For the past four days, commuters and residents in Bumthang have been grappling with fuel shortage. The State Trading Corporation of Bhutan or STCBL’s fuel retail outlet at Rabten Zam in Chhumey Gewog has completely run out of fuel. Similarly, the Bhutan Oil Corporation or BOC outlet at Chamkhar town ran out of petrol yesterday.
However, it received two tankers of fuel this afternoon. The shortage is attributed to road blockages on the Gelephu-Bumthang highway caused by the ongoing box-cutting activities. While there’s an alternative route via the Tsirang-Wangdue highway, it is about 200 kilometres longer and involves higher transportation expenses.
Officials said that if the shortage continues for weeks, the Department of Trade will look into it.
Meanwhile, the STCBL outlet expects fuel delivery by tomorrow evening. The STCBL outlet in Bumthang sells about 5,000 litres of fuel every day while the BOC outlet sells around 3,000 litres daily. STCBL has ten fuel retail outlets across the country while BOC manages 29.
Namgay Dema
