Himalayan News Service

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Kathmandu, January 31

Motorcyclists and motorists in the Kathmandu Valley will now get fuel every alternate week, as Nepal Oil Corporation has increased fuel supply to Kathmandu in the last few weeks.

Based on the lot numbers of two-wheelers and four-wheelers, NOC will distribute fuel every alternate week beginning this week. “We are going to narrow down the gap of refuelling period,” said Sushil Bhattarai, acting deputy managing director of NOC. “We had been able to provide fuel only about once a month earlier since the start of disruption in supply lines from India.”

As the supply of fuel has normalised from all trading routes with India, except Birgunj the major supply line of the country NOC had last week instructed its depots in towns bordering India to dispatch a certain quantity of fuel to Kathmandu every day.

Daily demand for fuel in the Valley during normal times hovers at around 350 kl of petrol and 450 kl of diesel. NOC’s Thankot Depot dedicated depot for the Valley has 1,600 kl petrol and 4,200 kl diesel in stock.

NOC had directed Bhalwari (Bhairahawa), Biratnagar and Nepalgunj depots to mandatorily dispatch petrol and diesel to Kathmandu last week, as supply from India has been regular in the last three weeks.

“However, depots outside the Valley have not been able to dispatch the exact amount that the head office had asked them to send, as they also have to meet the demand of the region they are located in,” said Bhattarai. “Nevertheless, Bhairahawa, Biratnagar and Nepalgunj depots have been sending fuel regularly to Kathmandu since the last week.”

NOC had asked Bhalwari Depot to dispatch 100 kl petrol and 200 kl diesel daily to Kathmandu, Biratnagar (100 kl petrol and 300 kl diesel) and Nepalgunj (50 kl petrol and 50 kl diesel).

Since Biratnagar Depot also receives fuel tankers that enter the country via Kakarvitta (Jhapa) apart from Jogbani in India, it has been dispatching more fuel than other depots to fuel-strapped Kathmandu, according to Bhattarai.

“We have planned to distribute five litres of fuel to two-wheelers and 15 litres to four-wheelers,” said Bhattarai.

Two-wheelers will get fuel in four phases in a week based on their lot numbers and four-wheelers in three phases. Taxis will get 10 litres of petrol per week based on odd and even licence plate system.

NOC has said that the supply of fuel cannot be fully normalised until supply from Raxaul (Birgunj) resumes. The Raxaul Depot of Indian Oil Corporation caters to around 60 per cent of Nepal’s total demand for petroleum products in normal times.

However, supply from the depot has been completely halted since the last week of September after the Madhes-based political parties blocked t the border crossing in Birgunj.

Raxaul Depot used to supply 2,300 kl fuel to Nepal daily around 60 per cent of the country’s daily import of fuel from India in normal times.

A version of this article appears in print on February 01, 2016 of The Himalayan Times.

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