They also say the government should gradually reduce fuel dependency on India to avert similar scenario in the future.Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has remained the sole supplier of petroleum products to Nepal for more than four decades. As a result of total dependency, Nepal, like in the 1990s, has been facing acute shortage of petroleum products after India imposed undeclared economic blockade citing security reasons.
Commenting on the present scenario, Chandika Prasad Bhatta, former managing director of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), said: "The biggest mistake is we have made IOC the sole supplier of petroleum products to Nepal without giving space to other options. Sad thing is, we didn't learn lessons from the similar economic blockade of 1990s."
Stating that the crisis could have been averted had the country explored other alternatives to import petroleum products, Bhatta said the government should first take immediate measures to resolve the ongoing fuel crisis and make a long-term plan to reduce dependency on India.
"Had Nepal harnessed its hydropower potentials, encouraged use of electric vehicles, and promote alternative fuels like bio-diesel, the current crisis could have been managed," he said, adding, "The government should now come up with long-term plans to develop hydropower and encourage use of electric vehicles."
Purushottam Ojha, former commerce secretary, also suggested reducing total dependency on India for petroleum products by looking into other alternatives. "We are suffering because of our inability to learn lessons from the past," Ojha said, adding, "However, we should resolve the present crisis by holding talks at the political level with IOC and the Indian government."
Ojha also said the government should immediately commission a study to reduce dependency on India for petroleum products. "Had we been in a position to export hydropower to India, the southern neighbor won't have stopped supply of petroleum products like this," he added.
He also said plans to import fuel from other countries might not be feasible. "We need to decrease dependency on India and focus on hydropower development to bring down consumption of fossil fuel," said Ojha.
NOC officials also say the country must reduce dependency on India and explore other options to avert similar situation in the future. "We have been waiting for the government direction to explore immediate and long-term alternatives to reduce dependency on India for fossil fuels. We have learnt a lesson that dependency on India has to be reduced," an NOC official told Republica, requesting anonymity.
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