The government is promoting the black market in fuel, citing the petroleum shortage due to the blockade imposed by India and the Madhes unrest, according to industrialists.

The shortage of fuel due to the supply chain disruption has been a boon to black marketeers and they have raked in about half a billion rupees in the last five days, they said and alleged that the illegal money has been pocketed by some officials of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), depot heads and even some politicians. “How can they pocket the illegal money so easily without the involvement of higher-up government officials and politicians,” the industrialists asked.

Despite the blockade and the Madhes unrest, around 300 tankers have entered Kathmandu Valley from various customs points across the country in the past five days. The 300 tankers ferried in some 6 million liters of fuel, which could have fulfilled 60 percent of the market demand had it been distributed transparently. However, NOC is directly involved in institutional corruption and it has raked in Rs 1.5 million extra per tanker on average. “A 20,000-liter tanker of petrol normally costs Rs 2.08 million, but we are paying Rs 3.5 million in black,” said one industrialist, without wishing to be named. “Likewise, a 20,000-liter tanker of diesel costs Rs 1.62 million, but we are paying Rs 2.6 million in black.”