Private vehicles barred from purchasing fuel

Kathmandu, September 30

Nepal Oil Corporation, the petroleum monopoly, has instructed fuel stations to stop selling petrol and diesel to vehicles bearing private registration numbers, citing acute shortage of petroleum products in the country.

The move comes three days after NOC started rationing fuel.

“From tomorrow (Thursday) no private vehicle, including motorcycles and cars, as well as tipper and truck bearing public registration numbers, will be sold petrol and diesel. This includes school buses bearing private registration numbers,” NOC Spokesperson Dipak Baral told The Himalayan Times. The sales restriction will continue till Saturday.

Nepal Oil Corporation had issued this instruction to fuel stations based on a decision taken by a joint meeting of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, security agencies and Nepal Oil Corporation today.

Vehicles bearing public registration numbers, on the other hand, will be able to buy petrol and diesel based on their type.

For instance, each taxi will get 10 litres of petrol on alternate days, depending on whether their registration number is odd or even. Similarly, public microbuses will get 15 litres of petrol or diesel every other day, public minibuses will get 20 litres of diesel on alternate days and public buses will get 30 litres of diesel every other day.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Home Affairs enforced odd-even registration plate system on movement of vehicles. This system makes it mandatory for vehicles bearing odd and even registration number plates to ply on the streets on alternate day.

Nepal Oil Corporation has been resorting to various means to reduce fuel consumption in the country, as trucks carrying petroleum products have not been able to enter Nepal from many Indian border points for the last seven days. India is the sole supplier of petroleum products for Nepal.

Even today not a single cargo vehicle carrying various essential commodities, including petroleum products, entered Nepal from Birgunj and Biratnagar customs points. Over 60 per cent of foreign goods, including Indian, enter Nepal via Birgunj Customs Office, while Biratnagar Customs Office provides a crucial trade link for eastern Nepal.

105 trucks enter Bhairahawa

KATHMANDU: As many as 105 trucks laden with various goods entered the country from Bhairahawa customs point. Of these cargo vehicles, six contained petrol and diesel, and three contained cooking gas, Lawanya Kumar Dhakal, chief of Bhairahawa Customs Office said.

These vehicles started entering Nepal at aro-und 2.30pm following an agreement between security and customs officials of the two countries. During the meeting, both sides agreed to ease movement of trucks.