Valley
Sleepless nights for fuel
Fifty-six-year-old Gopal Bahadur Shrestha received five litres of petrol for his motorbike at Santinagar petrol station after an arduous 30-hour wait in lineAnup Ojha
Fifty-six-year-old Gopal Bahadur Shrestha received five litres of petrol for his motorbike at Santinagar petrol station after an arduous 30-hour wait in line that started from behind the Parliament building in New Baneshwor on Tuesday.
Thousands of people queued up at various petrol stations in the Valley from the early hours of Sunday until Tuesday night. While some of them filled half of their fuel tank some, returned empty tanked despite waiting for hours.
Anita Acharya, 21, from Bhaktapur, did not get fuel for her bike even after waiting in line from the wee hours of Monday morning.
“If I had got the fuel, we were planning to go to our home in Pokhara for Dashain on a bike. We now have to go on a bus, knowing that it is an impossible task to find seats this time,” said Acharya. Unable to fill their tank, her husband eventually left the bike at their relative’s place in Tinkune on Tuesday evening.
While waiting in line, the grey-haired retired government official Shrestha had nothing to eat but a cup of milk tea. “I spent over Rs 300 just on tea. I came here on Monday at 7am and finally got petrol on Tuesday at 6pm” said Shrestha, who lives in Aloknagar. Talking to the Post, he said he didn’t go to his house because
if he had left his bike alone he was sure his line would be cut. Many riders shared the same plight.
Throughout the Monday night, Kathmandu denizens could be seen staying near by their bike just to protect their lines. Some slept on the footpath placing mattresses and others in open space infront of closed shutters. Drivers of two-wheelers were seen sleeping in their vehicles.
Following India’s unofficial trade embargo, long cues along the sides of main roads of Kathmandu were visible since the past three weeks. The main roads itself look deserted as only a few vehicles are seen. Almost all the public vehicles are extremely congested, with passengers even seen on its rooftop.
To avoid the tiring line, some owners of two wheelers and four wheelers also offered money to an agent for a surveillance of their queues. “I paid Rs 500 to a person to watch out for my car’s line because I don’t have so much time to wait,” said a doctor from Teaching Hospital. Some owners asked the tea shop owners in nearby areas to look after their vehicles so that they could go to sleep at home.
Nabin Kumar Khanal, 41, who has been selling tea at Santinagar for over a decade, kept his tea shop open throughout the night. “Over a dozen vehicle owners told me to look for their line,” said Khanal, adding that he sold over 1,500 cups of teas throughout Monday night.