Protesting oil transporters suspend protest; supply of petroleum products in Kathmandu Valley will resume today

KATHMANDU, June 17: The protesting tanker drivers transporting petroleum products have suspended their protest. The protest was suspended after a meeting with the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) at the Ministry of Industries, Commerce and Supplies on Monday decided to form a committee to look into the demands of the protesting drivers.

NOC CEO Chandika Bhatt said drivers would resume transporting petroleum products from Monday. “With the resumption of supplies, the market shortage will be addressed,” Bhatt said.

An agreement was reached between both sides to meet the demands of the protesting tanker drivers within two weeks. Due to the protests by the Nepal Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association, there is a shortage of diesel and petrol at the petrol stations in Kathmandu Valley. The protesting drivers started their protests by claiming that the government was not ready to consider their seven-point demands.

Under normal circumstances, the NOC depot in Thankot sells 700 kilolitres of petrol and 850 kilolitres of diesel in the Kathmandu Valley every day. However, due to the protest by the Nepal Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association, only 130 kilolitres of petrol and 60 kilolitres of diesel were sold on Sunday. Ashok Shah, head of the NOC Bagmati regional office in Thankot, said the shortage was due to the reduced supply of petrol and diesel.

Tanker drivers have organised phased protest programmes to put pressure on the government to meet their demands. The drivers and co-drivers have demanded, among others, that workers be employed as per labour laws, wages be fixed as per the Nepal government’s regulations, double bank guarantee and annual extension applicable only to self-employment be abolished, and temperature be properly controlled.

They also demanded that social security funds be set up, double crates of more than 50 litres be abolished, drivers and co-drivers be given risk allowances and safety training be carried out for drivers and co-drivers every three months. The drivers protested by wearing black armbands on June 14 and waving black flags on June 15 as a symbolic protest.