Kathmandu, April 7
It is quite natural for members of the public to point fingers at their government if they are facing problems like shortage of essentials, power crisis and insecurity.
But something must be seriously wrong when a minister points finger at his own government.
Minister for Supplies Ganesh Man Pun has done just that, raising questions about the integrity of the government.
Inaugurating the ANNISU-R CTEVT Cup at Laboratory School Grounds in Kirtipur on Thursday, Pun said Singha Durbar, the government secretariat, has become a safe haven for black marketers. We are trying to rein in black marketers, he said, asking young students for help in their effort.
“We are trying to rein in black marketers taking refuge at Singha Durbar. If we cannot do that, we will seek help from yount students like you,” Minister Pun said.
His remarks come at a time when the KP Oli government has come under fire for failing to ensure a smooth supply of cooking gas, petrol, diesel and kerosene even after easing of the Indian blockade.
He said efforts are on to increase the oil storage capacity of Nepal Oil Corporation, the state-owned oil monopoly. As of now, NOC can store oil required for 16 days only. We will soon increase NOC’s storage capacity so that it can store fuel required for up to 90 days, Pun said.
“We plan to build storage facilities in Panchkhal of Kavre, Khairenitar of Dhading and Battar of Nuwakot,” Pun said, adding: The government is planning to build fuel storage centres in seven provinces.
At the programme, Narendra Neupane, senior vice-president of ANNISU-R, said they are eagerly waiting for Free Student Union elections. He asked Tribhuvan University to announce FSU poll date without delay.
Yuvaraj Lama, president of All Nepal Sports’ Federation, stressed the need to organise lakhs of youths through sports for the implementation of the new constitution.
Surendra Basnet, ANNISU-R spokesperson, informed that students from 10 CTEVT-affiliated colleges are taking part in the five-day sporting event.
