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NOC completes locking system on tanker fleet
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) on Sunday ended the task of fully implementing the locking system on all petroleum tankers with tankers plying on Janakpur-Barauni route being the last, two decades after the system was introduced in India.Ajit Tiwari
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) on Sunday ended the task of fully implementing the locking system on all petroleum tankers with tankers plying on Janakpur-Barauni route being the last, two decades after the system was introduced in India.
Installing the locking system on fuel tankers is expected to control oil theft.
NOC Executive Director Sushil Bhattarai announced the enforcement of locking system on all tankers throughout the country by unlocking tankers dispatched from Barauni depot of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to NOC’s Dhanusha’s depot.
In a bid to control fuel theft and leakage en-route, NOC had started installing security locking systems four months ago. The mission was started from NOC’s depot in Charali, Jhapa.
IOC had provided the locking system in grants to implement in around 1,800 tankers being used to transport fuel from India to Nepal. A lock costs IRs3,000-5,000 in India, according to NOC.
NOC Spokesperson Birendra Kumar Goit said the locks can be opened only by using the master keys held by NOC.
With the enforcement of the system, petroleum dealers can receive the exact amount of fuel for which they pay. “It has benefited the operators of petrol pumps while the petroleum transporters will also be free from the charge of being involved in fuel theft,” said Bishwo Aryal, general secretary of Nepal Petroleum Transporters Federation.
“From now on, there will no theft and leakage except for evaporation loss or shrinkage caused by temperature.”
Lilendra Prasad Pradhan, president of Nepal Petroleum Dealers’ Association, said that the implementation of locking system could also help maintain the quality apart from controlling leakages.
“It is expected to end the game of blaming each other. It will also make the fuel trade more transparent and systematic,” Pradhan said.