Ongoing protest of petrol pump workers has triggered shortage of petroleum products across Nepal for the last five days.
The workers affiliated with Nepal Petroleum Workers' Association (NPWA) have been barring private refilling stations from receiving supplies from Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) depots as of Friday.
They have put forth 16-point charter of demands, including appointment letter for workers, insurance facility, overtime allowance and permanent appointment to workers who have worked for eight months.
"Our protest is already in the fifth day. Unfortunately, neither the government nor the petroleum dealers have taken any concrete initiative to resolve the issue," Shiva Prasad Pokhrel, secretary of NPWA, told myrepublica.com.
The workers also said they had not received invitation for talks till Tuesday evening.
According to NPWA, over 10,000 petroleum workers are employed across the country.
The number of vehicles plying on the roads across the country has declined by over 25 percent,due to shortage of petroleum products, according to entrepreneurs.
However, the agitating workers have allowed refilling stations operated by Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force to receive supplies from NOC depots.
Long queues of vehicles can been at these refilling stations.
Meanwhile, Petroleum Dealers' Association, the umbrella body of private refilling stations, has called on agitating workers for talks on Wednesday.