By Laxman Kafle
Kathmandu, May 10 : Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), the state owned petroleum supplier, has been supplying petroleum products to the petrol pumps across the country based on their demand.
“We are delivering fuel to the fuel stations across the nation on demand. We will deliver fuel to the petrol pumps when they inform the concerned NOC depots for fuel,” said Binitmani Upadhyay, spokesperson of NOC.
He said there was no problem in the supply of fuel in the country as the NOC has sufficient stock of fuel at the depots and also importing fuel from the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) as per the requirement.
“I request the petrol pumps to call concerned NOC’s depots if they require fuel to sell to the consumers. Petrol pumps across the country are distributing fuel by coordination with the local administration to ease the supply,” Upadhyay told The Rising Nepal.
Above 80 per cent of the total capacity of fuel is in stock with NOC at present, he said, adding that the import of fuel is being made smoothly from India.
With the implementation of prohibitory order in major cities, including Kathmandu Valley to prevent and control the COVID-19, the demand for fuel has decreased significantly.
“The daily demand for fuel has dropped by around 50 per cent. It is natural for fuel demand to reduce at the time when the government has restricted the movement of unnecessary vehicles on the road,” he said.
The demand for petrol dropped by 60 per cent and diesel by around by 40 per cent across the country, he said.
“There is no obstruction in the import of fuel including cooking gas by the IOC as IOC is providing fuel as per our requirement,” he said.

Fuel from Thankot and Amalekhgunj depots only three days a week
NOC has decided to distribute fuel from some of its depots only three days a week as per the request of the local administration and run the office with limited employees.
The fuel will be distributed only three days a week from the main fuel distribution depot of NOC-- Amlekhgunj, Thankot, Janakpur and Nepalgunj, Upadhyay said.
Fuel will be distributed only on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from Thankot depot, he said.
Likewise, fuel from Amlekhgunj depot will be distributed on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays as per the health condition of the employees and the request of the local administration, he said.
The Janakpur and Nepalgunj depots will also open only three days a week, he said.
However, the NOC will distribute fuel on regular basis from Biratnagar and Bhairahawa depots, he said.
Upadhyay said that the concerned depots would manage fuel distribution to the petrol pumps even if they opened three days a week.