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VOL. 27, NO. 25, February 29, 2007 (Falgun 17 2064 B.S.)
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SUPPLY SYSTEM
Still Dysfunctional
The government has invoked Essential Services Act and imposed quota restrictions, but the supply system has not yet improved
By A CORRESPONDENT
Desperate situations call for desperate measures. The government under heat for failing to supply essential goods has resorted to clamping curfews in restive Terai region to transport fuel and essential goods. It has also invoked Essential Services Act and even imposed odd-even rule and quota restrictions to arrest the deteriorating situation.
This week, the government invoked the Essential Services Act, which allows the State to intervene even in private sector undertakings in order to ensure smooth and regular flow of essential services in the country.
According to the Spokesperson at the Home Ministry, Modraj Dotel, the Act grants special authority to the government, whereby it can democratically intervene with different essential service providers including the private sector to uphold the basic rights of the people.
The Act specifies items such as essential goods, telecommunication, drinking water and fuel, among others, as essential services.
The ESA was invoked primarily to facilitate the smooth transportation of petroleum products as its acute shortage has thrown normal life out of gear across the country, particularly in the capital valley.
"By activating the Act through public notification, the government can now take tankers into its control and operate them by hiring drivers of its own after paying compensation to tanker owners," an official at Supplies Ministry told The Kathmandu Post.
This decision comes in the wake of reports of tanker drivers refusing to transport fuel demanding more pay and more security.
In another attempt to facilitate the distribution of fuel in the capital, the government has also enforced odd-even rule and imposed quota restrictions.
Last week, the meeting of the Supply Management Committee of the government, decided to enforce odd-even rule beginning Monday to deal with the acute shortage of petroleum products.
The committee decided that odd-numbered vehicles (registration number) can obtain fuel only on odd dates (Nepali calendar) while even-numbered vehicles can obtain fuel on even dates.
The committee also decided to designate separate petrol pumps for motorcycles and vehicles. The Committee decided to designate special petrol pumps to provide fuel to vital institutions providing essential services such as hospitals, schools etc. "Major institutions like hospitals, dairy, media, schools, airport, diplomatic missions, drinking water etc will be provided with separate pumps," said Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Purushottam Ojha.
It also decided to fix quota or ration when selling petroleum products. According to a member of the committee Shiva Prasad Ghimire, who is also the president of Nepal Petroleum Dealers Association, daily notice will be published regarding which pumps will distribute fuel on what days. He said that each time a motorcycle can get petrol worth Rs 500; a car can buy petrol worth Rs 1000 and taxis can buy petrol worth Rs 1500. Likewise, big vehicles can buy diesel worth Rs 1000 at a time; public transport vehicles can buy diesel worth Rs 2000 and long-distance buses can buy diesel worth Rs 3000.
The government has also resorted to clamping curfew in key highways in restive Terai region to ensure the transportation of tankers carrying fuel and essential goods.
Despite these extreme measures, the supply system has not yet improved. The serpentine queues in front of petrol pumps are commonplace.
The shortage cooking gas and kerosene coupled with daily eight hours of power outage has struck hard in the kitchens. While cooking gas stoves and kerosene stoves are becoming little of use, even electric heaters cannot be used due to load shedding in peak evening and morning hours.
The scarcity of drinking water has worsened with the load shedding which makes it impossible for people to draw water (by using machines) when there is no power.
Even the newly-formed valley drinking water management utility Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) is finding it difficult to draw water from traditional wells due to lack of power.
Between November and April/May, Kathmandu valley faces acute shortage of drinking water as well as electricity.
"There is an all-out problems for consumers. They are the most victimized lot whose woes have never been addressed," said Jyoti Baniya, general secretary of Consumers Forum.
In recent days, even schools and hospitals have not been spared by the woes of scarcity. The lack of energy, particularly diesel fuel, has hit the schools hard as many of them are unable to utilize school buses to ferry students. Even hospital ambulances were forced to stand in queue to get fuel.
