Public transport has been hit hard by deepening fuel crunch in Kathmandu Valley and elsewhere around the country.

Demanding that the government immediately normalise the supply of petroleum products, transportation workers staged protest at various places in Kathmandu by placing vehicles on the road.

The protest blocked traffic at Ratna Park, Baneshwor and Koteshwor areas. Irate motorists gheraoed the Nepal Army’s gas station at Bhadrakali after they could not get petrol and diesel even after staying in queue for hours.

The number of passenger vehicles plying on Kathmandu’s roads is getting lower due to the fuel crunch.

Most of the petrol pumps have already been closed due to erratic supply of petroleum products while serpentine queues of four-wheelers could be seen today in front of a few stations that opened.

Meanwhile, reports say locals of Dhading today took under control five patrol tankers citing the petroleum crisis there.

Officials at Nepal Oil Corporation (NoC) said that frequent shutdown strikes in Terai have hampered the smooth supply of petroleum products.

As promised during negotiations with transporters on Feb 2, the NOC was supposed to normalise the supply of petroleum products by Feb 6. The agreement had come in the wake of the transporters’ warning to launch an indefinite strike if the government didn’t resolve the fuel crunch. nepalnews.com mk Feb 12 08