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NMC Fuel Crisis: Civic Services at Risk
16 Jun
Summary
- New diesel norms restrict NMC's fuel procurement from retail outlets.
- Daily fuel costs could rise by Rs140 per litre for NMC.
- Essential services like waste collection and drain cleaning are impacted.
Nagpur's civic services are at risk of disruption following new diesel procurement regulations issued by the Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas on June 11. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is struggling to secure fuel for essential operations, including garbage collection, drain cleaning, and fogging.
Under the new norms, commercial consumers are barred from purchasing more than 200 litres of diesel from retail stations. Purchases exceeding this limit must be sourced through commercial channels, where diesel costs approximately Rs140 per litre, a substantial increase from the retail price of Rs98 per litre.
The NMC, which uses 5,000 to 6,000 litres of diesel daily, faces a severe financial strain. The Solid Waste Management Department alone requires nearly 2,000 litres daily for its machinery. Operations for cleaning drains and maintaining lakes are also affected, with fears that monsoon-related works could be hampered.
Fogging operations have already ceased in some areas, and water hyacinth removal from Ambazari Lake has slowed. The situation is compounded by concerns from private agencies managing waste collection, who also rely heavily on diesel. NMC officials met with the district collector to seek intervention, who assured exploration of direct fuel supply options with oil marketing companies.
