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Kathmandu Monday October 23, 2000 Kartik 07, 2057.
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Petro-price hike retraction ruled out
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Oct 22 - At a time when opposition political
parties are demanding roll back of the recent petro-price hike announced by the
government, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Ram Krishna Tamrakar has ruled out
immediate possibility in its withdrawal.
Minister Tamrakar gave the above information at an
interaction program organized in the Reporter’s Club here today.
"Petro-prices have been hiked in the context of
surging international oil prices and depreciating rupee against the US dollar. Until and
unless the oil prices in the international markets do no come down, prices here will not
go down," he said.
He said that the price of kerosene in the international
markets has now crossed over Rs 27 per litre. Under the circumstances, the present selling
price of kerosene cannot be reduced, he said.
The government recently had hiked the prices of per litre
kerosene, diesel and petrol from Rs 13 to Rs 26, Rs 23 to Rs 27.50 and Rs 40 to Rs 47
respectively. Similarly, it raised the price of LPG per cylinder from Rs 465 to Rs 550.
The government, in addition, had announced to provide 3
litres of kerosene per family per month at subsidized rates of Rs 15.50 per litre under
the card system.
Stressing that the government is not in a position to
increase the subsidy provided in kerosene, Minister Tamrakar said that providing 3 litres
of subsidized kerosene to each of the 4 million families in the country would mean
expenses of over Rs 12 million per month.
"Even a country like India whose domestic production
is sufficient to meet its 35 percent of the total petroleum demands has increased
petro-prices and provides only 2 litres of subsidized kerosene in some parts," he
informed.
However, Minister Tamrakar also said that the government
will provide subsidized kerosene also to those who live in rented houses in the urban and
sub-urban areas. Subsidized kerosene to such families would be provided on the
recommendations of the landlord and that of the ward committee.
At the same program, opposition Member of Parliament Bharat
Mohan Adhikari alleged that the government’s decision to raise petro-prices was taken
in haste at a time when prices in the international markets were likely to come down.
He said that CPN/UML would halt all its other activities
and take to the street if the government does not roll back the price hike.
"The financial pressure caused by irregularities in
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has been shifted upon the shoulders of the common masses. The
government must form an all party investigation committee to look into irregularities and
leakage in NOC," he said.
President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Pradeep Kumar Shrestha said though the government can have
no control over swelling international prices, it should have raised the petro-prices
phasewise to minimize the burden upon consumers.
Madan Raj Sharma, Executive Director of NOC, Radha Krishna
Mainali, member of CPN/ML, Bishnu Bahadur Manandhar representing the grouping of nine left
parties and Harendra Bahadur Shrestha, Chairman of Nepal Consumer Forum also spoke on the
occasion.
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