Pump operator awaits DoR recommendation to start operation
JAJARKOT, April 17: Mukti Basnet Oil Suppliers of Jajarkot has not been able to operate petrol refilling pump in the district despite receiving license from Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) 16 months ago.
As a result, locals are forced to pay an additional Rs 15 per liter on diesel and Rs 25 per liter on petrol.
Locals say that they have no option but to pay higher price for fuel as concerned government agencies are doing nothing to bring the petrol pump into operation. They say Division Road Office of Department of Roads located in Chaurjahari of Rukum is not taking needful action for paving the way for the pump to start operation.
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Udam Nepali, a local of the area, said that consumers were paying as high as Rs 100 per liter for diesel and Rs 130 per liter of petrol. Government-owned pumps are selling diesel and petrol at Rs 85 and Rs 105 per liter, respectively, according to Nepali.
Bir Bahadur Basnet, proprietor of Mukti Basnet Oil Suppliers, told Republica that the Division Road Office has been refusing to write a recommendation letter to the NOC. “NOC will issue operational license to us once the division road office writes a recommendation letter. But the office is denying me a recommendation letter in one pretext or the other,” he added.
Basnet further added that the office has not taken any action on his application for recommendation letter submitted in November, 2016. He also blamed that the office was working in cahoots with the black-marketers.
Prakash Chand, a promoter of Mukti Basnet Oil Suppliers, said the division road office is not issuing recommendation letter to his firm on the pressure of black-marketers.
However, Ashish Thapa Magar, chief of the division road office, said that the promoters of Mukti Basnet Oil Suppliers have not submitted necessary documents. “I will write a recommendation letter as soon as they submit all the documents,” Thapa told Republica.
Mukti Basnet Oil Suppliers had received go-ahead to establish a refilling pump from the NOC on November 20, 2016. The NOC had asked him to bring the pump into operation within six months. The firm later got six-month extension to operate the pump.
Chand said that the pump can start distribution of petroleum products within a week of getting recommendation letter from the division road office.
The pump has the capacity to store 12,000 liters of petrol and 20,000 liters of diesel, he added.
