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5 tankers enter through Birgunj
Four liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bullets and a diesel tanker entered Nepal through the Birgunj-Raxaul border point on Saturday—the first fuel consignment through the country’s major trade point in 135 days.Four liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bullets and a diesel tanker entered Nepal through the Birgunj-Raxaul border point on Saturday—the first fuel consignment through the country’s major trade point in 135 days.
Sushil Bhattarai, acting deputy managing director of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), said the imported fuel was old consignment that had been stranded at the border for a long time.
Frustrated with the prolonged protests, local residents and businessmen forcefully opened the border point on Friday, allowing cargo trucks and vehicles to freely cross the border.
“We have informed Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) about Friday’s development, but it has not officially responded us about any increment in the supply,” Bhattarai said. “IOC officials from Mumbai told they were unaware about the development.”
“As the border obstruction has been cleared now, we will know on Monday whether IOC is willing to dispatch fuel from the Birgunj-Raxaul point,” he said, adding NOC will not have to inform IOC on the volume of fuel Nepal needs at present to normalise the market as they know the current demand.
NOC imports 65 percent of fuel through the Birgunj-Raxaul border point. NOC has been importing 35 percent of the fuel through other border points, where restrictions have been eased for the last few weeks. “Unless IOC issues fuel
from the Raxaul depot, we have to depend on the 35 percent supply,” Bhattarai said.
NOC said it would issue a notice on Sunday to Birgunj-based fuel tankers that had been rerouted to other border points to reach their base. “We are expecting it would take at least three days for the tankers to reach Birgunj,” Bhattarai said. “Once IOC gives its green signal, the tankers will be dispatched to the Raxaul depot.”
Parsa Chief District Officer Keshav Raj Ghimire said four LPG bullets that entered Nepal on Saturday were among the 62 tankers stranded at the border. Of the 275 bullets on the way to Nepal, 62 were stranded at Birgunj-Raxaul, while the rest were rerouted to other border points.
Ghimire said paperwork for rerouting the remaining bullets will be cancelled and the tankers will be brought in through the Birgunj point. “Due to public holiday in India on Sunday, we see the possibility of regular fuel supply from the Raxaul depot from Monday,” said Ghimire.
Meanwhile, NOC said diesel supply to the Kathmandu Valley has been increased to 300kl daily, while petrol supply has been hiked to 400kl every alternate day.