Tshering Namgyal  | Mongar

Mongar town fuel depot received a tanker carrying 12,000 litres of petrol yesterday afternoon after it remained empty for the past two days.

Gyeltshen, a resident of Mongar town, cancelled his urgent trip to Lingmethang on Wednesday after his car ran out of fuel and the Bhutan Oil Distributor (BOD) depot had none.

“I was worried it might prolong and I would be stuck here,” Gyeltshen said.

The depot still does not have diesel.

Mongar BOD manager, Tshewang Dorji, said two tankers carrying 12,000 litres of diesel each are expected to arrive today afternoon.

The fuel station at Gyalpoizhing has also been without fuel for about a week and it got refilled with a tanker carrying 4,000 litres of petrol and 8000 litres of diesel, yesterday afternoon.

This has helped ease the diesel demand on Mongar town depot as heavy vehicles refuel at Gyalpoizhing fuel depot. Given the limited stock, each heavy vehicle is allotted 50 litres of diesel.

“Construction companies are complaining of fuel shortage and say it is hampering their work progress. But it’s not our problem and it’s at the source,” Tshewang Dorji, said.

According to BOD officials, Indian tankers from Guwahati in Assam have failed to deliver fuel to Samdrupjongkhar on time. Samdrupjongkhar being high-risk zone vehicles from other dzongkhags entering Samdrupjongkhar must load, and leave the dzongkhag on the same day.

This according to the vehicle owners was difficult, especially trucks from Mongar. According to the health safety protocol, the drivers who fail to leave within the day have to remain in self-paid quarantine for a week.

BOD officials are exploring to halt tankers in Wamrong or Tshelingor so that they can move early next morning.

Mongar BOD fuel depot has an underground tank capacity to store 20,000 litres of petrol and 40,000 liters of diesel while Gyalpoizhing DPCL depot can store 20,000 litres of petrol and diesel each.