BHADRAPUR, May 28: Seventy-three tankers carrying petroleum products heading to Nepal have been stuck at the Panitanki custom of West Bengal, India, for the past four days, creating shortage of fuels in the eastern Nepal.
The custom held the tankers citing the launch of an entry system online, said Lokmani Poudel, information officer at the office of Nepal Oil Corporation, Charali. The tankers are meant to enter Nepal through an eastern transit of Nepal.
Four eastern districts reeling under fuel shortage
As a result, all petrol stations in districts of Mechi Zone including Jhapa, Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung have been shut, he said. Approximately 100,000 liters of petrol and 300,000 liters of diesel are consumed on a daily basis in the districts, he said.
Although India started going online in keeping a record of tankers crossing the Nepal-India border from Friday, the custom held the Nepali tankers citing a problem in the system, he said, adding that the custom has been requested to release the tankers soon.
