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Kathmandu Valley Shutdown Today
By KTM Metro Reporter
January 25, 2012: thirteen students’ unions and nine youth organizations including Young Communist League (YCL) have closed down the Kathmandu Valley in protest against the rise in prices of petroleum products. Some of the state employees have walked up to their offices; others stayed home. Either in solidarity with the protestors or for fear of damages, none of the vehicles were on the roads; stores and other business offices were totally shutdown. Leaders of these protesting organizations have committed to continuing the protest until the government rolls back the price rise in the petroleum products. They have demanded the resignation of the Minister for supplies, as he has been unable to mange the supplies of the petroleum products and has increased the prices of petroleum products rather than improving the management of the supplies. The minister has lost the legitimacy to remain in the office, they say.
On January 18, 2012, Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has increased the prices of petroleum products: price of petrol has gone up from Rs 105 per liter to Rs 115, diesel and kerosene from Rs 76 per liter to Rs 85, cooking gas from Rs 1,325 per 15 kg cylinder to Rs 1,500 and the aviation fuel from Rs 100 per liter to Rs 105.
Speaking to the anchor of the Radio Nepal morning program called ‘antar-sambad’ today, the head of the Consumer Protection Forum Jyoti Baiya has said that the government has no rights to increase the prices of petroleum products and other utilities not more than 5% at a time following the law but the government thinks that its decision on anything overrides the law. He also has said that the government could take other measures for reducing the losses of the NOC but it takes only the easiest path that is to increase the prices of petroleum products. He has said that the government has been doing injustice to the people selling the petrol that costs only Rs 66 on the border areas at Rs 115 per liter in Kathmandu.
The supply of petroleum products has not eased even after increasing their prices in Kathmandu. Consumers have to stand on line at the petrol pump stations to get a few liters of petroleum and households have to wait to receive a cylinder of cooking gas even though a week has been passed since NOC increased the prices of petroleum products.
Minister for Supplies Lekharaj Bhatta has said that he has received the instructions from the prime minister to make a package of supplying petroleum products to the students and youths for offsetting the impact of the price rise in the petroleum products on the students and the youths. However, the talks between the minister and students’ and youths’ leaders have failed to reach any conclusion.
