By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Apr. 30: All the petrol pumps in the Kathmandu Valley will remain open even during the time of prohibitory order.
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) issued a notice stating that the official pumps of the Corporation, including the Bagmati Province Thankot depot office will remain open for fuel distribution.
According to Binitmani Upadhyay, spokesperson of the Corporation, the Corporation will keep all the petrol pumps in the valley, including the Province office, Thankot depot, open to facilitate the supply and sale of petroleum products during the 15-day lockdown that came into effect from Thursday in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts.
He said that the NOC has already requested the petrol pumps running inside and outside the valley to keep them open for the smooth supply of fuel.
Almost all petrol pumps of the Kathmandu Valley are opened and they are selling fuel on Thursday, the first day of the implementation of prohibitory order, he said.
“Nepal Petroleum Dealers’ Association and the Nepal LP Gas Industry Association have made their commitment to ensuring smooth supply of petroleum products abiding by all the health protocols,” he told The Rising Nepal.
According to him, the NOC would deliver petroleum products to the fuel pumps as per their demand as the NOC has sufficient stock of fuel in its depots across the country.
NOC has about 80 per cent of the total fuel stock capacity at present, he said, adding that the import of fuel was also continuing smoothly.
He urged the general public not to be panic and hoard unnecessary fuel as the NOC is committed to ensuring the supply of fuel in any condition.

Fuel distribution doubles in two days
Fuel consumption in the market has almost doubled in the last two days in the Kathmandu Valley. The consumption has also increased after most consumers started refueling their vehicles after the prohibitory order was imposed on Thursday.
On Wednesday, there were long queues of consumers in front of almost all the petrol pumps in the valley.
Upadhyay informed that diesel and petrol were distributed twice on Tuesday and Wednesday.
He said that about 1,000 KL of diesel and 1,000 KL of petrol were sold out on Tuesday. He said that diesel and petrol were distributed on Wednesday in the same volume.
Under normal circumstances, 600 to 700 kiloliters of petrol and 800 to 900 kiloliters of diesel are consumed daily in the Kathmandu Valley.
He, however, said that the demand for fuel would fall in the area where the restriction order is in place.