At its inauugration, promoters of Sankar Oil Store, the newest petrol pump in Surkhet, claimed that they could store 130,000 liters of fuel.[break]
Just five months ago, Deepmala Oil Store, which boasts a storage capacity of 72,000 liters, was set up at Bange Simal of Surkhet Valley.
More petrol pumps are now coming up in Surkhet. With hundreds of vehicles plying every day along Karnali Highway, the country´s newest, oil traders are eyeing Surkhet as a new hub for the fuel market in the midwest.
However, despite the sharp rise in number of petrol pumps, an end to the perennial fuel woes of Surkhet locals, who often need to queue up for just a tankful, is nowhere in sight. More pumps do not mean more fuel easily, says Ishwor Prasad Oli of Narayan Oil Store, Surkhet.
Oli, who is also a member of the Petroleum Dealers Association, says, "If Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) supplies enought fuel, just two or three pumps can serve all customers in Surkhet. However, NOC, which does not supply enough fuel, appears quite generous in issuing licenses for new petrol pumps. Instead of solving the perennial fuel crisis, that will just add to our problems."
When there is smooth traffic flow on the Surkhet-Jumla, Chhinchu-Jajarkot and some rural roads, Surkhet needs about 800,000 liters of diesel and 150,000 litres of petrol every month. By contrast, NOC supplies only 400,000 liters of diesel and 80,000 litres of petrol monthly to Surkhet.
"In the rainy season, roads in the hill areas remain blocked and dozers and excavators are not in use. We simply cannot face the crisis", says Bishnu Prasad Thani, proprietor of Deepa Mala Petrol Pump. "NOC has to increase fuel supply to Surkhet to meet increasing demand."
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