The Nepal Oil Corporation has amended its bylaws to impose heavy fines of up to Rs 10 lakh and suspend fuel supply for up to 15 days if petrol pumps stop distributing fuel to customers.
New Penalties for Fuel Sellers
The government have made new legal rules to fine petrol pumps and stop their fuel supply if they disturb the smooth distribution of petroleum products. Under these new rules, petrol pumps that close down can face huge fines of up to Rs 10 lakh and their fuel supply can be stopped for up to 15 days.
This new provision was added after the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) Board of Directors amended the Petroleum Sellers Bylaws. On Wednesday, petrol pumps created a big problem in fuel distribution across the country. Following this issue, the Industry, Commerce, and Supplies Minister Gauri Kumari directed the corporation to making these strict rules.
Details of the Amended Bylaws
According to the minister’s personal secretariat, the amended bylaws say that closing pumps can lead to a fine of Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Also, their petrol and diesel distribution will be stopped for 5 days to 15 days. A new sentence has been added to Clause 29 Gh (1) of the bylaws. It states that sellers must not create a situation where petroleum products are not available by keeping the nozzle dry.
If a petrol pump commits this offense for the first time, they will get a fine of Rs 3 lakh and fuel supply will be stopped for 5 days. For the second time, the fine will be Rs 6 lakh and supply will be stopped for 10 days. Finally, if they do it for the third time, the fine will be Rs 10 lakh and the supply will be stopped for 15 days.
AI Disclaimer: This article was originally published on https://bajarkochirfar.com. It has been translated with the help of AI. For the best understanding and accurate facts, we recommend reading the original Nepali version.
