Drivers and helpers of fuel tankers had brought the transportation of fossil fuels to a halt since Saturday to protest the killing of a tanker helper Ahamed Dewan by Indian dacoits while on the way to Barauni of India to collect oil.[break]
The protesting drivers had put forth five-point demands including relief of Rs 2.5 million to the victim´s family and the guarantee of security for tanker workers.
An agreement was reached between the NOC and the agitating workers on Tuesday.
According to Shiva Prasad Pudasaini, spokesperson of NOC, tanker drivers resumed transporting the petroleum products after the agreement.
Pudasaini said tanker owners will provide Rs 500,000, while NOC and the Federation of Nepal Petroleum Tanker Operators (FNPTO) will jointly provide Rs 300,000 as compensation to the victim´s family.
Similarly, the agreement has allowed the tankers to collect fuels from Raxaul depot, ending the existing mandatory provision of picking up the fuel from Barauni depot of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the sole supplier of petroleum products to Nepal.
Insurance of tanker drivers and helpers as well as insurance of excise duty and sales tax being levied by India, are other points in the agreement.
Meanwhile, NOC stated that Thankot depot distributed 400,000 liters of petrol and 500,000 liters of diesel from its storage on Tuesday to ease the supplies in the capital.
“After the agreement, we have increased the supplies and all the pumps have received petroleum products,” said Birendra Goit, chief of Thankot depot.
Due to three days of disruption in supplies, consumers had to queue up at fuel stations in the Kathmandu Valley even as many other stations had to shut down their outlets amid shortage of petroleum products.
Related story
Tanker knocks down pedestrian
