June 9: The consumption of fossil fuel in Nepal has declined by Rs 3.19 billion within a period of one month.

According to Nepal Oil Corporation, the sale of fuel in the month of Jestha (mid-May to mid-June) declined by 8.4 million litres compared to the previous month (mid-April to mid-May).

The sale of diesel declined by 9.94 million litres worth Rs 3.51 billion during the review period. Likewise, the sale of petrol in the same period was less by Rs 140.28 million.

Deputy Spokesperson of NOC Pushkar Karki informed that the consumption of fuel declined  in the review month because of various factors including the two-day public holiday announced by the government, end of local election and the construction holiday announced by contractors who halted major projects due to the recent price hike.

Karki said that vehicles were mobilized in massive numbers during the local election of May 13. The use of vehicles has declined significantly after the election resulting in comparatively low consumption of fuel. NOC believes that the general public might also have reduced fuel consumption due to the sharp hike in prices of petroleum products.

NOC had recommended the government to announce two-day holiday a week in order to reduce fuel consumption. However, the government revoked its decision of granting holidays on Sunday saying it was not much effective.

The price of petroleum products have been skyrocketing in recent months. Currently, a litre of petrol costs Rs 170 while diesel costs Rs 153 per litre.

The NOC is yet to pay dues amounting to Rs 32 billion to the Indian Oil Corporation. NOC officials say that it be becoming quite challenging to distribute fuel due to the losses it has been incurring continuously.