Money
Gas stations refuse to purchase petrol, diesel
Kathmandu-based private petrol pump operators refused to purchase petroleum products from Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) on Tuesday, citing delays in upward revision in compensation for losses inflicted by shrinkage of petrol and diesel.Kathmandu-based private petrol pump operators refused to purchase petroleum products from Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) on Tuesday, citing delays in upward revision in compensation for losses inflicted by shrinkage of petrol and diesel.
State-owned petroleum monopoly, NOC, confirmed that petroleum dealers based in the Kathmandu Valley did not purchase petroleum products from its depot in Thankot on Tuesday.
Petroleum dealers have been expressing dissatisfaction over compensation extended by NOC for shrinkage loss.
The state-owned enterprise has been extending 5 litres of extra petrol on purchase of every 1,000 litres of petrol and 2.6 litres of extra diesel on purchase of every 1,000 litres of diesel as compensation for loss generated by shrinkage of the two petroleum products.
However, dealers have said up to 90 litres of petroleum products disappear whenever they purchase every 4,000 litres of petroleum products.
Citing this reason, the petroleum dealers had previously warned to shut down petrol pumps in the Kathmandu Valley, Nuwakot, Dhading and Kavrepalanchok. They later called off the protest after NOC agreed to address the problem by July 16. But the dispute still continues.
As petroleum dealers signalled launch of a fresh strike, NOC, on Tuesday, supplied 161 kl of fuel to gasoline stations run by Sajha and security forces, said NOC’s Thankot Depot Chief Netra Prasad Kafle.
The petroleum dealers are posturing to launch the protest despite reaching an agreement with NOC to form a study committee on Monday.
The state-owned enterprise on Monday formed a panel to conduct a study on losses suffered by petroleum dealers. The committee comprises representatives of the Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk, Royal Academy of Science and Technology, petroleum dealers associations and NOC. The committee has been given a deadline of two weeks to submit a report.
This is the second time such a study committee was formed. NOC formed a new committee to please petroleum dealers, who had expressed unhappiness over the report submitted the panel formed in the past.
The panel formed in the past had reported that the compensation for shrinkage loss amounted to 50 litres per 4,000 litres of petrol and 36 litres per 4,000 litres of diesel.