The present hardship should be turned into strength by exploring other sources of energy inside the country and outside too

The Nepalis are facing the ordeal of not having fuel and cooking gas once again. The Nepal Oil Corporation is running out of fuel and cooking gas, and their supplies are dwindling. This is because of the obstruction of supply of petroleum products and other goods from India and trucks are waiting in long queues on the other side of border not knowing when they will get the opportunity of crossing the security checks and customs points to reach the goods to their destinations in Nepal. Incidentally, Nepal imports all the petroleum products it requires from India. Delays in the clearance of customs procedures and protests by the Terai based political parties are responsible for this predicament. So far, for five days, there has been a blockade at the customs in most of the border areas and only a very few fuel tankers have been able to enter Nepal. As a consequence, NOC has started rationing fuel from Monday as its stocks are decreasing rapidly. This comes into force one day after the government cut by half the number of motor vehicles plying on the roads, allowing the vehicles with odd and even number plates to run on alternate days.

For the time being, the steps taken by NOC, which enjoys the monopoly in distributing fuel in the country, has been imposing the rationing system from Monday. We can see long queues of vehicles in the capital city lining up for fuel in a few petrol pumps that are still supplying fuel. The odd-even rule is now in force and vehicles will be getting fuel on alternate days that too in a restricted quantity. The vehicle registration documents will be stamped after being filled with fuel. The NOC has sufficient stock of fuel to meet demands for the next two weeks. International airlines are being request to carry adequate fuel from the base stations.

We have faced such situations in the past. But as soon as things became normal, we became self-complacent again, forgetting the need to become self-sufficient, or drastically cut dependence on imports. The present hardship should be turned into strength by exploring other sources of energy inside the country and outside too. Being rich in hydro-power potential we would have made a lot of progress in this direction if we had been serious about developing it. To overcome the current difficulty, all the citizens should use oil most economically, using non-oil modes as far as possible. The use of electricity should be increased, and the government should try to supply electricity at cooking times while at other times it can continue or even increase load-shedding hours if need be. Vehicles running on electricity or E-vehicles should be encouraged through waivers or drastic cuts in duty on them and by providing other incentives. Solar and wind power should also be encouraged because sunlight and wind are free and they can also meet a substantial amount of the energy needs. At the same time, work should be speeded up to reopen trade routes with China obstructed by the recent earthquake, those at Tatopani and Rasuwagadi, without any delay, as resumption of trade through those points can considerably help to reduce the hardship being faced by the Nepalis at present. Of not the least importance is the need to learn lessons from the present situation.

Market monitoring

With Dashain, Tihar and Chhath festivals fast approaching within a month or so the government has decided to take precautionary measures to prevent road accidents that are common during the festival season. It is the festival season when a large number of people travel to get together with their family members who have left their home for business, employment or studies.

The government and the law enforcing agencies should keep vigilance in the markets in all districts when essential goods such as the petroleum products and other edible items are in short supply due to the present political situation. The government is trying its best to resolve the post-constitution political crisis through talks. The consumers should also develop a culture of avoiding those goods that are either very expensive due to black marketing or they are not easily available. The government should also take strong legal action against those who create an artificial shortage in order to take advantage of the situation.