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NOC mulls fuel import from Bangladesh
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has said that it is studying the possibility of importing fuel from Bangladesh as an acute shortage continues to grip Nepal making life hard for the people due to India’s unofficial embargo.Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has said that it is studying the possibility of importing fuel from Bangladesh as an acute shortage continues to grip Nepal making life hard for the people due to India’s unofficial embargo.
The state-owned oil monopoly, which recently signed a memorandum of understanding with PetroChina to import oil from the northern neighbour, has been looking for more suppliers in a bid to diversify its sources.
NOC spokesperson Mukunda Ghimire said a two-member team would be leaving for Bangladesh next week right after the Tihar festival. “It will be a feasibility study to determine whether importing fuel from there will be possible,” he said.
The government company said it had received almost no fuel shipments for the last one week following the death of an Indian national in Birgunj when police fired on demonstrators. The Nepal government has said that he was killed when police opened fire after being attacked while India maintains he was innocent.
NOC has said that it has a small stock of petroleum products, and is no longer able to supply fuel to public and private vehicles. The company said it would be providing gasoline only to government and emergency vehicles.
NOC has been presently bringing petrol gifted by China. Managing Director Gopal Bahadur Khadka said they had so far transported 625 kilolitres of petrol out of the 1,300 kilolitres presented.
“Many tanker drivers have been reluctant to transport the fuel from China citing the bad condition of the road from Kathmandu to Rasuwagadhi,” said Khadka. He added that Bangladesh, being the nearest source after India and China, could be one of the best alternatives.
According to an official of the Ministry of Commerce and Supply, NOC has asked the Foreign Ministry for its go-ahead to import fuel from Bangladesh. Commerce Ministry spokesperson Shambhu Ghimire said NOC was fully authorised to decide from where it wants to import petroleum. “The ministry has no objection to NOC’s importing fuel from alternative sources as long as it fulfils the official procedure,” he said.
Aryan offers petrol at Rs125
KATHMANDU: A private company Aryan Petrochemical has offered to supply fuel at half the price quoted by controversial Birat Petroleum. According to an NOC official, it has proposed to provide petrol at Rs125 per litre and diesel at Rs95 per litre.
Birat had quoted a rate of Rs198 per litre for petrol and Rs187 per litre for diesel. It pulled out of the deal after a parliamentary committee started questioning the terms of the contract.
Meanwhile, Aryan has said it is ready to ship 2,000 kilolitres of petroleum products within two weeks to provide immediate relief from the fuel crisis.
However, NOC spokesperson Mukunda Ghimire said they would not be signing a contract with Aryan. “If the company offers to provide fuel at a suitable price after importing it, NOC may think about buying it,” he said.
Ghimire added that it was not necessary for private companies to coordinate with NOC to do petroleum business. The government has allowed private firms to import petroleum products by publishing a notice in the Nepal Gazette on October 19. (PR)
68kl diesel issued
KATHMANDU: NOC distributed 68 kilolitres of diesel through private gasoline stations on Tuesday. The state-owned enterprise issued the fuel a day after NOC Managing Director Gopal Bahadur Khadka had said that they only had enough reserves to provide to the security forces.
Khadka told a press meet on Monday that they had decided to issue a limited quantity of diesel as no fuel shipments had arrived from India for the last one week.