Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has directed its district-based depots to divert a certain amount of fuel to the Kathmandu valley to make supply smooth.

NOC Spokesperson Mukunda Ghimire said they have asked Nepalgunj, Bhairahawa and Biratnagar depots to divert fuel to the Valley as supplies in these areas have improved. “More than 300kl of petrol and 400kl diesel can be diverted from these three depots to the valley daily,” said Ghimire, speaking at an interaction here on Wednesday.  

In the last two weeks, petroleum supply from India has increased to 30 percent from 10-15 percent earlier.

However, most of the fuel is being distributed outside the Valley amid increasing pressure from the locals and authorities concerned, according to NOC.

Ghimire said NOC had asked the Biratnagar depot to send 100kl petrol and 300kl diesel daily to Kathmandu. Biratnagar depot has a storage capacity of 12,000kl, while it currently has 4,000kl in stock.  Similarly, NOC has asked the Nepalgunj depot to supply 50kl of petrol and diesel each every day to the Valley. The depot has 1,500kl of fuel in its stock. Its storage capacity is 3,500kl.

Bhairahawa depot has been asked to send more than 150kl of petrol and 100kl of diesel to the Capital. The depot currently has 1,500kl of fuel.

Ghimire said these depots have been witnessing increasing fuel supply from India recently. In the last two weeks, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has increased the supply through border points other than Birgunj-Raxaul. “As supplies in the southern belt has been improving, we have asked them to divert a certain amount of fuel to the Valley,” he said.

The Valley needs 350kl petrol and 450kl diesel every day. The state-owned oil monopoly said petroleum supply in the Valley would normalise only after the obstruction at Birgunj customs point is removed. Nepal imports about 60 percent of the fuel through Birgunj customs daily.

Ghimire said they had recently increased diesel distribution through private petrol pumps. He also that state-owned petrol pumps have been involved in irregularities in distribution. “These pumps have been reported to be distributing fuel only to their near and dear ones and high-level government officials,” he said.

NOC said cooking gas distribution, however, has not improved. Ghimire said NOC distributed 400,000 half-filled cylinders over the last week.