Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has curtailed petroleum supplies to Nepal from its three depots.

The Nepal Oil Corporation’s (NOC) sole supplier on Thursday refused to dispatch petroleum products from its Raxaul, Baitalpur and

Siliguri depots, citing various reasons such as mechanical failure at the Baitalpur depot and orders from its headquarters to the Siliguri depot

not to dispatch oil, according to NOC sources.

At Raxaul, tankers are not allowed to park inside the depot. “As the tankers cannot not wait for long outside the depot due to traffic congestion, they are reluctant to transport fuel from Raxaul,” an NOC official said.

Although the Indian authority has been denying any official blockade, many consignments, including petroleum products, have been stuck at border points.

NOC imports petrol, diesel and aviation turbine fuel from various Indian depots, including Barauni, Raxaul, Baitalpur, Karnal, Mathura, Haldiya, Banthara, Gonda and Siliguri. It imports liquefied petroleum gas from Haldiya, Barauni, Mathura and Panipat depots.

“Fifteen tankers were sent to the Siliguri refinery plant on Thursday. But the IOC denied to refill them citing ‘orders’ from its Mumbai-based head-office based,” NOC sources said.

Out of 30 fuel tankers sent to Baitalpur, only four received oil. “The Baitalpur depot has cited mechanical failure at its refinery.” Likewise, out of 50 tankers sent to Raxaul, only three received fuel.

According to the NOC, 62 tankers that were supposed to enter India on Thursday to import fuel were unable to go there due to strikes in Birgunj.

“The tankers that are to enter Nepal with fuels were also harassed by Indian security forces at the border point by unnecessarily checking documents.”