Holding a press meet Thursday, the association made public a 14-point demand, which seeks, among other things, that NOC not ´rob away´ their business. [break]
With the intention of providing relief from load-shedding, the government had decided to provide diesel to industries at a subsidized rate of Rs 59.12 per liter, or Rs 7.88 cheaper than the market price.
NOC, as a state-owned agency, is executing the relief program and has been supplying diesel to industries directly. NOC says it is currently supplying 30 percent of the total diesel to industries.
However, NPDA President Saroj Pandey said there was huge leakage of the facility provided by the state. “We will launch a nationwide strike if it does not remove the program from the supplementary budget the government is planning to announce next month,” he stated.
Interestingly, NPDA also demanded that the government close down all refilling stations run by the security forces. It claimed that those refilling stations were supplying low quality fuel to consumers and less of it.
The association has further demanded that the government open an access road to petrol pumps along the Koteshwar-Bhaktapur highway. “Twenty four petrol pumps operating along the highway for years have been forced to shut down because the highway railing has blocked their entry and exit points,” said Pandey.
NPDA also flayed the continuous addition of new petrol pumps. “Amid fuel price hikes and short supply, even existing refilling stations are not enjoying a good business. By adding new pumps, NOC is making matters worse,” reads a memorandum issued by the association.
Pointing out that there are already 2,200 refilling stations in the country, Pandey argued that there was no need for any more stations.
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