Responding to the NOC’s decision, agitating Nepal Petroleum Transporters’ Federation (NPTF) has said it would not allow new tankers to operate. However, NOC said it would mobilize security agencies and resume fuel import and distribution at any cost. Consumer lobbies, meanwhile, have urged both the tanker operators and NOC to resolve the problem through talks and stop victimizing consumers.
The strike by tanker operators has disrupted fuel supply from Sunday. The Nepal Petroleum Dealers’ Association (NPDA) - a syndicate of petroleum retailers - too joined in the strike, putting forward its own three-point demand to the government. That has sparked fuel shortage in the Kathmandu Valley.
“We have invited 263 parties who are willing to transport fuel for negotiation. As NPTF has continued to obstruct imports and transportation, it is highly likely that the NOC will sign a contract with all 263 parties for the job,” NOC spokesperson Mukunda Dhungel said.
He told myrepublica.com that the NOC took the step after the NTPF refused to withdraw its demands. The NTPF is demanding that the corporation not displace the old tankers and not add new tankers for transporting fuel.
The corporation has said that the NTPF demands prevent competition and are against fair business norms.
The NOC on Wednesday also sent its senior officials to Amlekhgunj to convince a group of transporters who are against the NTPF strike, to resume imports from Raxaul.
The NOC officials are scheduled to hold talks with regional and local authorities for security arrangement, so that transporters willing to work could start imports and stock transfer.
However, Birendra Shrivastava, a senior NPTF official in Birgunj has vowed strong “physical actions” against transporters who return to work. NPTF President Birendra Kumar Das, meanwhile, has resigned his post citing his differences with other NPTF members.
Officials at the Ministry of Supplies, meanwhile, have indicated that regular import and normal supply of fuel in the market might not happen this week.
In the meantime, NPDA has criticized the arrest of its members on Tuesday evening. Police had arrested some petroleum dealers after they allegedly tried to obstruct distribution of fuel by NOC.
Moreover, the government had deployed heavy security to enable NOC distribute fuel from its Thankot depot. Under security cordon, NOC had distributed 300 kiloliters (KL) of diesel, 146 KL of petrol and 48 KL of kerosene in the Valley.
“Today [Wednesday] also we are planning to distribute some 200 KL of petrol,” said a NOC official at Thankot.
NPDA officials, meanwhile, said they were willing to discuss their demands with the government.
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