November 12: Student unions affiliated to different parties are preparing to picket the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) on Friday (November 12) to protest against the latest hike in prices of petroleum products.

Stating that the decision of NOC to hike the prices has affected the common people who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, the student leaders said they will not accept the decision at any cost.

Speaking at an interaction organized by the Society of Economic Journalists of Nepal on Thursday, the student leaders said they will prevent the employees of NOC from entering their office on November 12.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive of NOC Surendra Prasad Poudel clarified that the state-owned oil monopoly decided to hike the price in accordance with the price hike in the international market. He said that the NOC is facing an annual loss of Rs 5.2 billion. According to Poudel, it is not their wish to hike the price but a compulsion.

On the other hand, the student leaders argued that the NOC has always making a lame excuse of loss to justify its decision to increase the price.

Meanwhile, the Nepal Students Union (NSU), a sister organization of the ruling Nepali Congress, has also demanded immediate withdrawal of the recent price hike of petroleum products.    

Issuing a statement on Thursday, NSU President Rajiv Dhungana demanded withdrawal of the price hike, stating that the rise in the price of fuel twice in a span of 15 days had hit the people hard.