KATHMANDU, Dec 8: Diesel shortage has hit consumers in the Kathmandu Valley already reeling under short supply of petrol.
As a result, more than half the vehicles running with diesel engine, particularly public transportation, remained off the roads on Tuesday. A large number of passenger buses, school buses and vehicle owned by health and other institutions were seen queuing at the refilling stations for the supply.
With fewer vehicles on the road, passengers complained that they have been forced to travel on heavily crowded vehicles.
Petroleum dealers has blamed Nepal Oil Corporation´s (NOC) weak distribution system for the shortage. "NOC is not supplying fuel to Kathmandu from Amlekhgunj and supply made from Thankot is too small in quantity to meet normal daily requirement," said Linendra Pradhan, president of Bagmati Zonal Committee of Nepal Petroleum Dealers´ Association (NPDA).
NOC records show it supplied only about 180 Kiloliters (KL) of petrol and 250 KL of diesel a day in the Valley from Thankot depot over this week. It has not distributed fuel to the Valley from Amlekhgunj depot, another key supplying point. “
"The volume pumped out now fall short of normal daily demand by 120 KL in case of petrol and by 100 KL in case of dies," admitted an NOC official. He argued that the problems NOC faced in imports due to tanker drivers strike over the last week were largely preventing it from pumping adequate supplies.
"Mainly our stock of diesel at Amlekhgunj, from where we need to distribute fuel to major markets, has dropped to the lowest lev”l," said the official, preferring anonymity.
As NOC is also importing mere half the normal quantity of petrol from Raxaul due to traffic jam and strict loading system adopted by the Indian Oil Corporation, it has stopped pumping out petrol to Kathmandu from Amlekhgunj, he added.
However, dealers blamed the new depot chief in Amlekhgunj of intentionally not issuing fuel to the dealers in the Valley.
In the past, dealers in the Valley were receiving about 84 KL of petrol and 96 KL of diesel from Amlekhgunj.
Amid problems seen in the import of fuel and also rising differences between the officials in Amlekhgunj depot and head office, dealers anticipated that fuel shortage could go on, forcing consumers to face further hardship over the next one week.
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