Gasoline not only scarce, but also of poor quality
KATHMANDU, FEB 24
Motorists in the Kathmandu valley have to contend with the poor quality of gasoline besides constant shortages. The substandard fuel has often resulted in damage to automobiles thereby adding to their woes.
Lab tests conducted by the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) have showed that the diesel sold in the valley is heavily adulterated. In a recent incident, the engines of half a dozen vehicles were damaged by using low quality diesel, the NBSM said. However, the bureau’s report has not identified who is at fault—Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), oil tankers or petroleum dealers.
Earlier on February 12, a joint market monitoring team had concluded that the fuel samples collected from Chakrapath Fuel Centre, Balaju and Newa Trade Concern, Dhalko did not meet the minimum standards. The consignment of fuel that had been dispatched from NOC’s Thankot depot was found to contain milk coloured sediment.
NBSM Director General Bishwa Babu Pudasaini said that according to the lab reports for the diesel samples collected from these petrol pumps, they failed to meet all the four parameters.
According to him, the density of diesel was way over normal. “The density of the samples was found to be 1,017 kg per cubic metre while in a normal condition the density should lie between 820 to 880 kg per cubic metre,” said Pudasaini.
The NBSM report shows that the diesel samples had a viscosity (liquid friction) of just 1.1 centi-stroke while the normal range should be 1.8-5.0 centi-stroke.
Similarly, the flash point of the samples was almost negligible while the minimum requirement is 32 degrees centigrade. Pudasaini said that the flash point ensures the combustible capacity of the fuel. “In the absence of quality, the gasoline will be just like ordinary liquid and cannot help the engine to work,” he said. Likewise, the tested diesel had a distillate power of 105 degrees centigrade at 90 percent volume recovery. According to the NBSM, the distillate standard for the fuel is 366 degrees centigrade.
Pudasaini said they would send the report to the Department of Commerce and Supplies Management (DoCSM) for necessary action.
Meanwhile, the DoCSM said the department would conduct further enquiries to find out the responsible party in the case. “We will write to petroleum tankers, NOC officials and petrol pumps owner for an explanation,” said Hari Narayan Belbase, director at the DoCSM.
According to him, they will also ask the NOC management to suspend the NOC officials responsible for supplying fuel to the petrol pumps. “If the parties to whom we have written do not respond to our request, we will write to the Metropolitan Police Circle of Hanuman Dhoka to carry out further investigation.”
Meanwhile, NOC said that the fuel supplied to the petrol pumps had been dispatched after fulfilling all the official procedures. “We had received and properly tested the diesel quality on the day we supplied it to the petrol pumps,” said Rabin Kumar Sharma, chief of NOC’s Thankot depot.
According to Sharma, the tanker that delivered fuel to the two gasoline stations had also supplied fuel to other petrol pumps that day. “The tanker supplied 8,000 litres of diesel to Newa Trade Concern and 4,000 litres each to SBA Petrol Pump, Nagdhunga and the Armed Police Force petrol pump at Halchok,” he said.
An NOC source said the Internal Control and Monitoring Department of the state-owned enterprise would look into the possible involvement of NOC officials in the case.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
