POL price hike sparks demonstrations countywide

Students and general people have begun demonstrating from early Saturday in various parts of the country against the decision of the government to increase the price of the petroleum products on Friday.

In the capital, Nepal Student Union, All Nepal National Free Student Union and Maoist affiliated All Nepal National Independent Student Union have taken out protest rallies in Lainchaur, Sorakhutte, Gaushala, Chabhil, Balkhu, Kalanki, Maharajgunj, Kalimati, Soaltee Mode and many other places.

Demonstrators in Kalimati hurled stones upon a taxi, a microbus and a garbage collection truck of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, damaging the vehicles. The demonstrators burnt tyres in various places. Students in Pashupati , Saraswoti and Ascol campuses stopped vehicles plying on the roads.

The student groups have said they would be call strong nationwide protests if the government did not withdraw the decision immediately.

Taxi drivers have also protested the price hike. Saying that they would not be able to run taxis with the increase of POL prices, they blocked roads in Soaltee Mode and Baneshwore.

There are reports that demonstrations have been organized in Kavre, Pokhara, Biratnagar and other major cities of the country.

Meanwhile, one of the coalition partners in the Seven Party Alliance (SPA), the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party has condemned the government decision to increase the POL prices. It has urged the government to control corruption and over staffing in the NOC rather than to increase the prices. Similarly, the Consumers' Forum has also condemned the price hike.

Supplies minister Hridesh Tripathy, however, said government was compelled to increase the price to minimize the losses incurred by the state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC).

After the increase, the retail price of petrol has reached Rs 84.25 per liter, diesel Rs 59.08, kerosene Rs 59.21 per liter. The price of the subsidized kerosene is fixed at Rs 52.41 per liter. Similarly, the retail price of the cooking gas is fixed at Rs 1,000 per cylinder. nepalnews.com ia Aug 19 06

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