Stating that Nepali consumers have not been benefitting from the significant declines in international oil price, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) on Sunday wrote separately to the NOC and DoTM to slash fuel prices and revise public transport fares accordingly.
Though the crude oil price plunged to a 12-year low of $32 per barrel in the international market in January second week, Nepali consumers could not benefit from it as the responsible bodies did not slash the fuel prices and transport fares.
OPMCM spokesman Uttam Kumar Khatri said, “While NOC has not reduced fuel price as per declining crude oil price in the international market, DoTM also has not reduced public transport fares,” said Khatri.
On January 18, NOC last had reduced the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs 5 per liter and Rs 6 per liter respectively. Currently, petrol and diesel cost Rs 99 and Rs 75 per liter respectively.
In the meantime, student unions associated with different political parties have organized a sit-in protest in front of NOC demanding smooth supply of petroleum products in the market and action against the ongoing black-marketing in petroleum products. Student unions affiliated with three Maoist parties -- UCPN (Maoist), CPN (Maoist Revolutionary) and CPN Maoist -- had staged sit-in protest in front of NOC's central office at Babarmahal on Thursday. Likewise, the student unions have also demanded NOC to adjust fuel price in line with the decline in international crude price. They have also demanded that the NOC adopt long-term policies regarding production, supply and storage of petroleum products and end the ongoing crisis.
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