Nepal Oil Corporation has started the construction of a petroleum storage facility along the banks of the Rohini River in Rupendehi.

The construction includes embankment construction and landfilling along the Rohini River, situated in the boundary area of Omsatiya and Rohini Rural Municipalities of Rupandehi.

The inauguration of the construction work was jointly initiated by Manjit Kumar Yadav, Chairperson of Omsatiya Rural Municipality, and Bidya Prasad Yadav, Chairperson of Rohini Rural Municipality, on Wednesday.

According to the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), due to the reduced storage capacity of the Bhalbari depot in Rupandehi and its proximity to settlements, the corporation has started constructing a new storage facility on 13.5 bighas of land purchased by the corporation.

This depot will fulfill the 20-day demand of Lumbini Province for petroleum products.

The corporation has been constructing storage facilities in various locations across the country to increase storage of petroleum products.

During the programme, the Chairperson of Rohini Rural Municipality, Bidhya Prasad Yadav, expressed the local government's full commitment to providing complete support in project construction. He said, “The Corporation needs to address local concerns, and the local government is ready to collaborate on issues essential to the corporation.”

He mentioned that the budget for construction has been approved despite disputes in parliamentary committees over land-related authority. Accordingly, three tanks each of 21,000 kilolitres for diesel storage, two tanks each of 16,000 kilolitres for petrol storage, and three tanks of 70 kilolitres for kerosene storage will be constructed. Upon completion of the storage construction, the current Bhalbari depot will be relocated to this site.

Chairperson Yadav further provided information that embankment construction and landfilling will be completed by coming June/July (Asar), and the project design will be finalised by September/October (Asoj).

Kathmandu University will be tasked with the project design. The foundation stone will be laid in November/December (Mangsir) this year, to complete construction within the Fiscal Year 2026/2027 (2083 BS).

Manager of the NOC Ramhari Niraula said that construction work for a petroleum depot will now advance on a 14-bigha land plot located beyond the settlement area. “The existing depots have become congested. They cannot accommodate fuel for more than 14 to 15 days. The demand for petroleum products has increased, so a new storage facility is necessary for us,” Niraula said.

He explained that due to the decreased storage capacity of Bhalbari, efforts have been initiated to construct a new storage facility. The new storage facility will be located 70 per cent in Omsatiya and the remaining 30 per cent in Rohini Rural Municipality.

During the inauguration ceremony of the construction, petroleum entrepreneurs Prem Neupane, Rakesh Kasaudhan, and others expressed concerns about the current Bhalbari depot being unsafe and risky due to its proximity to the settlements.

They highlighted the necessity for a new storage facility to ensure safety and convenience for both business owners and the general public after the closure of the existing depot.