DHANGADHI: The Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) has been able to fulfill only one-fourths of the total allocated food supplies to the Far-Western hilly districts.

The government had allocated 28,000 quintals of rice to the Surkhet depot for the Far-Western districts. But five-and-half months through the current fiscal year, only 2,221.7 quintal rice has been delivered. Last year 14,000 quintal rice was delivered by this time of the year.

NFC Seti Zonal Office Chief Dilli Raj Lamsal said the fuel crisis has obstructed the delivery this year. The crisis has given the contractors an excuse to cheat, he said, adding that the 2,400 quintals of rice stored in Purchekehat of Baitadi have not been delivered yet.

For this year, 7,000 quintals of rice in Kolti of Bajura, 1,500 in Bisauna of Bajhang, 2,400 in Pulau of Baitadi and 1,500 each in Sunsera of Darchula and Bisauna have been allocated, said NFC official Rana Bahadur Airee. Of which, 1,468.5 quintals of rice to Kolti, 200.4 to Bisauna, 132.3 to Sunsera, 300.6 to Khandeshori and 120.3 to Baitadi have been dispatched already, he added.

Lamsal said an understanding was yet to be made to deliver the food supplies to Martadi of Bajura, Mangalshen of Achham and Melaudi of Baitadi.

It would soon create a food crisis in the area if the situation continued, Airee warned. He, however, assured to deliver all the supplies by end of April given that the fuel crisis eased.

Meanwhile, fuel supply in this region has been obstructed for a week after the Banthara depot of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) ran dry.

On a daily basis, around 300,000-400,000 litres of diesel, 70,000-100,000 litres of petrol and 50,000 litres of kerosene are consumed in this region.

Besides, the regular delivery of petroleum products to Kathmandu has also been affected by it, informed Shiva Raj Bhandari, spokesperson of the Nepal Oil Corporation Regional Office, Dhangadi.