Tankers disrupt fuel supply

Due to the deliberate disruption in supply of petroleum products by petroleum tanker operators – demanding amendment in the Petroleum Products Transportation Bylaw – consumers have started queuing at petrol pumps across Kathmandu Valley.
Though halting supply of essential products like petroleum products is a serious crime, the tanker operators have been disrupting the supply, as a result of the disruption, the demand for petroleum products has increased substantially also due to growing fear of shortage. "The demand has not subsided even though Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has doubled the quantity of petrol and diesel that it supplies regularly in the market," according to the government fuel monopoly.
"Following the disruption, NOC has almost doubled the supply of petrol in the market to 800 kilolitres (kl) per day against normal demand of 450 kl since Sunday," the corporation said adding that the NOC has also increased supply of diesel.
Putting forth the demand to amend the Petroleum Products Transportation Bylaw, agitating tanker operators – close to the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) – has completely halted supply of petroleum products from Friday. They have also not loaded fuel from Indian oil refineries. Threatening to halt the supply completely from Monday, the tanker operators have submitted a 15-point demand to the government.
The new bylaw requires operators to maintain a minimum fleet size of five tankers, and pay fine to NOC, if the volume of petroleum products is less than what is prescribed in the bylaw. Before the bylaw came into effect, operators with a single tanker were also allowed to supply petroleum products.
Likewise, the bylaw also states the tanker operator has to pay fine if their ‘technical loss’ is more than 30 liters.
According to the National Consumers Forum, tankers have been reporting technical loss of around 235 liters per tanker in recent years. Officials of the forum say that tanker operators have been stealing fuel from tankers and selling them in the market. “Most of the tanker drivers, who have become tanker operators themselves, have been stealing and selling petroleum products,” the forum claimed, asking the government to take stern action against them.
President of Nepal Petroleum Transporters Federation (NPTF) Khageswor Bohara however said that the supply disruption attempt was being made by only those tanker operators close to GEFONT. "Out of almost 1,800 petroleum tankers operating in the country, some 800 tankers are individually owned and they are staging a protest citing that they cannot increase their fleet of tankers as required by the amended bylaw,” he said, requesting the the tanker operators not to interrupt regular supply of petroleum products. He also urged agitating tanker operators to resolve the issue through dialogue with the government.
Had the NOC consulted tanker operators while making amendments in the bylaw, he said, “the problem would not have arisen."

Five donors pull out of Nepal Peace Trust Fund

Some five donors decided to pull out of Nepal Peace Trust Fund (NPTF).
Denmark, Finland, Norway, Switzerland and UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) today decided to cease their financial support to the second phase of the fund that has been financing reconstruction and rehabilitation since the beginning of peace process. Now the fund has only European Union and USAID as its donors, as they signed a new Joint Financing Agreement with the government today. The second phase of the fund will begin from April, according to a statement issued by the delegation of European Union (EU) to Nepal, here today. According to the terms of the new Joint Financing Agreement that has approved a support of about Rs 2.4 billion (about $2.4 million) for peace building projects over the next two years, the fund is scheduled to close in July 2017.
Though, the donors – Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and the DfID – pulled out of the fund, they will continue to support peace building in other areas through different mechanisms, according to the statement.
Yesterday, the representatives from Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and DfID – during a meeting – have informed the minister for Peace and Reconstruction Narahari Acharya about their decision to pull out from the fund. The donors also informed that they could continue financial support, if the government holds local elections.
Delay in holding local elections, differences between the government agencies and donors over priorities and lack of transparency in financial dealings, government’s failure to address the transitional justice mechanism according to the international standards are said to be the reasons behind the donors’ move, according to government officials.
Likewise, the recent dispute over programmes in Nepal TV and Radio Nepal has also irked the donors, they said, adding that the donors themselves are also not very transparent.
Between its inception in 2007 and January 2014 – following the signing of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) to support Nepal's transition to peace from civil war – the government has provided Rs 11.3 billion and the eight donors have contributed Rs 9.3 billion making a total of Rs 20.6 billion (about $208.6 million). But in 2012, one of the initial donors, Germany had pulled out of the fund after the integration and rehabilitation of former Maoist combatants.
Though, finance minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat – during the 17th board meeting of the fund – said that the government could thoroughly investigate the misuse of funds and ensure the completion of ongoing projects as soon as possible, the donors could not be convinced.
The 17th board meeting also approved a strategy implying support of about Rs 2.4 billion ($2.4 million) for peace building projects over the next two years. According to the new strategy, the fund will be used for activities in four focus areas including conflict affected people as defined by the government, access to security, including police service delivery, transitional justice in compliance with Nepal’s international and national commitments, and CA, consultations and elections.
Ambassador of the EU to Nepal Rensje Teerink – in the meeting that saw Mahat, Acharya and mission director of USAID Beth Dunford – said that the EU and other donors were keen to see significant progress in the statute writing that reflects the people’s aspirations, and 'hopefully local elections are held soon'.
She also stressed the need to bring victims' views into the peace process. "The fund has been a vital instrument for Nepal’s transition to peace,” she said, adding that the second phase will channel government, EU and USAID funds to priorities agreed with the government in the interests of the ongoing peace process. "Such work will need to comply with international standards as well as recent rulings of the Supreme Court in relation to transitional justice.