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Price Rise of Petroleum Products in Nepal
By KTM Metro Reporter
The Nepali Congress government creating artificial shortage of petroleum products and making huge money out of it for more than six months has announced the price increase of petroleum products effective on October 25, 2007. The price of cooking gas (propane) is increased from Rs 900 per cylinder to 1,100, petrol (gas) from Rs 67 per liter to 73, diesel from Rs 52.86 per liter to 55.86 and kerosene from Rs 48 per liter to 51.
The state-run Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has been telling the Nepalese people that it has been losing a huge amount of money every month but it never made public how it has been losing money despite the high prices it has been charging the Nepalese consumers. In other words, the NOC’s businesses are not transparent. The Nepalese media have repeatedly made public how the people in power make money out of the NOC business. The NOC has been the place for every previous government to make money, and the currently for the Nepali congress government to make money at the cost of the Nepalese people.
The impact of the price rise of the petroleum products on the Nepalese people’s lives is far reaching. It increases the transport cost consequently increasing the prices of goods to be transported from the production sites to the markets. It also increases bus fares, taxi fares and certainly the traveling cost of all sorts. This will increase the cost of living prompting the labor unions to ask more money for their workers, which in turn increases the production cost of goods and services.
If we take a look at the international price and the dollar value there is no reason for increasing the prices of petroleum products in Nepal. For example, the value of US dollar in terms of Nepalese rupee has decreased from Rs 75 per dollar to Rs 63 during the last six months. If the price of crude oil per barrel is US$ 80 then the government must be saving 12 x 80 = Rs 960 per barrel due to the low value of the dollar.
The NC government must have made sufficient money for opening the offices of the NC at all 75 districts in Nepal charging high prices of petroleum products to the Nepalese consumers selling petroleum products at the parallel market as people could see the hand-writing notices such as ‘Here, petrol is available’ whereas the fuel pumps had the notices ‘ no petrol’ at the same time saving money from the low vale of dollar price. It has also made money for holding a huge tea party at the national convention hall in Kathmandu on the occasion of the Dashain festival on October 26, 2007. All these things have been happening at the cost of the Nepalese people.
The NC government would not stop the artificial shortage of petroleum products despite the price rise of these products, as the NC government has been already used to making money selling the petrol at almost double the price charged in the regular market. The students have protested the price rise of petroleum products but they have been closing their eyes to the sale of the petrol at the parallel market almost at the double the price charged at the regular market. If the students affiliated with one political party or another really want to raise voice for the consumers then they should protest the open-sale of the petrol at the parallel market creating shortage of the same in the regular market.
The NC government has been indirectly extorting money from the Nepalese consumers selling the petroleum products in the parallel market whereas the Maoists have been directly extorting money from the Nepalis in the name of collecting donations. Both the activities are punishable by laws.
According to the state-run newspaper ‘The Rising Nepal’ of October 24, 2007, the law-enforcement people such as the Nepal Police have extorted money from the people and businessmen at the Jhalari market to meet the Dashain expenses in Jhalari, Kanchanpur Western Nepal. The police team led by Constable of area police office, Agni Prasad Upadhyaya has extorted money.
Nepalese people have been the victims of the law-enforcement people and the political activists. Such activities of political parties and the law-enforcement people would certainly invite a third people’s movement to sweep away the political and administrative evils. (SBR)
