The joint monitoring team consisted of representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office, Department Commerce and Supply Management (DoCSM), Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) and Nepal Oil Corporation.

According to the DoCSM, the petrol being sold at the fuel station was short of the stated quantity by 5 ml to 13 ml per 5 litres. Similarly, the diesel being sold there was short of the stated quantity by 5 ml to 8 ml per 5 litres.

However, NBSM Director General Bishwa Babu Pudasaini said that the shortfall was within tolerance limits as prescribed by Standard Measurement and Weight Act, 1968. According to the act, a shortfall of up to 0.25 percent of the stated quantity is considered to be under the degree of tolerance.

Pudasaini said the tolerance limit was 15 ml per 5 litres. “As the limit is considered to be a minor error, the act does not recommend any action against the sellers,” he said. Meanwhile, the DoCSM said that sellers guilty of short measure also come under the purview of Consumers Protection Act 1998.

Purushottam Subedi, director at the DoCSM, said they had asked the petrol pump operator to correct the measurement error. “Though it is not a serious offence, we could ask for a clarification from the petrol pump after the matter is discussed with high level DoCSM officials,” he said.