To stop buying petroleum products from NOC

Kathmandu, December 23:

Petroleum dealers and the government are yet again set for fresh confrontation with dealers in the mood to go ahead with their planned strike and the government determined to foil it.

The petroleum dealers have decided to stop buying petroleum products from the Nepal Oil Corporation from tomorrow and shut pumps across the country from Tuesday until the government makes concrete decisions on their demands.

A committee appointed to look into the demands of the petroleum dealers had been dissolved at the call of the petroleum dealers.

“We wanted the government committee dissolved because it had not done any ground work related with our isses,” President of Nepal Petroleum Dealers’ Association (NPDA) Shiva Prasad Ghimire said.

“The committee did not have any power to make decisions. It only talked about referring or requesting our demands to higher authorities so it was of no use to us,” said Ghimire. “That is why the talks failed even when it reached the fourth round. We want real decisions from the government on our demands.”

However, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Shyam Sundar Gupta said the committee formed by the ministry had already agreed over many of the dealers’ demands and a new committee was being formed to hold talks with the association early tomorrow morning. “The previous committee may have had some weaknesses but I am sure all our differences will be solved tomorrow and the dealers will not go on strike.”

Gupta still hopes that the problem will be resolved soon through further talks.

Ghimire said though the government was forming another committee, the pre-announced agitation would continue until a settlement was reached.

Meanwhile, later in the evening a press statement issued by the NPDA blamed the government committee for coming to talks table without doing enough preparation and that the government had no set policy to ease the supply of petroleum products. The government and the NOC press statements outright denied the allegations saying that the NPDA officials unilaterally walked out of the talks at the time when the government committee had nearly agreed to all of their demands.

Last week, NPDA had announced it would go on strike until the government fulfilled their 17 demands including ensuring smooth supply of petroleum products inside the country.

Yesterday, petrol pump workers wore black arm bands and raised black flags in petrol pumps to protest government indifference over petroleum supply in the country.