“If the investigation showed NOC of being guilty, we will take action against the wrongdoing officials,” said Mahato, referring to the news that Republica broke on Saturday. [break]
Going by the regulations, NOC should issue purchase delivery order (PDO) to the tankers from Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) only after they fit on tank and cabin on chassis they purchase, get explosive test certification from India and report to the NOC for cross checks and verification. In case they fit body in India, they would need to pay customs and other duty when they enter Nepal.
However, in the reported case, NOC was found to have issued PDO to the tanker operators while they were moving the chassis out to India for fitting chambers (tank), cabin and other body parts on chassis.
Based on the PDO they have had, the transporters then collected fuel on their way to Nepal from Barauni, which is against the regulations. And this unauthorized issuance of PDO had facilitated the transporters to evade duties because customs office considers vehicle bringing in the fuel as ones that have already completed all prior process of customs clearance.
The anomalies had became public after the customs office in Birgunj, which took control of the two new NOC-hired tankers on Thursday, found them to have entered Nepal without paying due taxes.
NOC, however, has claimed that it had issued them with PDO only after fulfilling all necessary procedures.
“We issued them with PDO on November 25 based on vehicle registration document of Narayani Transport Management Office dated November 23,” said Digambhar Jha, NOC chief, denying foul play by NOC. But he denied his knowledge of those operators of not paying due duties.
“How would I know that? It is neither my jurisdiction nor duty to check whether those vehicles cleared customs. It is the jobs of Customs Office and Department,” he stated.
However, sources said that the statement of Jha spells out his gross ignorance on the process of PDO issuance. “Final customs clearance document is one of the various documents that the operator must submit to NOC to get PDO. What Jha said is sheer nonsense,” the source added.
Jha also failed to explain how the tankers received supplies prior to the date on which the Indian Embassy in Nepal issued them the transport permit letter.
Transport permit letter of Embassy is a must-have document for transporters to ferry fuel from India, but in the given case, the tankers had delivered the fuel to Amlekhgunj depot from Barauni before the date they got such letters from the Embassy.
“It is transporters´ duty to acquire the permit letter. I have no answer to this question,” said Jha.
Moreover, NOC in a statement issued to refute its involvement in anomalies has said that the tankers being held by the customs office belong to Shiva Prasad Ghimire, who is also the immediate past president of Nepal Petroleum Dealers Association.
Related story
UML candidate Mahato elected HoR member from Mahottari-1
