KATHMANDU: National Consumer Forum has urged the Bagmati Petroleum Dealers' Associations to withdraw their strike and resume the supply of petroleum products in the Kathmandu Valley on Wednesday.

In a statement today, NCF said, the Bagmati Petroleum Dealers' Associations has halted their services of purchasing petroleum from Nepal Oil Corporation, yesterday, protesting that NOC has failed to increase the loss compensation incurred while transportation.

They have demanded that the government should address their loss compensation for dealers in the range of 66 litres to 99 litres on every 4,000 litres of fuel, Achyut Siwakoti, presidentof BPDA said.

However, NOC allows deduction of only 35 litres to make up for the loss for every 4,000 litres of petrol and 26 litres deduction for the same volume of diesel.

Putting forth various demands and compensation, BPDA has halted their services, which have deprived commoners of their rights to consume daily usable products, it said in a statement.

It further said that the government should book culprits under the Essential Service Operation Act 1957.

Earlier, the NCF has drawn attention of the Prime Minister and the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority in this regard.

NCF has appealed to the dealers association to withdraw their protest as the Ministry of Supply has already directed the NOC to maintain the standard of measurement scales and probe into the incident and book the responsible authorities and tankers supplying less quantity of products, as stated in the statement.

Meanwhile, the NOC has also formed a Probe and Recommendation Committee, with BDA's representative as it member, yesterday, reads the statement.

Earlier, Siwakoti said after NOC started supplying Euro IV standard petrol from the first week of April, fuel stations have been facing loss of around 99 litres on the purchase of 4,000-litre tanker from NOC.

However, NOC allows deduction of only 35 litres to make up for the loss for every 4,000 litres of petrol and 26 litres deduction for the same volume of diesel. “We have been facing higher loss than what NOC permits us to make up as loss,” he said.

NOC had formed a panel led by Director General of Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology Bishwo Babu Pudasaini to study the loss in a bid to resolve the crisis with dealers.

The probe committee of the government has found that the fuel dealers 'highly inflated' the claim of technical loss during transportation of petroleum products.

Earlier, petroleum dealers associated with the Bagmati Petroleum Dealers' Association, had submitted a memorandum to the government seeking a hike in loss commission on fuel.

The ongoing spat between the NOC and fuel dealers have compelled the ordinary commoners to bear the brunt of crunch supply of fuel in the capital and its adjourning districts.