Nepal planning to airlift fuel following India's unofficial blockage

Kathmandu: Nepal is planning to airlift fuel from other countries following a halt in supply of petroleum products by southern neighbor India some two weeks ago.

The state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) was doing necessary work to ensure smooth fuel supply through airlifting after the Nepal government directed the firm to seek alternatives, Xinhua reported.

Nepal has been hit hard by the shortage of petroleum products and essential goods after India halted all the supplies through the unofficial blockade a fortnight ago. However, India has been denying such blockade.

The NOC held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to plan airlifting fuel from Bangladesh in the short term and from China in the long run. However, no formal decision has been made yet.

The Himalayan nation relies heavily on India for its fuel.