Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) managing director Gopal Khadka resigned from the post on Thursday.

Khadka announced his resignation effective from today organising a press meet at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies in Singha Durbar.

“I had sought to increase the storage capacity of petroleum products with a good intention,” said Khadka during the press meet, “But national, international power centres and some interest groups ganged up to defame me.”

Khadka further said that it would not suit him to stay in the post saying that he wasn’t given any responsibilities after being called at the ministry on October/November last year.

“Even though the government sacked me from my job, the Supreme Court had stayed the order and I came to work,” said Khadka, “But I wasn’t given any responsibility, so I am resigning.”

During his tenure at the NOC, Khadka was accused of misappropriating around Rs800 million while buying land plots worth Rs1.61 billion in four places: Bhairahawa, Chitwan, Sarlahi and Jhapa.  Separate probes conducted by five parliamentary committees and the Ministry of Supplies had revealed Khadka’s involvement in irregularities while buying land in four districts to build oil storage facilities.