, questioned the Committee on why the bill had not been brought for clause-wise discussion.

The minister had claimed that the petroleum bill would help make smooth the supply of

petroleum products in the country.

The bill has a proposal which allows the private sector to enter into petroleum trade, a provision the Maoists strongly object to, said Chuda Mani Jungalee, a member of the committee.

Maoists have been demanding that private parties should not be allowed to trade in petroleum.

“The Maoists want better management of the Nepal Oil Corporation and bar on entry of the private sector in the sector,” he said.

Talking to reporters after the committee meeting, the minister said the bill would probably be passed soon and that petroleum could be imported from suppliers other than the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).